Wednesday Weblog for June 1, 2022 |
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Quote of the Week:
Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. --Muhammad Ali
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Leading Off Plus Running Update |
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I know the suspense is killing some readers because I have not provided an update about my newly established weightlifting career, now entering its seventh month as a member of Aspire
Weightlifting in Westford, Massachusetts.
I selected body building as my next improbable effort after suffering ‘goal withdrawal’ symptoms post Marathon. My learnings are detailed below. Those who are eager for an update on my racing career, it isn't over, just reduced a little bit.
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Aspiration & Perspiration |
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Twice per week for seven months, I have aspired and perspired, not sure which one is more dominant.
The big news about my new career is that I have ‘graduated’ to a group session from the individual, private sessions that have worn me out since December.
While it may seem by name to a downgrade, it is actually a much faster pace and provides me with a feeling of being lost more frequently.
Since I have problems with giving up, I know that eventually I will learn what the names of all the exercises and moves will be, and I won’t be standing around the second half of the group session with my thumb up my…never mind.
Anyway, here are some things I've learned so far.
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Running Performance: For those who don’t know or remember, I track everything about each practice run and race I participate in. Distance, pace, splits, heart rate average, heart rate maximum, calories, time, etc. For years, my physical therapist/trainer, Sarah, has been encouraging me to do more strength training to help my running. Well, as usual, she was right. The leg and core work I am doing in the gym is definitely paying off with a little more speed and a little less fatigue and a great reduction in aches and pains after a run.
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Shirt On/Shirt Off" I am still not quite ready for bare-chested activities. (This is NOT me in the picture), In fact, I am not close to being ready for bare-chested activities. That being said, I can tell that my upper body is getting leaner and harder to the touch. At some point before the summer ends, I’d like to embody the phrase ‘suns out, guns out’ and flash my biceps, but if it takes until next year, I will be ok with that. We are trying to overcome decades of upper-body neglect and patience is important.
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Names of Moves: I just can’t seem to remember what a clean is or what a jerk is, except for the kinds of jerks I run into some days. I think this frustrates Mike, my coach, because it frustrates me and makes me feel stupid when he gives me a simple command and I flash my ‘deer in the headlights’ look. Maybe I should get some tattoos with the names and graphics to help me remember?
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Heavy Weights: I have made it a point to NOT ask how much weight is on the bar when I do barbell work. I’m not sure if I don’t want to know because I’d be embarrassed at how little there is, or if I have my sights set on something big. I’m not in a hurry and I have no one to impress but myself, so there is no urgency to get there. I’d rather do it right than fast. If you don't know, even the damn bars that weights go on are heavy.
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Incremental Progress: Even though I don’t know how much the big weights weigh, I do know that my trainer has been incrementally adding little weights, gradually increasing what I am lifting. It seems like I might be a year from a real competition but counting me out at this stage of development would be premature. Not sure there are competitions for guys over 70, but if there are, I'll be there.
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Medicine Balls are Important. I have no idea why they call them medicine balls, but they come in 6-, 8- and 10-pound weights and I spend some time every workout with one. Sometimes I throw them up in the air on command underhand, sometimes ‘free throw’ style, and still other times I slam them against a cinder block wall on cue while pivoting. Sometimes, I do push-ups or stretching with my hands on a medicine ball on the floor. I have been surprised at how much time I spend with a medicine ball, but I am not going to purchase one for home use.
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Balancing is Hard: Core strength and balance go hand in hand, and I am a long way from having the core strength necessary to balance on one foot and stretch out straight, or balance on one foot and do something with a medicine ball. The inability doesn't stop me from trying, however, and eventually I will be as graceful as a ballet dancer. Trust me.
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Balancing on Your Ass is Harder: Sit on the floor, lift your legs off the floor, hold a medicine ball without your feet touching the floor. I am totally inept at this exercise, and almost losing hope that I will ever master it. The things those professional trainers come up with to impact muscles is extraordinary.
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Dogged Determination: So, I don’t have the background, or the skill, or maybe even the aptitude for this weightlifting stuff. But I do have the dogged determination that led to a Marathon and a Dancing with the Stars of Boston appearance, and this is no different. I am literally putting my head down and plowing ahead. I don't look forward to the sessions all the time, and while they are going on, I do wish they were over, but I am hanging in there. I've long learned the value of working hard for long term results.
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Trying: One of my personal cliches is that the one thing we can guarantee is our effort. I am really trying to get this right. Parts are frustrating, parts are discouraging, parts are hopeful, but all sessions are characterized by effort. ‘Will over skill’ is a good mantra when lacking skill.
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Grunts: I have yet to grunt, which is the biggest surprise at all. Oh, I’ve sworn under my breath and groaned a few times doing upper-body exercises, but I haven’t grunted yet. I know that will be a milestone day when it happens. Grunting is key to weightlifting, and I know I will really be a weightlifter when I have perfected my grunting skills.
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Clang: I have also yet to ‘clang’ the barbell on the floor. I came close recently, but small weights don’t quite make the same noise and I would be embarrassed to clang the little weights. Just me. When I drop the weights, it just 'bings' and it sounds like one of those bells on the store counter to call a clerk.
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Mentorship: There is no substitute for a mentor focusing on you. My weightlifting coach is 100% focused on me and how I am doing 100% of the time. It makes a difference when you know the mentor has your best interests at heart. A big difference. Because of my experience with a running mentor for the past seven years, it is easier for me to trust my weightlifing mentor. There is something in the eyes of a person looking out for your best interests that is hard to hide.
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Attitude: Attitude matters whether you are looking for a job, supervising people, playing point guard for the Celtics, or starting a bank. Attitude matters. My attitude in the gym is the same as it was when training for a long race. I knew that the better my attitude, the more I would get out of the effort and the worse my attitude, the less I would get out of my efforts. As a busy guy, I want to get more out of things than less. I guess attitude is where aspiration and perspiration meet to form inspiration?
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Surprise Photo at the End:
Inspiration Comes in Small Packages
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Tiffany Beaupre, my inspiration to get into weightlifting posed for this photo with me at the gym we belong to. Note: she can lift my weight in weights, but I cannot lift her weight in weights. Yet. |
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Joe's Positive Post of the Week |
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The Roll Call of states and countries where readers reside: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Washington DC, Wisconsin plus Canada, Spain, Conch Republic, Australia and the United Kingdom |
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Ed Doherty
774-479-8831
www.ambroselanden.com
ed-doherty@outlook.com
Forgive any typos please.
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