Front Squat

Tonight we mostly worked on thrusters, but to get the hang of how to grip (and let go of) the bar for thrusters, we started with several sets of front squats. I ended up with a new 2-rep max of 75 kilos. Last time I tried for a front squat max was in April 2007. We went on to do tons of thrusters and I'm so tired I can hardly stand up. First we had to see how many thrusters we could do without stopping. The amounts of weight we used were somewhere below half bodyweight. I used 25 kilos and got 26 reps. This was a great experience because now that my right shoulder is so much more functional (thanks to Steven Tolzmann of Pain-Free Solutions, West Seattle, and his Active Release Therapy--two sessions!), I'm not afraid to do thrusters and they only hurt me in the way they're supposed to. Following that we had a thrusters workout in pairs. One person did five, the other person did five, and so on for ten minutes. I used two 25-pound dumbbells and my partner used 20's. She's somewhat new to the gym but strong. We got 23 sets each, the same number as the pair of young men nearby. Of course their weights were heavier, but not by much. We worked hard and it felt really good to lie on the floor afterwards. My intention was to help Dave run the 6:00 class but the workouts are like a drug. If I work out, I'm too relaxed and mellow to think on my feet.