Chest Press

Went to the gym yesterday, and part of the workout was three sets of 12 dumbbell chest presses. Usually our chest workouts are either fewer reps, or kind of a pyramid (starting at lighter weights with more reps, and working up to heavier weights and fewer reps.)

Now the flashback. . . just a week ago, I had gone to the gym in the morning, and then went again in the evening with my wife. That day we did five sets of 10 reps of dumbbell chest presses. I complained to my wife that I felt week. In high school, my typical warm-up on bench press was a set of ten with 185 pounds. Then I realized that in that day I had done 100 reps of 100 pounds, and didn't feel so bad.

And back to the present. The trainer said he wanted us to go at least five pounds heavier than we usually do. We have a weird gap in our dumbbells at the gym, we have everything in five pound increments, except 60, 65, and 70 pounds. I usually use the 50's, or 55's when I do chest press, so I decided I'd push myself and use the 75's. I was happy that I could get out 27 reps of 150 pounds. I had to finish the last nine with the 55's.

The crappy part of the workout was that I started in the middle, and went really heavy. Then I had to go back to the first, and that involved a lot of burpees, and my chest was really tired. We also did tri-ball push-ups (both of your feet on one medicine ball, and then a medicine ball for each of your hands), followed by 30 more "atomic push-ups". The atomic push-up is a combination chest and ab workout. You put your feet on top of an exercise ball, or in the TRX, and do a push-up, straight into a pike.

Anyway, my chest is tired today!