Push Potential
Ever come across someone who pushes you during your training session and for a moment in idle air you wonder why? Like who gave them the permission to do so because you certainly didn’t! It’s as if there’s an unspoken rule that’s been made once you agreed upon putting your training balls in someone else’s gym court. And trust me; I’ve been in this game long enough, so I’m aware of the undercover rules.
Last night one of the gym boys (who I named) Cop said to me, “Big pull! Big pull!” Obviously, in hopes that I would continue pulling at a nice angle to my chin the 130lb Lat Pulldown before me. And of course, I appreciate it to the fullest. Then while Hungarian took his grand turn, Cop came over to me and said, “For your last set (which was the 5th), do as many reps as you can and than drop it once and continue repping until you can’t anymore. Contract. Contract. Contract.”
No biggie, right?
Sort of.
I want you lovely people to understand that throughout the entire training session it sounds like it’s less about training and techniques than it sounds like its just nagging. It could be the kind of person he is? Or it could just be how I take it? Again, I appreciate the marvel of it all! I do! Yet, I remain silent. I do what’s expected of me and sometimes I go above and beyond what’s expected of me, whether it’s training or another aspect of life.
On one hand it resembles obligation mixed with multiple pressures, both internal and external). On the other, I look at it like he knows I can handle it and perhaps this person sees my potential and wants me to evolve as much as humanly possible. Or he wants to make sure that if I’m going to fill in the training spot that I need to come correct and earn it as a form of initiation. Who knows? Then there’s other perspectives, ones I haven’t consider yet, and this is probably where YOU the reader comes in. 😉
So my defensive side surfaces and in my head I’m like, “Why does Cop push me so much? What’s the agenda? Why doesn’t he perform a few drop sets himself? Why isn’t he asking Hungarian to do it? Why is he only asking me to do it?” I ask these “why’s” mostly because Cop and I are following the leader, who so happens to be Hungarian.
There isn’t a way to defeat Cop or Hungarian in a total poundage method. But a part of me wonders if this is a form of friendly competition. Or perhaps Cop wants to make me look bad? Maybe he wants to see me defeated? Just maybe he wants to see if I’ll breakdown, give up in the middle of a set or throw in the towel completely?
Am I being melodramatic? I try to get a grip because apparently I’m cynical and sometimes I think the world is trying to get me.
I do find it perplexing (in a sense) that Hungarian doesn’t push me AT ALL. If anything, last night Hungarian said to Cop, “Wait, she’s doing a drop set?” Hungarian will motivate with words (to whoever decides to train with the crew and to whoever can keep up with him/them) and say, “Beautiful! Good job!” Hungarian will ask me if I want to increase the weight or lower it. But as of yet, he lets me take control of my entire set, rep scheme, breathing (or lack of breathing technique) and only assists when one is coming to the point of failing.
So, what’s the difference between these two guys?
-Penn Hall
training life 