Come and Gone, Came and Went
Joel Jamieson
Using Heart Rate Variability for Better Training Results
Download the full Draper here newsletter
in printable, live-link, pdf format, here.
Goodbye, 2012. Don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out and don’t bother leaving a forwarding address.
I heaved a ton of iron on Christmas Eve, hoisted another before the week’s end, and grabbed and dragged a cold and noisy pile of the unforgivable stuff the last day of the year. Today is 1/02/2013. Dare I do it all again? This Friday, I presume. Some people never learn.
Is that the way to greet the New Year, and in my particular case, the 70th New Year in a row… without pause or hesitation… or consideration or purpose? Why not!
I just spoke to Mike “the Jet” Katz, our extra large Mr. America friend from Connecticut upon whose chest has repeatedly rebounded gnarly Olympic bars bearing 400 and 500 pounds during his 50 years of training. A month ago Big Mike fell from a ladder as he accessed his rooftop to attend repairs. In a few desperate seconds, his 6’ 2’’ 270 pounds, the befuddling ladder and the solid gravity-intense earth clashed, making a painful broken wreck of his unyielding structure.
Thirteen ribs (are there that many?), five vertebrae, a pierced lung and a brain hemotoma topped the list of life-threatening injuries placing him in ICU for three weeks. Did I mention pneumonia? The tears and contusions?
Mike’s going to be okay, thank God. No permanent damage, everything is repairable and repairing. Courage and time, pain and patience; loving care, mercy and might. He called this Saturday, the last Saturday of 2012, as he was going for a look at the world from the passenger’s seat of his family car. Move as and when you can, practice life and living; be alive, alert and encouraged.
A steadfast friend at the wheel, he was heading to the opening of his brand new 27,000-square-foot East Haven Planet Fitness Gym, the sixth or seventh of his and his son and partner’s chain in Connecticut. Holy Moly, Ravioli. The only chain I have is rusty and curled around a fence post at the bottom of the hill. Though speaking a bit stiffly on the phone, Mike was strong, thoughtful, grateful and loving. As he said the word ‘grandchild,’ the phone seemed to tingle and glow.
Mike’s not a whole lot younger than I, a fighting B-68 in temporary RnR. He is lifted high by the winds of the many rugged ’n war-torn bombers cruising this airspace. Go easy, Mike. Go steady. Go strong. Spring is around the corner.
The weather has cleared and three deer, mom and the kids, are nibbling on undergrowth outside my window. Every muscle in their bodies ripples under the thin coat of hair. How do they get so lean and muscular? When they’re not grazing on scrappy bushes, they curl up on the hillside and gaze motionlessly. No steak ’n eggs, no shoulder-and-back supersets, no discipline, no perseverance. Should a door slam, they leap five feet in the air and run 100 meters in under four seconds. No practice, no knee wraps, no Nikes, no dope. I’m just sayin.’
My first workout of 2013 came and went like this: Oh, no, not again, ooph, yikes, ugh, holy moly, egad, gadzooks and never again -- a whole-body workout within 60 vital, vigorous, victorious minutes. Did I mention vibrant? Vicious?
In 1963 that act wouldn’t have amounted to a warm-up. Today, 50 years later, it was one set short of extermination… or, as I like to think, just enough.
Focus, form and finesse rule.
Hanging leg raise, 3 X 15-20 reps
Supersetted with
Leg press, 3 X 25, 20, 15, 12 reps
Earnestly seek the last rep.
Incline dumbbell curl, 4 X 8 reps
Supersetted with
Dip machine, 4 X 15-20 reps
No rush, no hesitation, no kidding.
Incline dumbbell press, 4 X 12-15 reps
Supersetted with
Stiff-arm pullover, 4 X 12 reps
An undying and invigorating blend of folly and defiance, panic and passion guarantee assures me I’ll gallantly press on this splendid year till it’s old and worn out. If it doesn’t hurt, I’m doing something wrong. Or, more positively, if it hurts, I’m doing something right.
Indulge yourself, Bomber 2013; time for tuna ’n water, one slim grin and a sliver of relief. God loves the lonely hunter and his elusive prey.
I think I watch too much news. Can we take another vote? Trust in the Lord.
dd
-----
You don’t have to sign up for Facebook to read Dave’s commentary and interactions on his Facebook page. Dave is on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/bodybuilderdavedraper
Dave is on Twitter, here:
---
Take a trip over to our
Musclebuilding Q&A Blog
... where Dave allows us a peek into his email outbox.
Did you sign up for Dave's expanded email yet?
It's free, motivating and priceless!
We'll also send you a link to Dave's free
Body Revival Tips and Hints e-report with your confirmation notice.