5 rep max

I slept really hard last night. Something about running in the sand just sucks the energy out of me more than other activities. By the time we were home and I was posting last night, I could barely keep my eyes open.

The benefit of this, however, was that I woke up feeling pretty incredible. The gym was empty, as usual. So funny the difference here. L.K.V. has enough space in its myriad rooms to comfortably support hundreds of members at once, but I don't think I've ever seen more than 20 people in the place. Thankfully, this is not my concern. In fact, unless someone there decides to do more than machine weights and cable curls, the emptier the better for me.

Today's workout was:

5 x 5 deadlift, working up to a 5 rep max

-after each set of 5 do 30 pushups, then rest as needed

I successfully got 175 kg (385 lb), then failed on the 4th rep of 180 kg the following set. I was happy with this, but not ecstatic. Getting to 400 for a 5 rep max would've been great, but for someone with a 440 lb max, I can't be too critical.

Overall, my deadlift strength is something I've slowly been improving as a secondary focus, so that is definitely a good thing. After finishing, I did 3 x 8 high bench rows at 70 kg (lying prone and pulling the bar into the bottom of the bench), continuing to do 30 pushups between sets. I finished with 3 x 10 back extensions and 3 x 10 second isometric knee to elbow holds.

This was the last real workout before my rest week. I'll elaborate more on what that entails tomorrow.

Oct 9, 2009