AWESOME weekend!
Friday I awoke with anger... 4am is always a rough time to be awake, whether it be the end of the night or the beginning of a day. Deep within my soul I felt some joy, however. I knew I had a short day in the weight room and would get to hang out with Vincent and Jim for the weekend.
I finished with football around 7:15 and got on the road around 8:30. Quick 3 hour drive to Columbus airport and Vincent was there waiting, patiently.
I haven't seen Vincent since 11 days before surgery back in December of 2016. As if on cue, we said our greetings and commenced making fun of each other as if we had hung out the day before. That's the sign of true friendship.
We made it to Jim's and the weekend began. A few hours (more like minutes, probably) we headed to fuel our well-oiled machines (bodies) at Popeye's. I was surprised at how well Vincent adapted. Obviously, Jim and I poked fun at him for his current eating habits.
We all smashed Popeye's and settled in to a night of talk. Training, conditioning, music, politics... All subjects were covered.
Saturday we woke up and refueled with Bob Evans in preparation for NOV. Somewhere in there Jim went down to the basement with his son and they jammed for a bit. Once Little James was done Jim and I jammed for a bit.
Then, we slowly and somewhat reluctantly made our way out to the gym. Nice day... hot, humid and miserable. Felt great.
Vincent planned to do Squat, Bench and Deadlift to get some cues. He's doing a full meet in September and wanted us to take a look. He's a fantastic lifter, but ha the habit of doing what too many people do - overthink/overcomplicate lifting. Technically, he didn't have much wrong. Mentally, he freed his mind and looked really good under the bar.
Lesson: Squatting isn't that hard. Bend your knees and stand up violently. Don't get overly concerned with perfect technique. Just make sure it's solid. Lifting should be fun and mindless (to some extent). Don't ruin a hobby with thought.
Regardless, Vincent looked great under the Squat Bar. Benching... no need to comment. He's pretty good. Deadlifting looked strong, as well.
Jim and I started on the Bench. I did 5x5@135. Felt pretty good. Jim worked up to a very fast and smooth 275x1. He could've done 5-6, if not more, but he's very smart and just does what is planned and lives to fight another day. He also Squatted. I don't remember the weight, but it was a joke.
As I said I Benched first then Deadlifted.
- FBB Bench: 5x5@135
- Pull-ups: 10x5
- Push-ups: 5x5
- Trap Bar: 340x15
Back in September (I think) I did 330x20. Saturday I did 340x15. As far as the rep max calculator I'm a little off, but I'm still pretty happy with what I got done.
After training we took the 20 minute trip to Hilliard and had Canes. Vincent had never had Cane's Fried Chicken so we introduced him. We ate like kings. We ate again that night and continued talking well into the evening.
Sunday we raided Bob Evans again and decided to give Jim's hill a go. Obviously, we put on weighted vests and had at it. WOW! This was awful.
Sunday afternoon we sat down with Little James and watched Ghostbusters, sort of... All three of us were out cold. After the movie Jim had the great idea to take a nap. So, at 7:30pm, we all took a nap for 30 minutes. Upon waking tacos were being prepared. It was glorious.
Monday Vincent and I were up early and headed to the airport. It was a great weekend. Already looking forward to the next NOV that we have. Good times.