I was somewhere in between these two legends a week ago. With the first week of my new training down, I at least have endorphins like Dwayne. I’m feeling super nice. It’s because I’m preaching full range of motion, actively to my brain, every rep. My upper body is so sore, but my ligaments and tendons are as fresh as Seattle grocery store sushi. Pretty freaking fresh. Even my rest times are getting sharper. I hardly look at my phone, I'm more interested in catching my breath and enjoying the energy Planet Fitness vibes with.
The other day between sets I was blown away by one guy “dominating” lat pull downs. With all his weight, he plunged his back backwards, smashing the fully loaded bar onto his sternum for one rep. Imagine rowing a boat with the handles above your eyes, and throwing yourself backward to pull the rows. Not efficient. And in life if there's one thing to be, like my guy Jared Keeso says, "it's to be efficient." The dude slipped off the pull down machine to stalk around, loudly choking down air. It was like he had just swam across the Mississippi River or something. Yet his lats, desperate for more attention, were likely drowned out by crispy elbow joints and a tingling sensation in the upper traps, never to grow in the foreseeable future. And that, fellow sharp trainees, is a huge bummer.
I was obsessively thinking “this guy is literally barricading himself from his intended goal of being jacked and tan." I didn’t ask, but trust me when I say that that is a top 2 goal for him. Blood will never get to the furthest end ranges of his muscles without a technique overhaul, whether by himself or with outside intervention. I think I’m bummed too because I just want people that train regularly to know their plan is working for them. And for all intents and purposes lat pull down hero guy is happily headed in the wrong direction. I guess everyone can’t have Dale on their team, but the Internet exists…also part of the bummer feeling, as just one bad YouTube channel could be screwing this guy up completely. Maybe next time I'm there my money lat pull downs will inspire him to greater gains for personal glory. My new program is the antithesis to being a bummer, check it out for free in the blog!
