Dufisthenics

So today at the gym my bench press buddy and I were back on the Smith machine for another bench press marathon where we do nothing but reps at varying weight for the entire session.  I set a new personal best, pressing the bar off my chest with two 45 pounders, two 10 pounders and a 2.5lb plate on each side.  When you account for the reduced bar weight on a Smith it added up to 240 pounds which isn’t bad.  I have done more on the Smith but that was using a decline bench which is easier since your ROM is significantly less.  I tried this same weight last week and needed a very slight finger spot by my buddy when I stalled out.  I barely got it today with the bar traveling at a snail’s pace for the last half of the rep but he never touched the bar, so it counts.

There was a woman on the Smith machine next to us that seemed like a serious athlete.  I bet she was close to six feet tall and had broad, strong shoulders.  I did a double take when I saw her doing bench press reps with a 45 and 10 pound plate on each side, more than what I warm up with.  She continued to impress her entire workout including jumping squats where she would jump in between a wide and narrow foot stance position in between every rep. She surely was some sort of competitive athlete.

This past weekend I doubled up on my endurance training, doing a half hour of rowing on Saturday followed by a chilly 13 laps around the track on Sunday in 45 degree weather.  It felt good to force myself out there to run and complete it, even though I much rather would have been asleep in warm sheets.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

Smith bench press – 105lbs x 12, 155lbs x 8, 195lbs x 3, 215lbs x 1, 240lbs x 1, 225lbs x 2, 195lbs x 5, 195lbs x 4, 195lbs x 4, 195lbs x 4, 155lbs x 12, 155lbs x 10