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On Mondays, we’ll lock in together: See below for a motivational tidbit to start your week, perspective on movement I’m focusing on, and music I’m enjoying I’d like to share with you 🙂
I took time off Thursday - Sunday and didn’t post last week on Friday. Trying to find my rhythm with truly ‘logging off’ and enjoying the days when I am unplugging. Let’s crush this week!
1/3. Motivation
"You don't know how far you can go if you don't test it."
Kyle, if you are reading this, you are my inspiration! 🫡
This past Thursday, on Thanksgiving, I participated for the first time in a tradition the Byrd Brothers have been doing for about five years now: bench PRs before the big meal. I love the energy…it's electric and I love watching those guys lift - it’s what got me into lifting in the first place.
Kyle hit a PR he had been working towards for a couple years, and I thought he was done for the day. But then I saw him putting on even more weight for another set after Travis went. I looked at him and said, "What are you doing? You just hit a PR?"
He looked at me and said, "You don't know how far you can go if you don't test it."
I immediately took out my phone and texted myself the quote, saving it for this week. It’s such an awesome mentality…and I have a visual memory of how serious Kyle was when he said it, he meant it. We are often much more capable than what we give ourselves credit for. We hit a goal - a PR in the gym, a win at work, a milestone in our personal life - and we sometimes mentally stop there, assuming that was our limit.
What if we always approached our goals with the mindset of testing the limit one more time? This mentality applies to everything: pushing our physical limits, pushing ourselves at work, or pushing ourselves to be better in our personal lives.
Intention for the Week: Test the limit.
2/3. Movement
The Importance Of Spotting & Testing Our Limits
Let’s extend the theme of PRs on Thanksgiving and unpack what it means to test our limits and how to do it safely in the context of a lift.
Now, let's be very clear, I wasn't benching nearly as much as Dylan and his brothers, but I did make it into the triple digits club 🙂 I benched 100 lbs for the first time, ever.
The highest I'd benched before on my own without a spotter was 70 lbs (mind you, this was with dumbbells, so it's a bit different since you aren't using the bar). My success made me realize just how much I wasn't pushing myself. When you lift alone, you feel safe with a certain weight and probably stick to it, both for safety reasons and because it's a routine you don't need to overthink.
We all know that real growth in the gym happens with failure, but failure must be safe. That's where a spotter comes in. A spotter is a supportive individual who positions themselves to assist a lifter if they fail to complete a rep safely.
I want to focus on the do's and don'ts of spotting when benching so we can all help our gym buddy push past their perceived limits — because that's one hell of a feeling!
Bench Spotting Do's and Don'ts
Do's (What to Practice) | Don'ts (What to Avoid) |
Communicate! Ask the lifter exactly what they want (a light finger touch, assistance, etc.) | Wait until the bar is resting on the person's chest…that's dangerous |
Stand behind the bench (out of their field of vision) | Hover over the person benching so their entire field of vision is your face and the bar |
Slowly assist with a light, even touch only if they totally cannot get the bar back onto the rack or they ask for help. | Yank the bar up at the first sign of struggle; this is where muscle is built |
Rack the bar after the rep where you touched it - the set is over once the person receives support |
Sometimes the sight or feel of someone's hand near the bar, even if they aren't assisting, is enough to help you finish the rep. Trust your partner, communicate clearly, and enjoy that feeling of shared motivation when you achieve something new safely!!
3/3. Music
I'm going to close today’s newsletter out by carrying the theme of our annual Thanksgiving lift end-to-end with a music recommendation that is definitely on the grungy side of things. It’s reminds of the kind of music, energy, and atmosphere we create when working out in my favorite place in the world: the Byrd Garage
It’s perfect if you need a song to give you a final push (no pun intended) to lift some heavy iron and close out a final set.
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