I remember that Christmas as a teenager, when I received a book that I asked for: "Arnold's Bodybuilding for Men."
I had just developed an interest in weight-lifting, and someone (I no longer remember their name) told me that this was the book of all books; the perfect way to get started. Why not learn from one of the best, right? The book detailed all the exercises, provided photos so as to understand the proper form, and was simply a well loved book in my library.
This was a significant point for me, as it helped me start a fitness routine that I have maintained ever since.
As I went through high school, there was a certain intimidation factor that involved the so called "jocks," which for the most part meant the guys that played American football, though basketball came into play, too. Those guys tended to commandeer the weight room, and tended to look down on anyone who was not part of their group.
For me, this did not prove to me too much of an issue. I already disliked a lot of people at school, particularly anyone in a "click," and truth be told, I had no need of the school weight room, as I was quietly investing in my own equipment at home.
By the time of high school graduation, I was training regularly at home, using my own weights, of which I had carefully purchased at a local fitness store. I say carefully, because weights are not inexpensive, and as I was getting stronger, I was having to invest in more iron plates. Doing this on a fixed budget was a bit tricky, but thankfully I was working at the local supermarket, so had regular pocket money.
Around this time, I discovered a monthly magazine called "Muscle and Fitness," and started buying this regularly. It was heavy on glossy photos of bodybuilders who (frequently) were pretty souped up with various supplements.
What I found, though, was that there was some science and intelligence in many of the articles. I learned a whole lot more about nutrition and the finer points of anatomy and physiology. I never felt inclined to jump on the steroid kick, and truth be told, already realized that there was no way I was ever going to reach the size of many of the bodybuilders shown in the magazine.
In college, I initially felt intimated by the "jocks," but also realized that I actually had more knowledge about the weight room than many of the other guys in there. Freshman year, I went in the gym one afternoon, and encountered some guys that I knew from the dorms. They were all playing basketball, and thought pretty highly of themselves. I was on my own, because I have never felt the need to have a workout buddy, and just got on with things.
Within a few minutes, one or two of the guys acknowledged that I seemed to know what I was doing, and furthermore, was lifting a lot heavier than they were able to.
It is somewhat sad that egos play such a big part in the lives of males, but sometimes you just have to accept it, and decide how you want to stick to your guns, and just get on with things.
And that is what I did.
As a member of the tennis team, I was one of the few that was actively working out with weights. Sure, I was far from the best tennis player, but I was sure as shit stronger than they were. But it was relative, and I did not really care one way or the other what the other guys did.
Throughout college, I continued my workouts, and frequently friends would join me. I recognized that some of them just needed a workout buddy, and others did it just because we were friends and we did stuff together. Still, I stuck to my guns and continued my routines on my own schedule.
And after college? I kept right on working out. I used the weight room at my apartment complex as often as I could, both in Dallas and in Massachusetts. When I returned to Dallas at the end of the 90s, I dragged some of my old barbells over to Little Goliad, but quickly realized that I needed more equipment, so joined the 24 hour gym down the street.
This was my first experience in a setting that was almost as much about socializing as it was about fitness. True, the gym was coed, and combine a bunch of guys with big egos (regardless of their size or muscular shape) and a bunch of girls who were particularly interested in getting picked up, and you get a real interesting situation. But, if you look closely, as I did, you did recognize that there were a fair share of men and women there just to get their exercises done. They, too, were just as frustrated by the people who spent more time looking at themselves in the mirror, or posing on a machine, or simply acting like a dipshit.
Throughout this time, I continued reading M&F magazine, and noticed that the publication was evolving. There were more and more interesting articles with information and studies that showed, that proved how effective various techniques really were.
I utilize a lot of these techniques, and welcomed the new bits of information. I regularly changed up my routines, training splits, and muscle confusion tactics. I had learned all of this from the get go back when I first read Arnold's book, and the facts continue to prove why this all works.
