Yesterday’s Lower Body Workout
- Hip Thrust: 4 x failure, extended set with burnout partials
- Seated Leg Curl: 4 x failure, extended set with burnout partials
- Walking Lunge: 3 x out and back
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that the efficacy of a workout is not determined by the number of exercises I do or how sweaty I get.
It’s determined by mind-muscle connection, fatigue and fatigue-management, time under tension, technique, range of motion, and intentionality of hitting musculature that needs it versus musculature that actually doesn’t require as much attention.
So doing three exercises that target specific muscle groups and make them suffer is more effective (for me) than doing ten exercises that hit every body part indiscriminately without actually feeling a pump and a strong burning contraction in the parts I want to build the most.
There’s nothing wrong with the other approach, but if I want to manipulate my physique then that means doing the latter. And it usually includes more exercises than three, but yesterday, that did the trick.
And another lesson: I don’t do more exercises than necessary just to feel hardcore enough to reach some imaginary standard. My body tells me when enough is enough.
Lately it’s been giving me signs that my iron is pretty low, so doing less right now is not just okay, it’s actually necessary.
Signs of low iron: unusual fatigue and even breathlessness when just putzing around the house, heaviness in the legs for no reason, sleeplessness, feelings of panic when there’s nothing to be panicked over (i.e. laying in bed at night).
How do you fix that? Supplement with iron. Or eat liver… gross.
Today’s Workout
- Chest Press: 4x15
- Seated Cable Row: 4x10
- Bentover Lateral Raise: 4x failure
- T-Bar Row: 4x10
- Bottom Half Machine Lateral Raise: 2 x failure
Went lighter than usual today because I was feeling weak. Gotta get that iron up.