“Fat Bar Bench” is not a Candy Bar Hidden Under the Seat

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Lenora

I was so excited when Dyck said we’d do Fat Bar Bench Press today! Finally! I got my hot little hands around that thick thing! (creepers may skip the easy stuff and wait for a more sophisticated cue). I loved this thing! I held it tightly in my hand after Dyck gave me the lift off, and told me to quickly move it forward before pressing. This is so different from the way I used to Bench, I’m learning it again for the first time. Done correctly, the shoulder is safe and sound from impingement, and overuse.

It was great to be back on the safety bar for squats! I got comfortable two weeks ago, and was “at home” to get on this again. My legs got quite a workout by the time I got to a working weight. Trap bar deadlifts with chains went better, but, I had to go heavier with the weights and the chains than last time. Of course! I’m supposed to end up with working weights, once the bugs are out of the system. I need reminding to keep the form and stay tight throughout the movement, especially lowering the weight. Wow! This thing was very challenging on my legs, and they felt toasted by the last set. I haven’t done this much volume with three lifts in one day since Rippetoe’s “Starting Strength”. My legs were really toasted dark! (not that I’d remember since I haven’t been eating bread). We were nearly out of time before I had to rush home to Alan(don’t ask…), and I felt done, but, I had to try the tire flips. I skipped the pull medley to fit the tire flip in. This was hard! I was not used to it, especially after those deadlifts! I had to get a scaled version. I asked Dyck for a bicycle tire, which mildly amused him, despite his bafflement(that’s a word!), at my not being able to flip a 200 lb tire. He said an 8 year old girl did it. Way to appeal to my ego! I still didn’t quite get it. It seems I was curling it. Not a smart way to lift 200 lbs. Dyck let me use a 180 lb tire, and I got it. I didn’t have a lot of energy left, since I’m still getting used to squats and deadlifts on the same day, and working the deadlifts differently. Success! I was able to do it easily, accessing the use of my legs, and sort of kicking it with my thigh to get it to turn over(kind of like waking someone up who’s been drinking….). Next time, I’m on the prowler again. I told Dyck I need to do this the rest of the winter. Love this stuff!

Paleo was perfect except – unexpected cheat of Thai Peanut sauce on the sauteed veggies. Yeah, Alan’s a great chef, and didn’t think to ask if he should skip that sauce along with the BBQ stuff. He said he only used a little, when I had that horrified look as I tried to read the small print on the bottle. I think peanuts were the least of the cheat, but, no biggie. This is part of life, and I’m in it for the long haul(like a medley gone amok).