The Comfort of the Busted Up Weight Lifter

[John Peterson]

Hey Friends,


I was exposed to something this weekend that I think is really quite an insight that I did not have before. I've already shared this with Joe Justice but I thought I'd share it with the rest of you. So please read it and see if what I am about to share resonates with any of you and the observations that some of you may have made.

Yesterday, a guy from Church that I'm guessing was in his mid to late thirties was complimenting me on the shape that I am in(at least I think that's what he was doing). He said, "Man you have a waistline like a little kid. And watching you walk up there your back looks unreal" He then wanted to know how much I could 'bench'. He was a very big guy with a huge belly and when I told him about how I train and the books I have written he immediately started telling me about how much he used to be able to Bench, Deadlift, and Squat. He literally seemed to be getting off on some kind of weird kick, or self affirmation by telling me how bad his shoulders, lower back, and knees are as a result of his years of perpetual self abuse with the heavy iron. I could tell that he honestly thought that I would admire him rather than feel very sorry for him and to think of him as exceedingly stupid for doing that to himself.

When I changed the subject and asked him what he does now to stay in shape(which he obviously was not in) he said he can't train anymore because of his injuries and the fusions and the surgeries. He can't even walk for exercise because of his knees and lower back. So I recommended that he go to the YMCA and start swimming each day. He said he could not do that because of his shoulders. My point is that it dawned on me that he actually enjoyed telling me about his injuries because it somehow made him feel good about the fact that he actually had an excuse for why he was so fat and out of shape. After all, in his mind he had the weights to blame it on. And what could possibly be more manly and macho than lifting ultra heavy weights that destroy your body? He made it sound like it was his badge of honor rather than proof of long term stupidity and self abuse. Now think about it guys, how many times have you guys heard similar stories from fat out of shape men bragging about their injuries, their surgeries, and what not, and using them as an excuse to just coast along and do nothing. From my perspective, bragging about what they used to be, or used to do, is nothing that I can even remotely identify with or admire. Any more than I can even remotely imagine why anyone would go to a convenience store, spend $5 on a package of cigarettes just so they can go outside, put them in their mouth, and light them on fire. I just don't get it. But you know, it's typical (as well as sad but true) of the non-performer to placate himself with stupid excuses and to brag about what once was. At least that's my take on it.

---John Peterson

P.S. Guys I'm not being mean spirited in the least. I'm just sick of men pretending to be macho and acting as though I should reinforce their stupidity with admiration. That flat out ain't gonna happen.

[Max McKinley]

Great post John. I look at it like this. I want to be as healthy and able to enjoy an active life for as long as the Lord sees fit. That said, it is my responsibility to be wise in my decisions along the way. Being a little "busted up" myself, I take the approch of, if something ain't working for me, then find something that does. My question for that guy at your church would be, "So, how's all that working out for you?" He kept on and on doing the same thing over again expecting a different result ... insanity. He is on his way to being crippled if he isn't there already.

[Andy62]

John, I have come across a number of guys like that over the years and as far as I am concerned the real damage is not just to their bodies,but too their "self image". They played that macho game of "how much can you bench" for the best years of their life and now as they reach maturity they have not only lost their ability to bench large amounts,but the whole macho role that goes with it. What do they do now- their minds have made them "has -beens" when they should be enjoying life? When I was young I loved rough sports and risk taking and I pushed it to the limit. I had torn cartilages, dislocated joints, broken bones and a whip lash among other things. Luckily in the 1970s I discovered DVR/VRT and Isometrics and today at age 70 I have no muscle pains or joint problems.

[Greg Newton]

John,

I shake my head. I've been big and bulky and I've been the busted up warrior reconciling to the fact the best days were gone. Thanks to you I much prefer the 188 pound incarnation I am now. I am also a much better all around athlete. Where was the pot of gold from the decades of weight training? For me it never delivered. Now I look lithe and athletic.

I am still muscular but in a different way. I don't have the exaggerated muscle bellies anymore. However, as I related to you earlier, I look muscular enough to be wearing a sport coat at a pro wrestling show and have teenagers ask if I was one of the wrestlers.

Anyone with chronic injuries who hangs to the weight training paradigm is delusional. Having been tough and strong it was fearful for me to think physical courage was a thing of the past. I am very thankful I got hooked up with Transformetrics. It truly is lifetime health and fitness.

