Legacy of 300
Back squat for 60 reps unbroken with 60kg doesn’t seem like a reasonable thing to do. Repeating that 5 times during the same workout would surely be crazy.
300 REPS
There is something magical about the number 300, it has a legacy of sorts which demands you reach it in a challenging way. There must be a battle involved, with self, with quitting and sacrifice before you reach the 300.
Back squats were just the means to reach the 300 in a worthy, honourable way, representing a heavy fought battle before reaching the victory. There should be a price to pay for such pure emotions in the days to come. Call it battle wounds if you want, be proud of them. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, soon you will feel stronger and walk pain free again. It is a small price to pay for your newly forged invisible piece of ironmind.
Being reasonable all the time or a slave to productive performance is lacking that true raw experience, sometimes it just feels great to face the extreme, sharpen your spirit, toughen your mind and honour the battle for 300.
my friend Bojč
e f f o r t - s t o l e n
The easiest way to steal someone's effort is to convince them hard work is not essential.
Here, have your reward, no need to actually earn it. Please don’t feel bad for all the effort you didn’t put in. What is important is that you showed up, pretend or better yet believe you tried - even if never giving your best. Not everyone is cut out to work really hard so there is nothing wrong if you remain comfortable doing things pain free. Such are lessons dressed in modern virtue, promoting false ideals, leading to fears of own shadow.
You can always set low enough expectations to avoid failing but this is not how you actually get better then you were yesterday. Achieving what is easy will always feel empty, it does not make you appreciate the reward as there can be no reward behind no true effort.
Don’t let anyone steal your effort,
it is yours to face, to defend,
and yours to overcome.
No true effort, no true reward.
Effort stolen = Reward stolen.
Orka left, Andy right, Grand in the background
l e s s o n - o f - f i v e
You shouldn’t pick a weight which gives you an advantage over your training partner. Fat axle muscle cleans at moderate weight will be perfect for this lesson. This one here is “just” 61kg but it will soon get heavy.
You should both start at the same time, each should complete your first 5 reps at matching pace so you always finish at about the same time. Rest will be short, one of you should slowly count, loud enough for the other to hear, five, four, three, two, one …and off you go into your second set of 5 reps. When done your training partner counts down, five, four, three, two, one …and your third set of 5 starts.
I think you are get the idea. You both need to match each others pace for those 5 reps per set. Then one of you always counts down from five. It works differently when you hear your partners voice counting, you listen, then you both go.
Sooner or later one of you will fail the set of 5 reps. If this happens to you before you reach your 10th set, the challenge ends for you, while your training partner needs to continue for another 25 reps at pace you — who failed — dictate to your partner. Your job is now to push your training partner through additional 25 reps because you failed your 5.
Let this sink for a moment then answer how many reps will both of you do in the end?