Safety is always a concern in the weight room.  More often than not, I am telling people to FOCUS and stop goofing off.

Excitation of the participants is also a concern.  How do you keep the spirits up?  Can I create an atmosphere conducive to breaking records?

Here's a little trick I used last week and I am constantly reminded of the technique by those involved.

I had to take my son to school one day, and I had a ton of people training.  Usually April has the duty of taking him, but she had to be in the office early this particular day.

No problem!  I'll just sneak out when the herd thins and explain to the school office that we were setting records in the gym and couldn't leave until H completed his workout.  (They know me, they know Hunter and our psychotic behavior in public)

So...here we are, with the football he carts back and forth to school (just in case the need to breakout in grid iron formation takes place)

I'm whipping the football both left and right handed depending on which way my son "breaks" on his cuts.

On this one particular play, or rest period between sets in a CROWDED weight room, H breaks left, I plant, he is over by the dead lift platform ready to go OBJ on the play,  when I let rip a left and tight spiral bullet.  As if in slow motion, the lady who was training in the rack, was returning to it from re racking a couple plates when I saw the line of trajectory and it had a bead on her right temple.

Time slowed down further, as I tried to pull back the pass that had already left my hand.  Unknown to her was the head shot of the century.  Like American Sniper....Ka BLAM!  Head shot delivered.

The surprise look was LEGEND.  The room fell silent.  I felt horrible for such a breech in safety.

When the ball came to rest and with all mouths gaping from astonishment, I BARKED..." When I tell you to add 15 pounds on each side of what you just did, YOU DO IT!"

Then I said..."some people just need to have a football thrown at their domes in order to get their attention" then I walked out as if angry and went to the bathroom.

When I returned, all were working harder to avoid contact to the head from a football that was hurled by me.

 

THAT'S the way to turn life's lemons into lemonade.

Dead  Lift using a 3" mat under the plates:  Work up to a HEAVY single using a double overhand grip.  I took this idea from the Mayor, Matt Rhodes a couple years ago.  By doing it this way, a person's grip will go long before their back does.  It's a built in safety device for my people.

Suspended Knees to Elbows: 4x12

Back Extension on the 45 degree : 3x27

Air Dyne Bike or Concept II Row, OR Jump Rope for 10 minutes