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ANDY’S JOURNEY II
STEPPING IT UP
Alright, keep that form, don’t change anything.
One more time, Andy .. one more time, you’ve got
to concentrate. One rep at a time, keep your mind on this
rep and this rep only, push yourself Andy, you can do this.
Don’t you dare stop here, we got more in those legs,
come on now work Andy.
To anyone walking in on this scene
from out on the street, I have no doubt they would have
the feeling that I was totally determined to kill the
young man in the squat rack. But, the very opposite would
be more like it. We were in the process of creating NEW
strength, going places Andy had not been with his training
before. We weren’t
killing something we were giving birth to a “new
Andy”.
You wanted to get bigger didn’t
you? Well you have one of the tools right there in your
hands Andy. Now make all the use of it you can, absolutely
all you can. That weight is between you and what you
want to accomplish, MOVE THE DAMN THING OUT OF YOUR WAY! |
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The set was nearing its completion . Even though Andy had done
all his reps in a smooth and controlled style, they were slowing
down to a crawl at this point, every inch of vertical motion
seemed to take an eternity. And it was obvious that Andy was
paying a high price for each and every one.
Andy’s facial expression was that of
a man possessed, and all his demons were rushing to the forefront
to aid him in the competition of this rep.
Just when it seemed to all present that he
would be able to see the rep to its highest point, the weight
won out, and slowly began to grind to a halt. As every muscle
in Andy’s body
fought to restart the upward movement, the weight dealt the “death
blow, and began to inch its way downward.
But he fought on, not to raise it but now to stop the downward
movement, all to no avail. The weight had won. It
always wins.
One never wins this battle, the trick is to survive.
The weight came down, even with Andy’s
most Herculean attempt to stop it.
At this point Andy’s legs had taken on an appearance more
like two wet limp dishrags than the swollen tree trunks he surely
felt they were. He pushed on with all he had as his body shook
and strained only to be forced into submission beneath the load.
The sound of the bar being caught by the safety stops was the
cry of victory it had uttered so many times before with many
other “victims”.
I peeled Andy off the floor, and helped him rise on two very
unsteady limbs.
Way to go there Andy, awesome set,
excellent drive on your part.
Wow,
I would never have believed just a few weeks ago I could come
even close to doing something like that. My legs feel like
they are three times their normal size. What a rush! I feel
like KING F@*#’N KONG man.
Well hot shot, you DON”T look like a Gorilla, but
I have to admit, as of this moment you sure are getting
the smell thing down pat. Now when you’re all finished
patting yourself on the back, we have the rest of this workout
to get through, that is if you can spare me the time, Princess.
Andy’s first weeks of break-in training
had been completed, and he was moving into the more settled
stage now of some real high intensity work, and both he and
his muscles seemed more than ready to accept it.
You still have leg curls to do, and talking about gorillas
and your new found kinship to the god Hercules, will not get
the set completed or put any muscle on that scrawny frame of
yours. So let’s get moving.
You are such a pillar of motivation
Doc, I mean a real gem at it.
Do I look like Tony Robbins to you? I sure hope not,
and I certainly am not Richard Simmons, so tears are out of the
question. Either get your buns moving on the leg curls or hit
the street. I got real “bangers” to train.
Andy’s training had moved into the
all or nothing phase, and with each all-out set, he would push
himself and his resolve to the limits, thus ensuring both strength
and muscle gains far ahead of anything he had experienced before,
training in any other manner.
Andy is certainly not Mr. Universe material, but he has shown
his heart is a big as any of those guys. And his willingness
to work is beginning to pay off.
He has been past the break-in stage now for about three weeks,
and is now getting a firm grip on the hardcore approach to training.
In the process of moving from where he was to where he is, he
has gained five good solid pounds, and his weights increase at
a still-steady (while not mind boggling) pace.
His routine is as follows:
Leg Extensions
Full Squat
Leg curl
Press Behind Neck
Chin
Bench Press
Bent Over Row (underhand grip)
Parallel Dip
Bicep Curl
Triceps Extension
He will follow this training approach with only a few short
deviations for the next six weeks. All sets are done in HIT fashion,
with both smooth and controlled movement and complete download
within each exercise. He is training with two days off between
each session, to insure proper and complete recovery.
He has successfully moved up another rung on the ladder to ultimate
growth, and with his determination, he will make progress far
in excess of what he ever thought he could.
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