As with sprinting, I have been focusing a lot of my attention on my form. This is essential. While it is true that I am lifting heavy for my current capacity, the time will come when I will be lifting true weight, the kind of weight that can cause a serious injury if I have not learned to control my form. I must, therefore, improve it and I have very consciously been endeavoring to do so.
Consequently, I am now able to go through the exercises with a greater degree of confidence. My muscles are working more efficiently and my movement, particularly the positive motion and turnaround, is cleaner from a biomechanics point of view. This means that my joints are not put under the stress that is the job of the muscles to adsorb and manage. I am gradually becoming less prone to injury.
The downside of this favorable evolution is that I am out-growing my home equipment much faster than I expected. Out of the "big five" exercises, I cannot do three in what I consider satisfactory conditions. These are the leg press, the chess press, and the seated row. For leg presses, I am doing barbell squats. Since everything I do is unassisted, I cannot really push it to positive failure or in weight. For the chess press, I am using the Total Trainer. The problem here is that, even using a minimal incline, my form becomes compromised. I have tried everything I can think of but I cannot see how to fix this. For the seated row, I am also using the TT. The problem here is the opposite. I have the machine on the maximum incline and it is still not enough resistance. I am forced to put additional free weights on the TT but, to be honest, it is a pain to do it for just one exercise. This leaves two of the "big five" exercises, the overhead press and the pulldown, which I can do well. For these two, I use the TT and I can still add more resistance.
I have mentioned before that I round off each session with a few additional exercises. Usually, these are incline chest flies (dumbbells), seated biceps curls (TT), and "shoulder extensions" (TT). I perform these to positive failure but don't jot down the TUL's.
My failure to properly carry out all of the "big five" is a definite problem. I rest for a week to then push myself on a workout session. Yet, when the time comes, I am unable to seriously commit to all exercises. Simply put, the session is a wasted opportunity to the extent that it is inefficient. I am thus forced to trade the convenience of working out at home in exchange for the effectiveness of using adequate equipment at a gym.
I plan to do the transition in August.
