Training in the zone is brilliant.  If you’ve ever been in the zone, you know what I mean.  Everything flows, you have the strength you need to lift that bit more weight, sprint a little faster, to perform to a higher standard.  Some people reportedly hit the zone when they do day-to-day things, for me it happens in the gym.

I’ve been training with Dane since the summer and I’ve come to accept that he enjoys springing an unexpected surprise into a session.  This always happens, especially when he sees that somebody is becoming comfortable.  Tonight it was my turn to become uncomfortable.  What’s worse, I’d forgotten my newly acquired pre-workout to give me that extra edge, in truth I don’t really think I needed it.

I warmed up alone, I normally do before joining up with Dane.  I’ve come to learn that the phrase ‘You’ll love it’ precede the hardest sessions.  Circuit training was on the cards.  Three circuits of muscle burning madness.

• Bag toss
• Alternating push ups with bench
• Burpees
• Weighted push ups
• Weight Push

2 minutes rest followed each circuit.  The first circuit felt weirdly liberating.  There’s a certain attraction to feeling the burn, knowing that your every muscle is working.  Hard.  The beauty of a timed workout, where time replaces required reps is the challenge it presents.  I had a specific amount of time to cram in as many reps as possible.  The challenge was set.

The bubble burst half way through the session.  It might be more accurate to say that a blood vessel in my nose did.  It was like Rudi Koertzen’s slow death when giving a batsman out in an international cricket match.  I knew the blood was coming, it just took a minute to appear at the bottom of my nose.  I used to get nosebleeds regularly as a child, they were at least a weekly occurrence.  The blood stopped soon enough but the workout was already over, 1 circuit short of completion.

Unfinished business.  Until next time.