Zermatt Day 1

Workout of the Day:

Elevated Deadlift 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1

Isometric deadlift 1, 1, 1

6 sets max repetition varied grip strict pullups

I arrived in Zermatt around 4:30 pm Friday afternoon and was greeted by my cousin Tate and Grandpa at the station. What a place. Ski villages are always beautiful, but this place sets a new standard in my book. The last leg of the train ride wound up a few thousand feet through narrow canyons and gorges, so the sights were incredible. Then I arrive in the village and the Matterhorn is looming directly in front of me. Unreal.

We had dinner reservations at 7, so Tate and I snuck down to the hotel gym to do a little heavy lifting. The facility was limited, but we found enough weights lying around to piece together a pretty decent deadlift routine. The plates were smaller than usual, so the bar position was that of standing on a bumper. Also, the bar felt a little light, so the weights are based on a 15 kg bar weight (estimated). My 3^rd single was at 185 kg, and it felt strong. I was about to go to 195, but thought better of it considering the full day of skiing ahead of me. Tate concurred and likewise kept his weights sub-maximal. We then did 3 x 6 second isometric pulls with 225 kg, working on perfect form at the bottom. Really liked this. Isometrics are something I never do, but have read about the benefits for years. I could feel all the right muscles working, and when you know you’re not going to lift the bar anyways, the form tends to stay tighter.

After the deads, we did 6 sets of pullups using a free hanging climbing apparatus. It had all sorts of different grip positions for rock climbers to build finger, forearm, and grip strength, so we had a good time getting creative.

With an early morning on the slopes coming (my first time in a decade), we knew not to get too carried away. All in all, though, it was a good start.