Confessions of a Fitness Trainer - Mishaps with the Leg Press!!

I have to tell you a story.

A few years ago - this is Alex by the way :-) I was the strength and conditioning coach for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (a pro sports team for all our non UK readers).

One day during off season training we were going through a number of max strength workouts and I really had the guys cranking out some decent weight (300kg + on the leg press), especially for what some people would call a non high level athlete - boy has Cricket changed now - just look at the size of the Aussies.

Any way we were doing 3-4 rep max lifts on the leg press.

I was spotting one side and another team member was spotting on the other. The guy in question - who will remain nameless - was pushing out as hard as he could and we were having to help him in order for him to squeeze out one more rep.

Well we were just about to start the pushing back up for the forth and final rep when the most enormous tearing sound came from the groin area of the guy doing the leg press.

At first I thought he had torn his adductors or his glutes, but then the smell hit both me and the other spotter and we soon realised this was a far different kind of accident!

He waddled of to the bathroom to sort him self out whilst we tried to stop laughing!!

I know, we were mean!

Any way what exactly am I getting at - well it's this. Whilst I commend the guy in question for working out and being willing to push himself to the limit, he had failed to report to me that he had been ill all night (kneeling and seated) and had not had much sleep.

Well that's when I had to lay down the law - and it's one I would like to introduce for The Hardcore Workout. By all means try and workout if you have been unwell, but if you are really struggling either with an illness or an injury just ask your self one question....


...do I want to be that guy (or girl) waddling off to the bathroom?

Remember training hard is also about training smart.

Andrew & Alex