Thursday, February 11, 2010

Maximising Strength

This morning I moved from Transition at the gym into Maximising Strength. Finally I was lifting real weights. I felt a bit more justified in pushing 78kg on my legs instead of 45kgs. Of course it meant I couldn’t do free weights on my legs because there’s no way I can actually lift 78kg in my weak and feeble cyclist’s hands.

The problem with sitting in a nice cradle pushing weights is it isolates muscles but, I asked advice from the nice fella instructor and he showed me an alternative - a machine I can use as a free-weight that puts the weight on my shoulders - so now I am fixed for life. It demonstrates the difference between the leg press and lifting free weights. Bearing in mind I lifted 78kg 5 times already, I just struggled to lift 50kgs free weights. So now Ihave to figure out a weight I can actually sensibly lift.

After I ran home it seemed that it would take less time for me to haul on a pair of cycling shorts and shoes and go straight to work than get changed into work clothes and de-ice the vanu so I cycled to work.

A perfect day for trying out the new tri bars, I cut (wiggling slightly) through the wind along Swindon Road and Wharf Road. There’s a little adaptation to be done – the elbow pads clash with my knees and I needed to re-jig the light and Marvin the Garmin fitting. It made for an interesting ride home without a light and I was incapable of climbing overtown hill out of the saddle.

Finally though, the legs are hurting like they’re growing again

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