from green to black

weakness

the biggest weakness anyone in a strength sport like mine
faces is when the think they are strong and they have to
do everything to prove that they are strong. its sad.

there are just too many people who are trying to lift
ever heavier weights without understanding the concept
of resistance that a weight plays.

but does one really get stronger by spreading out one's
effort? i believe not.

focus and isolation are key aspects of training that
have to be taken into consideration. a whole body workout
means that a whole body recovery should be planned for.
if improvements are averaged, the intuitive conclusion
is that overall improvement is slower. hence a more
specific focus on a few muscle groups lead to faster
recovery, and it follows, improvements in those areas.

for speed training the key issue if how fast and explosive
one is able to execute his repetitive movements. weights
act as stabilizers as well as resistance. however, in this
aspect, speed is the key and it is better to err on the
side of lighter weights, than to reduce speed. if heavier
resistance is the only way to train, no reverse paddling
should be done. if our focus is specific, we should work
on it.

chairman "sprained" his wrist a little today by resting
weights on his wrists. beast injured himself by not
taking recovery action. uncle sprained his back by not
controlling his form while lifting heavy weights. why
wont anyone believe me that training is dangerous? why
doesn't anyone consider the costs of recovery?

i am not saying dont lift heavy weight, but lift it
within your limits. when you expose and realize how
truly weak you are, you'll do the tougher thing by
training harder on your weakness instead of saying
no problem i do it for you. that's really nice but
that doesnt take care of your well-being which is more
important than winning medals for the team.

we've been talking about mental strength. part of it
is the ability to admit that one is weak, and when
one faces up to the fact, to diligently train harder.
part of mental strength is to do what is right rather
than what is popular. the team wants you to push, but
they forget that they will never accept responsibility
for your injuries.

look at the seniors (i dont think any juniors read
this, but if it ever leaks...) if we are waiting for
people who end class late, we start training first.
all these are the extra inches that we put in to be
better than the rest. there is no shame in being weak.
rather, if i were to ask you how much you have
improved from 6 months ago. i wonder what you'd say?

posted by green unseen @ 6:19 AM