For a brief time after I moved to Spain, I continued reading M&F Español, but once I got to Germany, I kind of stopped picking up a monthly copy of the magazine. Part of this was due to the gym I was using.
One of the things I have always done in gyms is pay attention to who is there, and how they are training. If you are serious about training, then you tend to notice the other people who are equally serious. And that habit tends to go in both directions. Once or twice when I was in the gym in Dallas, someone might come up to me and ask me about an exercise I was doing. And visa versa. I was able to pick up on new exercises, new techniques that were coming from advances in creativity and technology.
This happened to me in Spain, and again in Germany.
Meanwhile, as I was getting older, my priorities were changing. The ultimate goal remained the same, but you have to bring that into context. Between the age of 18 and 30, I was still regularly shooting for a "max," like max bench press, squat, or whatever.
As I reached my forties and fifties, it was more about maintaining size and strength, but also adapting to the changes that come with aging.
Then, around 5 years ago, I experienced some issues with my back, which resulted in me visiting a physical therapist. The guy was knowledgeable, and while I am thankful for his treatment, guidance, and advice, I took one of his points a little too seriously. At one point, he told me that a back could take 18 months to recover, and that I should avoid lifting weights during that time.
That was a real challenge for me, because of all of what I have just written. I was not used to NOT working out, and unfortunately, I allowed myself to believe that I could further injure myself if I were to lift weights during this time.
I will skip on through to a few years later, when I got myself back on to a no fear training routine, which involved starting slow and working my way back up.
Since the beginning, I keep a journal of my exercise routines, so I can document reps, sets, weight, and all the things needed to measure progress. And the best way to measure the results is by listening to the body in the first place.
A few years ago, I purchased some adjustable dumbbells for home use, and since then have not been back to my fitness studio. I finally terminated my membership there late last year, and meanwhile have made really good use of my investment of the dumbbells. They are more than sufficient for the type of exercising I need to be doing. Maxing out is a thing of the past.
Pandemic or not, since I have been working from home for so many years, I take advantage of the flexibility, and can do my daily training whenever there is a break in the action of work.
For new information and variety, I found a few sources on the internet about workouts, training ideas, etc. Indeed, many of the dipshits that I used to see in the gym have helped develop a constant flood of people with YT channels that are always the experts on exercise. As entertaining as that may be, I found myself regularly frustrated by the various floods of misinformation. And there is only so much time you really should allow yourself to watch someone who is wearing a t-shirt 2 sizes too small talk about pumping up.
I finally found a source that I could connect with, a regular guy who spent a lot of time explaining about the science of working out, then would go on to show clearly how to perform various exercises. This is kind of an advantage, and is better than the ways of old, when I had to learn about form by a written description. In fairness, many of the M&F articles did a really good job of describing how to perform an exercise, but sometimes seeing the actual performance helps the brain.
Unfortunately, there was a bit of a scandal last year when some of the other YTers who were touting their own channels tried to poke holes in my source channel, on the grounds that the guy was not actually lifting the amount of weight that he said he was.
Funny how the egos never seem to go away, eh?
For me, I learned from the very beginning the importance of form, holding the ego in check, and understanding how the body works, particularly with regard to all the techniques associated with building muscle. I am proud of the discipline I have held, even while being able to laugh at my own habits. I never wanted to socialize at the gym, because that would cut into pub time, for example. Working out with great frequency means that I can (should I decide to) eat cheese fries as often as I want. And I tend to want to eat cheese fries often. (sorry, I dreamed about Snuffer's last night)
One morning this past week, I woke up with a feeling that perhaps I should take a body break for the day, and simply skip the exercises. I thought about it while I was making my first coffee of the day, and in the end, embraced the philosophy "listen to the body," and simply took the day off from training.
It was the prudent thing to do, and my body really appreciated it.
The next morning, I was right back on track, and continuing on my way.
So, I will close off this ramble, and get cracking.
Today is goblet squat and back day.
see you out there
Bryan
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