Let’s be honest: when you walk up to a bar loaded with a weight you’ve never lifted before, there’s a big part of you that wants nothing to do with it.
After all, the best-case scenario is, lifting that weight is going to require an immense amount of concentrated effort. Worst case? Well, it’s kind of obvious that amount of weight has the potential to do significant harm to your body.
That’s the way it always is, right? Whenever you’re about to perform a difficult, potentially harmful physical task, it’s a given that a big part of you will want nothing to do with it. In fact, not wanting it is most certainly our default stance toward any significant challenge. The part of you that wants nothing to do with lifting that weight will always show up.
“Very simply, you’ve got to make the part of you that wants it bigger than the part of you that doesn’t want it.”
So the only real question is, is there another part of you that does want a part of it? In other words, you’ve got to find a way to make the part of you that does want it bigger than the part of you that doesn’t want it.
If that makes sense to you, the only remaining issue is to figure out how to do it. For me, it’s a matter of reconnecting to my goals and imagining how great I’ll feel once I’ve tackled the challenge. For you, it might be something else, but whatever it is, you’ve got to find it. Very simply, you’ve got to make the part of you that wants it bigger than the part of you that doesn’t want it.
RELATED: Athletes Have More Mental Toughness: In and Out of the Gym
This Week’s Training
For the first time in a while, I think I can say I had an excellent week of training. Lots of volume, but nothing daunting. Everything’s feeling healthy and productive at the moment.
You might notice that I’m doing a lot of military presses as of late. In the past, I’ve had a bit of trouble with these in terms of shoulder health, but for whatever reason, they’re feeling great for me at the moment. I’m not pushing them hard, as you can see by the weights I’m using, and that’s probably the key to making these safe and productive.
That’s all for this week. Enjoy the videos, and please leave your comments and questions!
Weekly Training Volume: 62,316lb (Last Week: 48,898lb)
Significant Lifts:
- 315 High Bar Squat
- 205 Power Clean
- 455 Block Pull
Monday, October 27, 2014
Bodyweight: 200lb
Volume: 9,950lb
High-Bar Squat
Set 1: 45 lbs × 8
Set 2: 95 lbs × 6
Set 3: 135 lbs × 5
Set 4: 185 lbs × 5
Set 5: 225 lbs × 3
Set 6: 275 lbs × 2
Set 7: 295 lbs × 1
Set 8: 315 lbs × 1 (Video Below)
Set 9: 275 lbs × 3
Notes: Triple ply sleeves. Seemed fine on knee.
Deadlift
Set 1: 135 lbs × 3
Set 2: 225 lbs × 3
Set 3: 315 lbs × 1
Set 4: 365 lbs × 1
Notes: Lifting shoes and Velcro belt
45-Degree Back Extension
Set 1: 100 lbs × 10
Set 2: 100 lbs × 10
Set 3: 100 lbs × 10
Notes: Good hamstring fatigue
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Bodyweight: 198.8lb
Volume: 17,716lb
Bench Press
Set 1: 45 lbs × 5
Set 2: 95 lbs × 5
Set 3: 135 lbs × 5
Set 4: 185 lbs × 3
Set 5: 205 lbs × 2
Set 6: 225 lbs × 2
Set 7: 225 lbs × 2
Set 8: 225 lbs × 2
Set 9: 225 lbs × 2
Set 10: 205 lbs × 3
Set 11: 205 lbs × 3
Set 12: 205 lbs × 3
Notes: No belt or wrist wraps
Chin Up
Set 1: 8 reps
Set 2: 8 reps
Set 3: 8 reps
Set 4: 8 reps
Military Press
Set 1: 45 lbs × 10
Set 2: 65 lbs × 10
Set 3: 75 lbs × 10
Set 4: 85 lbs × 10
Set 5: 75 lbs × 10
Bicep Curl (Dumbbell)
Set 1: 80 lbs × 6
Set 2: 80 lbs × 6
Set 3: 80 lbs × 6
Set 4: 80 lbs × 6
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Bodyweight: 200.4lb
Volume: 16,075lb
Power Clean
Set 1: 65 lbs × 5
Set 2: 95 lbs × 5
Set 3: 115 lbs × 3
Set 4: 135 lbs × 3
Set 5: 155 lbs × 3
Set 6: 185 lbs × 2
Set 7: 195 lbs × 1
Set 8: 205 lbs × 1
4″ Block Pull
Set 1: 135 lbs × 3
Set 2: 225 lbs × 3
Set 3: 315 lbs × 3
Set 4: 365 lbs × 2
Set 5: 405 lbs × 1
Set 6: 455 lbs × 1
High-Bar Squat
Set 1: 275 lbs × 1
Set 2: 95 lbs × 5
Set 3: 135 lbs × 5
Set 4: 185 lbs × 3
Set 5: 225 lbs × 3
Set 6: 275 lbs × 3
Set 7: 300 lbs × 1
Set 8: 225 lbs × 5
Double Kettlebell Swing
Set 1: 106 lbs × 15
Set 2: 106 lbs × 15
Set 3: 106 lbs × 15 (Video of this complete session with commentary below)
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Bodyweight: 199lb
Volume: 18,575lb
Bench Press (Dumbbell)
Set 1: 100 lbs × 10
Set 2: 140 lbs × 10
Set 3: 180 lbs × 8
Set 4: 180 lbs × 8
Set 5: 180 lbs × 8
Set 6: 180 lbs × 8
Hammer Isolateral Low Row
Set 1: 180 lbs × 8
Set 2: 180 lbs × 8
Set 3: 180 lbs × 8
Set 4: 180 lbs × 8
Military Press
Set 1: 45 lbs × 10
Set 2: 65 lbs × 10
Set 3: 85 lbs × 8
Set 4: 95 lbs × 5
Bicep Curl (Dumbbell)
Set 1: 60 lbs × 10
Set 2: 60 lbs × 10
Set 3: 60 lbs × 10
Set 4: 60 lbs × 10
A big believer in practicing what he preaches, Charles Staley trains and competes just like his clients. Every Friday you can read what Charles has done in his workout sessions.