I was doing a dry run of the Cheater’s Diet EDT workout B in my basement, and I had just done a set of push presses, racked the barbell, and ZZzzzzooooo.
The power went out. It’s 9:15 PM, no light outside either. I was about 6 minutes into the second PR zone, so I figured I’d wait a few minutes for the power to come back on. About a minute went by, and I figured, screw it, I’ll do them in the dark. Did a set of stiff legged deads, no problem. Then went to do a set of push presses, and had a bit of a problem. It’s funny how not being able to see everything around you affects your balance. I was rocking on my heels for a few reps. Anyways, I finished out the PR zone, and then did the last one as well, all in the relative dark. My eyes did start to adjust more and more, but it was still kind of wierd.
Anyone else have this happen to them? Any balance problems?
I had the absolute worst working out in the dark experience! This was a move of pure stupidity on my part. I was working out in a home basement a few years ago with no light other than the glow of a TV set maybe 15 feet from my bench. I did not see the small black plate at the end of the bar and was removing the larger plate from right behind it with my stocking foot directly beneath the end of the bar. I turned the middle toe of my right foot into a SACK OF MUSH. Removing my sock was one of the most painful experiences of my life. The ER doctor looked at me from maybe 10 feet away and pronounced, “Ya, that’s broken.”
I now have two strict workout rules: (1) I always wear shoes and (2) I always have a light on.
Yes, Working out in the dark does effect your balance. Many schools of MA have their students partice their katas with their eyes closed…This really help the balance.
Best of Luck
This is a popular training technique used by many Russian athletes of the former Soviet Union. Pavel Tsatsouline uses it in his programs, just close your eyes instead of turning out the lights.