I'm Darryl Edwards (aka The Fitness Explorer), founder of Primal Play, this website is no longer being updated - please check out www.primalplay.com for current details on my work, passion and lifestyle approach.

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  • Animal Moves: How to move like an animal to get you leaner, fitter, stronger and healthier for life
    Animal Moves: How to move like an animal to get you leaner, fitter, stronger and healthier for life
    by Darryl Edwards

    Animal Moves

    • improve strength, speed and stamina
    • increase mobility, flexibility and stability
    • look, feel and perform better

    Find out more and details on how to purchase at www.animalmovesbook.com

  • Paleo from A to Z: A reference guide to better health through nutrition and lifestyle. How to eat, live and thrive as nature intended!
    Paleo from A to Z: A reference guide to better health through nutrition and lifestyle. How to eat, live and thrive as nature intended!
    by Darryl Edwards

    "If you are looking for a simple way to better understand Paleo concepts, Darryl's Paleo from A to Z guide is the go-to resource.
    -Mark Sisson, best-selling author of The Primal Blueprint and publisher of Mark's Daily Apple

  • Paleo Fitness - A Primal Training and Nutrition Program to Get Lean, Strong and Healthy
    Paleo Fitness - A Primal Training and Nutrition Program to Get Lean, Strong and Healthy
    by Darryl Edwards, Brett Stewart, Jason Warner

    "This book is a useful reference to enable individuals just starting out on the Paleo path as well as those who want to explore more challenging, playful and interesting ways to move."

    -Robb Wolf, New York Times best-selling author of The Paleo Solution

     

  • 7 Day Introduction to Paleo Fitness: Get Fitter, Get Stronger, Get Healthier in Seven Days. Move as Nature Intended.
    7 Day Introduction to Paleo Fitness: Get Fitter, Get Stronger, Get Healthier in Seven Days. Move as Nature Intended.
    by Darryl Edwards
  • The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
    The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
    by Robb Wolf
  • Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
    Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
    by Robert M. Sapolsky
  • Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health & Boundless Energy (Primal Blueprint Series)
    Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health & Boundless Energy (Primal Blueprint Series)
    by Mark Sisson
  • Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things
    Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things
    by Rick Smith, Bruce Lourie, Sarah Dopp
  • Wahls Protocol, The : A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles
    Wahls Protocol, The : A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles
    by Terry Wahls, Eve Adamson
  • Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
    Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
    by Christopher McDougall
  • In Defence of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating: An Eater's Manifesto
    In Defence of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating: An Eater's Manifesto
    by Michael Pollan
  • Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
    Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
    by Michael Pollan
  • The Paleo Diet for Athletes
    The Paleo Diet for Athletes
    by L. Cordain
  • Vegetarian Myth, The
    Vegetarian Myth, The
    by Lierre Keith
  • The Second Brain
    The Second Brain
    by Michael D. Gershon
  • The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat
    The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat
    by Loren Cordain
  • Eat Drink Paleo
    Eat Drink Paleo
    by Irena Macri
  • Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers?
    Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers?
    by Jimmy Moore, Eric C. Westman
Saturday
Oct232010

1 Rep Max Deadlift - Gym Jones Cert (Day 2)

It's Day 2 of the Gym Jones Cert and today (amongst other things) we worked on the 1 Rep Max for The Deadlift. This is a test of maximal strength.

Of course it is not something you step into cold, we 'warmed' up with 10 reps, then 5 reps, working up to 3 reps, then onto 5 single rep efforts. Increasing the load at each stage until we could lift no more.

First a little background, my previous PB (Personal Best) was 148kg which I deadlifted in May. I am now recovering from a hamstring injury so I was not expecting too much today.
However, I was pleasantly surprised with the result:

  • 10 Reps : 60kg
  • 5 Reps : 80kg
  • 3 Reps : 120kg
  • 2 Reps : 140kg
  • 1 Rep : 150kg
  • 1 Rep : 160 kg
  • 1 Rep : 170 kg
  • 1 Rep : 180 kg (just exceeds twice my bodyweight)
  • 1 Rep : 190 kg/418lb (new PB)

At the 1 rep max efforts, there was a minimum of 2-3 minutes rest for recovery. I tried 2 attempts at 200kg/440lb, the bar moved an inch on the first attempt. No movement on the second.

This lift today made me realise I was far stronger than I previously thought. Of course peer pressure (as well as support) played a part and anyone who knows me personally acknowledges I am very competitive.

To be honest this was not about competition. It was a practical experience of removing some of the mental limitations to performance.

No excuses about:

  • not being built to deadlift,
  • or that I hadn't done it for a few months,
  • or being too old to do this 

    - regardless of what happened today I knew it was my best effort.

Today I focused more on the act and experience of lifting, not on how much I was lifting or by comparing myself to others. I just enjoyed the journey.

Thanks Mark and Rob of Gym Jones for the experience today, it reinforces my belief that we impose artificial limitations on ourselves far too often. I wasn't the only one to experience this. Many people surpassed their previous PB's today.

190kg (418lb) Deadlift (Photo: Mark Twight - Gym Jones)

The worrying thing was shortly afterwards we did a workout called the 'Jones Crawl'! I will post a video of this max lift and the subsequent workout in the next day or so.

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