Bench 2-8-06
Bench
135x6
185x3
Fracture Metatarsal x 1
205x1
220x5
230x2
240x1
220x3
I know what some of you are thinking to yourselves; you're thinking, "I've heard legendary tales about the efficacy of breaking one's own foot in the middle of a benching session. But how do I go about incorporating it into my own routine?" Well, every lifter is different, but I'll tell you how I did it.
I had just finished my warm up set of 185. I sat up on the bench and stretched my shoulders a bit, and then I got up to change out the 25 for a 35. Well, about that time I start daydreaming about who knows what. I'm going to assume I was daydreaming about some glorious day many years hence when I will go around benching imported cars off the ground to help clear wrecks in crowded intersections and relieve metropolitan gridlocks, or maybe I was envisioning my girlfriend sighing dreamily as I press her one-handed for reps while holding a book of love poetry in the other, or maybe I was just thinking fond thoughts of hurling a 45 discus-like at the dude carefully explaining to his buddy how to squat in the Smith machine. Well, for whatever reason, I absent-mindedly pulled the 45 off instead of the 25 and, in the process, let the 25 fall unseen and unhindered onto the top of my right foot.
Replaying the instant over and over again in my mind, I think I have determined that my reaction to it came in three distinct phases: self-preservation, self-loathing, and self-consciousness.
The first stage was primal. I began hopping around madly and shaking my foot as if the pain were some angry animal that I had to jettison from my leg. In the entire length and breadth of my being, I understood two things: agony and that I needed to quell the agony. Jumping around on one foot with bulging eyes and clenched teeth (kind of like the deadlift face) wasn't cutting it though.
Then, slowly, I began to remember another life I once had before the pain and I recalled that I was a person, a person whom at that moment I loathed. The first thing I remember actually verbalizing in my head was, "If this fucks up my squatting, I'm going to be pissed." I couldn't believe that I had done something so dumb, and sat there berating myself for being so irresponsible.
Then came the final, knee-jerk reaction to the plate dropping, "Did anyone see that?" I looked around the gym; no one seemed to be paying any attention to the guy going into mid-air frenzy with the chalk on his hands. Or, maybe if they did, they just sighed to themselves, "There goes that weird guy 'psyching' himself up again," and went about their jolly business. I'd like to think so at any rate.
My foot looks really swollen today, and I've hobbling around to classes with a pronounced limp. I think I'm going to go get it checked out. ((UPDATE: The nurse says it's broken. I have to go X-rays once the swelling desists))
Weighted Dips
+45x6
+45x6
+55x5
Internal/External Rotators
Rear Delt Raises (Cable)
Decline DB Bench
60x12
60x10
60x9
Tricep Pressdowns
100x12
115x10
115x10
That's about it for yesterday. All around, it wasn't a bad session. I think I'm the only person I know of, though, that broke his foot bench pressing.