Joe Riley on Muscle Development
Joe Riley had been working out for years. Like many people, he was hesitant to put the control of his training into the hands of someone else. His progress had stalled on his own, Despite his reservations, he made the leap into the San Diego Athletics bodybuilding program, and has since been astounded at how his progress has been so consistent.
Since I joined San Diego Athletics about 6 months ago, I’ve changed nothing about my lifestyle other than my workouts. As of the time I’m writing this, I’ve gained 18 pounds of pure muscle. I’ve more than doubled the amount I can squat, added 65% to my shoulder press and I’m closing in on being able to Deadlift 400lbs. Best yet, I’m doing it all pain free. I’ve got full range of motion in my shoulder for the first time since I was 16, and absolutely no knee pain.
I’ve played sports all my life, but started lifting weights consistently in college. I bet it’s a similar story for a lot people. You’re not inexperienced, but make a friend who really knows their way around a gym. They design a few workouts for you, and your buddy comes with the side benefit of having someone to lift with. All of that is great, but life inevitably takes you down different paths. You go on to bigger and better things, get a job, move to a different city; but your workout stays pretty much the same. Sure, you pick up a couple new things over the years, maybe eavesdrop on the personal trainers at your gym or subscribe to a fitness magazine, but you eventually get bored doing variations of the same theme.
It was in this frame of mind that I found San Diego Athletics. To be fair, my sister and brother law (loyal SD Athletics patrons for years) deserve the credit for convincing me to come in. You see, as fed up with my regular gym workout as I was, I wasn’t sure CrossFit was for me. One thing I did like about my existing workout; it was just my headphones, the weights and me. I wondered if the group class environment would give me the same stress relief. Also, I admit I was a little intimidated by all those jacked people I could see when I walked by.
My sister finally wore me down. We dropped in on a Monday and Bryan was nice enough to stop what he was doing and sit down with us. He started by breaking down the different class options. I honestly didn’t realize there were options. I thought CrossFit was essentially that WOD thing I’d heard about, and now I was intrigued. If my most basic assumption was proven wrong in the first couple minutes, what else could I be wrong about? After listening to his breakdown, I decided to go with the Muscle Development course. For me, Muscle Development seemed to be a good way of familiarizing myself with the lifts integral to CrossFit in the event I wanted to pursue it later, and to properly reintroduce some of the lifts I learned from my high school football coach and assorted other “qualified” individuals I’d encountered along the way. (Spoiler: turns out I was taught to do everything wrong).
Bryan set an appointment for me to meet with Neil for the following Saturday. We’d take an hour or two to go over all the movements I’d need for my workouts. I mention this for two reasons. First, this meeting totally absolved my fears of showing up to class and looking like I didn’t belong. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to move as much weight as everyone else, but at least I’d look like I knew what I was doing. Second, Neil noticed my right shoulder didn’t have as much mobility as my left, and even air squats were difficult for me. I told him a sports injury reduced my shoulder’s range of motion, and my knees just chronically ache. I’d learned to live with it, but it made leg day pretty tough. Neil casually responded, “we’ll fix all that.”
I laughed (on the inside…I was already sweating and he was in charge of the workout. I wasn’t going to make him mad). How could lifting weights, which I’d been doing, fix the effects of injuries I’d spent years getting used to? The answer for me is, I wasn’t lifting right. While some of the movements in the program don’t show up in most gyms, a lot of them do. Take the Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly for example, very common. Bryan noticed in one of my first classes my form was off. A minor change in the angle I held my arms, and in one month I added 15 pounds. Anders did the same for my Back Squat, Paula for my Hanging Clean and Press. Truly, every single coach at San Diego Athletics has given me immediately effective feedback, and you can tell they do it because they care. It all leads to a completely different workout than you’ve ever had before, and it’s always changing! After 9-12 weeks Bryan and Anders shift the program, it never gets stale.
As for my hesitation with the group class, I’ve come to realize it’s another major reason for the gains I’ve made. Similar to the dynamic you feel with the coaches, you’re not the only one who cares about your progress anymore. There’s someone right by you, maybe sharing a bar or dumbbells and they notice you’re doing 5 pounds more than you did last week…and they’re pumped for you, and you for them.
Since I joined San Diego Athletics about 6 months ago, I’ve changed nothing about my lifestyle other than my workouts. As of the time I’m writing this, I’ve gained 18 pounds of pure muscle. I’ve more than doubled the amount I can squat, added 65% to my shoulder press and I’m closing in on being able to Deadlift 400lbs. Best yet, I’m doing it all pain free. I’ve got full range of motion in my shoulder for the first time since I was 16, and absolutely no knee pain. Turns out Neil was right.