[monty]

Great Post John and Fellow Tranfomers,

I see this with runners I trained with years ago, granted I am better in over all strength and health now that I run only few miles a week and do the strength training we promote here. I see so many of these guys and former athletes that have just quit. They look old and have gained a lot weight. Instead of setting different goals or trying different sports they throw in the towel. To me it is a cop out, cause it is easier to quit than to try something new. Many people I have talked to think you should give up sports completely when you hit 40. This is insane thinking to me. Let's all quit so we can get fat and live a life just to die, NO THANKS!!

I also am sick of the comment " I just don't have time" What a lie!! They've got time to gorge there face or go drinkin or sit and watch TV. It just ain't a priority. Americans are spoiled and lazy, and some have it too good and can't handle taken care of themselves.

I know a guy who is only 36, just ripped his bicep trying to wrestle a high school kid (he's a coach), he limps due to an injury and still lifts heavy weights, he is on his way to joint replacement. Some of us older guys have told him he should lift lighter or do BWE, but he still won't give in YET. I hope he does.

What is pretty awesome is we have a bunch of folks here who have made changes and are seeing the results, change may not have been easy but they kept workin and now are reapin the benefits of change by having better health, more energy, and a better physique.

Today one of my fellow PE teachers commented how I look like a high school kid, her daughter commented that she feels I look younger. I am 50 and the reason is TRANSFORMETRICS BABY!!!!

Monty

[gruntbrain]

I turn a deaf ear to folks who brag about what they used to be able to do; they view aging as a liability rather than an asset. Aging + intelligent training will give one the ability to "brag" about what they can do TODAY

[revwally]

Visited someone recently. He was never a weightlifter, but really into fitness. He competed in Judo at one time.
I wanted to show him some of the things that I am doing now, because I thought he would be interested.
I showed him my power t's. I showed him my isometric stuff. I explained VRT to him. I asked him if he wanted to do any of it. He told me he would love to -- but he can't.
at 50 he had had double hip replacement. He was very proud of the recover he had. But now at 60, the same degeneration that he had in the hips is now in his shoulders.
This is my older brother, who is now 60. He still hikes, but it is sad to see.
I don't know what caused all of this. There were a lot of injuries in Judo -- but that doesn't explain it. Perhaps it was all the coke (the drink, not the drug) that he had -- he used to drink a couple of cases a day.
BTW - some of the Judo people used to brag about their injuries as well. Most saw them as just foolish. Most of the serious people had injuries at one time or another -- but that was something to avoid.

sorry to go on

wally

[Greg Newton]

Rev,

I don't know if that is such a bad thing to bring up. In competitive and sometimes noncompetitive martial arts there is a trend to glorify intense body conditioning. I get the point of toughening the body until you are impervious to pain, such as conditioning the shin and forearms, but I have to wonder about the long term effects. We have pain to tell us when we go too far, to prevent further injury.

In teaching martial arts to young people, you always found someone who glorified in not feeling pain. It wasn't that their joints weren't being stretched in an armlock, or that there was bruising on some area of the body. The body was still damaged. I always tell students that it is not a good thing to not feel pain.

I was still doing Kajukenbo, which is a very rough and physical martial art, when I started Transformetrics. After the ATV accident I had a few years ago, I stopped to give my body time to heal. One of the things that makes me hesitant about starting back is the focus on conditioning the limbs. The slogan, whatever doesn't kill me - makes me stronger, has no place in lifetime fitness.

I know that a competitive athlete or some who trains for an elite combat unit, must train beyond what is normal, but there is a point and time that this is not necessary. Whether true or not, I remember reading that Mas Oyama, famous for killing bulls with his bare hands, in his latter years suffered great pain from the hand conditioning he had done. Even to the point where the sheets covering his hands at night hurt.

That is why I think what we do here is superior for overall lifetime fitness. If I am fast, strong, coordinated, flexible, balanced, and have endurance; am I not up to the task for self-defense or for survival in general? Throw in some basic and general self-defense and survival skills and I think that is all you need.

[gruntbrain]

While 'what does not destry me makes me stronger' is a nice slogan, trying to achieve that balance is elusive. Go for the gusto with mindful slowness

[Andy62]

I do not see the value of risking your future health and well being to play some stupid "macho" role just to impress the guys in the gym or to try to impress somebody how tough you are in a bar fight. Transformetrics trains you for life long physical and mental fitness combined and keeps you in condition to gear up the training for a ski season, a hunting season or some other special activity. Many of the guys who did the extreme training into their more mature years have really sentenced themselves to a life of resticted activity as they approach their 40s and 50s.