Having a (optimistically “average”) height of 175cm (thanks Mom), and a bodyweight which dances around 65kg, I have accepted – quite a while ago, to be honest – that there is little chance I could moonlight as a forklift.
Lifting impressively sized weights is simply not in my genetic cards, unlike some of my fellow #100DaysToMuscle colleagues who surpass 6-foot in height and sit comfortably at 80+ kilograms. Lifting triple-digit (at least 100kg) weights seems to come easy to them, whereas it’s a goal of mine. A goal I’m striving to achieve by the end of this challenge.
I noticed something the other day during an awesome sweat session at Sports Science, which sparked this ‘weighted’ train of thought. One of the metcon exercises of a RIPT class earlier in the week was ring pull-ups, which – as it sounds – involves lying on your back under two wooden loops which hang above your (now horizontal) shoulders. You then hold one loop in each hand and lift yourself up, keeping your body as straight as possible. There’s little doubt this is a tough exercise, but it’s an exercise that my frame seems to flourish in.
Doing ring pull-ups next to me was a dude clearly built for rugby. He was about 6-foot tall and… to put it delicately… had thighs that could crack walnuts. He’s a big dude. The name Bakkies Botha comes to mind. This guy cruised through the deadlifts; of course they were heavily loaded with weight plates. Other strength exercises involving weights appeared a breeze too. However, and here’s where us ‘little guys’ prosper, lifting his own bodyweight was clearly an issue. That’s essentially what ring pull-ups are, lying flat on your back and lifting your upper body skyward.
That’s when it hit me. Sure I may not be the first person to call when shifting marble statues, but I do have a secret weapon in my arsenal – my power to weight ratio. That’s where us slimmer guys win out. I like to look at it in terms of vehicles – rugby dude may be a Ford Ranger pickup truck, but I’m a Ducati. Of course he’s got more power on paper, but when it comes to power to weight ratio, the lighter machine wins hands down.
So while I was musing on the whole power to weight conundrum, here is what Rodet (@rodet_yila) had in store for us at RIPT this week:
Monday (Day 1):
Warm-up – 2 x 2 mins cardio & dynamic stretches with lift prep.
Primary Lifts – Triphasic bench press (3-2-1 secs – 6 x 6) ss Triphasic push-ups (5-3-1 secs – 6 x 5)
MetCon – fury rows / tyre flips / KB angled press / Pezziball hamstring curls / inverted rows / Cuban press (2 x 60:60 secs work:rest ratio)
Finisher – shuttle runs (5 x 15 m shuttle) / skipping (100 skips) / row ergo. (300 m)
Cool-down – foam roll & static stretches
Wednesday (Day 2):
Warm-up – 2 x 2 mins cardio & dynamic stretches with lift prep.
Primary Lifts – Deadlifts (6 x 6) ss Single-leg glute-ham. bridge (6 x 5/leg)
MetCon – ring rows / MB throw-ins / box jumps / reverse mountain climbers / band resisted Supermans / prowler pull-push (2 x 60:30 secs work:rest ratio)
Finisher – 2 x overhead plate walking lunges (15 m) / lateral squats with plate bus drivers (15 m)
Cool-down – foam roll & static stretches
Friday (Day 3):
Warm-up – 2 x 2 mins cardio & dynamic stretches with lift prep.
Primary Lifts – Triphasic back squat (3-2-1 secs – 6 x 6) ss KB split squat (6 x 5/leg)
MetCon – thrusters / pull-ups / KB swings / push-ups / sliding hamstring curls *15 m shuttle run countdown (5-4-3-2) after each station (2 x 40:20 secs work:rest ratio)
Finisher – 2 x 40:20 secs work:rest ratio – Partner 1: over-and-under / Partner 2: iso-squat with MB rotations
Cool-down – foam roll & static stretches
Keep getting fitter. Keep getting faster.
