112217// Why So Heavy?!

Heavy Day//  

1 Rep Max Jerk

& Special Exercises

 Moms and Dads// Teens class is on for Wednesday 6am. No kids class the Wednesday or Thursday afternoon.

You may have noticed the latest trend at HCF where heavy days often include a maximal effort. We’ve gone through trends including increasing loads through sets, using the same heavy load through multiple sets. There have been workouts where we literally only warm up and have like 5 heavy triples and no additional work, and lately it seems like the majority of the workout looks like an old school body building sesh.  

So 1 rep maxes! Why so heavy? Louie Simmons brings up a concept when talking about the maximal effort theory. The body only adapts to the stressors placed upon it. Think of throwing a whiffle ball, you can throw it as hard as you can, but you won’t actually produce much force simply because there isn’t much force to produce against it. We can use a really heavy load for multiple sets, but we won’t reap the benefits of moving that maximal load. 5 sets of 3 @ 200lbs still isn’t 275lbs. Sure 5 sets of 3 is beneficial, but we make an awesome response to 275 even if it’s only one repetition. Never mind that tomorrow the max effort portion won’t fee like you’re getting a crushing workout, you’re benefiting from moving a near maxmal load. Even unracking the bar with a post maximal load (one you miss the rep) is increasing your fitness.

Oh and 1 rep maxes are fun!