Friday was awesome and awful. I was actually toying with the idea of not going. It was a beautiful day, and I wasn't sure I was going to get there before class started.... but I went anyway, and got there way before class started. Last Friday class I went to was at 530. Now they're back on the normal schedule of the top of the hours. So I got lots of time to stretch, warm up, etc. Reminds me, as a type this, that I REALLY need to catch up with the doc. I haven't seen in for a tune up in over a month, and my hips are in a bad spot. Moving on.
It was a small class, maybe not for Friday, but in general, and I understand. I mean after 2 squat cycles, who really wants to go to something call squat therapy? I do... mainly because I want to get better at squatting... and thats what I got. My mechanics just got another major overhaul. We were all squatting light-ish weight, and Brian came by one at a time to do individual coaching, things to work on. For some, their knees were out, some in, some didn't put enough on the posterior chain. For me, my knees went too far forward. When Brian came buy, I did my best squat impersonation. I came up on my toes a little, but I felt everything else was good. HA! It didn't take two reps for him to be like "I see what we need to work on". Next thing I know, he's in front of me squatting, and has his hands out, he's like don't let your knees hit my hands. What happened next was the most awkward squat (oh, yeah, he got me a box to squat to as well...), this was the most awkward squat of my life, trying to touch butt to box without my knees hitting his hands. I failed, twice. Took all the weight off the bar, tried again. This time, however, he pushed my knees out while I was looking for the box with my butt. Trying to come back up with my knees out, trying to fire the glutes for that push through... WOWOWOWOW. It took two more, and I had to rack the bar. I was shaking.
I mean, it was like learning to walk again. Exciting and exhausting at the same time. After he'd coached everyone, he took those of us with common issues, and showed us some more things to work on to get these changes to stick. For me, it was Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, and this wide knee'd KB "high pull". As I write all this, my groin muscles are giving me some phantom sensations.
Ok, so that was like 75% of the time. The other 15 minutes was spent on an AMRAP of 30 wallball, 20 hand power cleans, 10 bar over burpees. 2 of my least favorite moves... and I'd just decimated my squats, and I wanted to reinforce the changes, so I was going to do my wallballs like that... BRUH! I mean like BRUH!
Now, normally thats the end of the story, but Dennis Dolan was in the house, and he helped me with my sheared calf muscles... and he's looking at possible shoes for me via his athletics contacts (curse you wide feet!). Today, Dennis is working with the regional team athletes. Some from our box, some from another one not terribly far away that we have a good relationship with.
Dennis is like 5'5". He's not terribly tall, but he's got a self-assuradness (word?) that grabs your attention, and a presentation style that keeps your attention. I watched.... the entire bit. I spent an hour watching this man coach 3 main warmups with athletes that are going to regionals. I could have partaken with them, I'd have been welcomed, but I was in full on learn/observe mode. As he made comments about this athlete or that athlete, I tried to see what he was seeing, and committed it to memory. Posture queues, how the movements were supposed to look, etc.
Really, I could type for a while on what I observed. I wont, but it was awesome. Felt like I owed someone $50 for this hour seminar. Got it for freeeeeee though. Dennis has worked with Powerline Athletics and several other high profile groups, and knows WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more than I thought he did. Not that I thought he was dumb or anything... best analogy, it's like knowing someone of Nate Robinson's size and stature, and knowing he can dunk.... and then actually seeing it in action. The way he worked the room, worked the athletes, and taught... something I very much hope to emulate one day.
Ok, thats all I've got. Yet another one that I don't have time to proof read before posting... hope to get to the gym tonight, need to get out of work early enough to stop by the house and pick up my gear.
No comments:
Post a Comment