Dead beat to dead lift. The first day of using weights.

But I don't sit idly by

I'm planning a big surprise
I'm gonna fight for what I wanna be
And I won't make the same mistakes ('cause I know)
Because I know how much time that wastes (and function)
Function is the key.

Fugazi. Waiting Room.

I’ve just realised as I sit down to write this, I’ve not listened to any music for a quite a few days. I was going to say I’ve the 12” vinyl version of Waiting Room. Think I’ll go listen to it when I’ve finished this and see if I’ve just accidentally stopped listening or whether my brain is saying no to music again. I hope not.

This morning was my first lesson in using weights. My personal trainer has devised a programme for the next twelve weeks, that will give me the confidence to be competent in five different lifts, along with a host of other exercises.

I was a tad nervous before the session, mostly the fear that I wouldn’t be able to balance and would be so unfit I couldn’t lift. It’s not a completely new world as my eldest daughter powerlifts and competes in the British Championships, coached by my personal trainer. So I’ve seen some of the lifts, but only those used in competitions, and at the extreme end of effort!

I’ve always been more attuned to ‘learning on the job’ than studying theory, so it was a great help that my PT demonstrated each of the five core lifts we will be using and went through each movement step by step. 

One lift I had dreaded was the bench lift. Lying flat on the bench, weights above your head, taking the bar down to your chest, then straight up and extending your arms. I’m quite long limbed and definitely not muscular so thought that of all the lifts and movements, this would be the one I would really struggle on. Quite the opposite. I really enjoyed it. Whether I say that when we add weights to the bar is another thing.....oh and as for split squats, whoever devised those was definitely evil....

The hour session really flew by, I was completely focussed on learning and my PT remarked how positive I had been and how much more relaxed I was at the end. I couldn’t disagree.

I had a meeting scheduled for 3pm which I was becoming increasingly anxious about, so rather than sit and worry, I decided to get on my bike’s turbo trainer and try out the two fifteen minute exercises that my PT has devised on Zwift. A combination of pent up frustration, nervous energy and having already warmed up by lifting, meant I was able to hit and maintain power levels I’d not seen since cycling 25 miles a day as a challenge for Halton Haven Hospice earlier this year.

Whilst the meeting I attended provoked a whole heap of anxiety among other things, I do feel I was able to recover from it far quicker than I would have done this time last week. Maybe there’s something in this exercise lark!

Finally, if you think or know that a mate is struggling, send them a message. Don’t push them for an answer, but don’t be afraid to contact them. You might not get an answer, or you may get one eventually. It’s highly likely though that it will be read and appreciated. 

One way of signing off is this.

“Please don’t feel any obligation to reply to this. I know how difficult it can be to deal with things when your mind isn’t right and I wouldn’t want you to feel any pressure.“

Love and tier 2 hugs

Blot