Wanjiru's first coaching call
A 34-year-old accountant from Nairobi joins for a live coaching session. She has done two sessions, her knees hurt, and she wants to know whether that is normal or a warning sign.
The empty bar is enough
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Show notes
Starting with nothing on the bar
Most beginners fail in the first fortnight because they copy a programme written for someone three years ahead of them. Ikenna makes the case for the empty bar, the five-rep set, and leaving the gym feeling like you could have done more.
- Why the first session is about positions, not weight
- Setting the rack height so the bar sits at collarbone level
- The three cues Ikenna gives every new lifter for the squat
- What to say when a rack is taken and you do not want to wait
- How to track two numbers in a notebook and ignore everything else
Next week, a listener from Nairobi joins for her first coaching call.
Transcript
Hello and welcome. My name is Ikenna Obiora and this is First Barbell Club, the show for people who have never lifted a weight and are not sure they are allowed to. Today we are talking about the empty bar. Twenty kilos, nothing on either end, and I am going to convince you that it is the best first workout you will ever do. I know what you are thinking. Everyone in that gym has plates stacked like dinner sets and you will look silly. You will not. I have coached hundreds of people through their first session and the ones who start light are the ones still lifting a year later. We will cover how to set the rack, how to stand, and the three words I say to every new lifter. Stay with me. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
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