Lift Heavy Things
Lifting heavy things is about all I can do.
I am useless at everything else.
Tonight I was squatting 140kg (310lb), which is a little over 1.5x my body weight, but I can't go deep with it. At 100kg (220lb) I can though, so that is okay in my condition. I used to be better at this I feel, but it has only in the last couple months that I have started squatting again at all. Not that I skipped leg day, but I wasn't going too heavy. I keep it pretty simple in the gym, with large compound exercises for the most part, as I am trying to get my body working well together, rather than focusing on particular parts. Even with all the physical ailments I have, I am in better shape than the average 46 year old.
Which is sad.
Because I am not in great shape.
I think a lot of people are doing themselves a disservice by not putting a little more attention into improving their health, especially when they are younger and have more energy, and faster recovery. Investing at that point and building the muscle memory and daily habits pays off well into the future. At my age, it is all catch up and trying to slow the rapid decline. It is like trying to save fore retirement, starting at 50 years of age, with an average income.
It isn't going to be easy.
I guess at some point physical improvement is not possible at all and it is all just about slowing the fall off the cliff. However, setting the base as high as possible means that there is "more to lose" on the way down. It is a bit like how Alzheimer sufferers lose the widest brain connections last, as they are thicker and well travelled. I actually believe that unless there is a cure, the younger generations today are going to be having earlier and earlier early onset dementia, because of the overconsumption of random, short-form content. The daily habits for living aren't being developed.
Forever reliant.
Being reliant on others for my daily living is one of my fears and I guess I am going to get to that point one day, if I make it that far, so will have to accept it. Yet, I hope to prolong self-sufficiency for as long as possible. As a parent, a big part of the job is ensuring my daughter will be able to operate effectively in the world, and that means helping her gain the skills for self-sufficiency. My parents didn't do a good job of this, but they didn't do a bad job either - they did almost no job. I had to work most of it out for myself.
Perhaps it was better that way.
Froom what I experienced in childhood, I reckon it was probably better not to be taught too much by them, though it would have been nice to have healthy role models to learn from. Maybe there should be a website of healthy role models for different kinds of kids to learn from, though I suspect there aren't many good role models left in the world. There might be "contextual role models" though, like skill-based people, but when it comes to a good way to live, do you know anyone?
From the outside looking in, maybe.
But that never tells the whole story, so having a mentor that is qualified in one area, might not be a great mentor in another. Many very smart people might be great role models for their profession, but if their personal life is falling apart, is that who you want to learn from? Perhaps this is the problem today, because we want the best of everything, without compromise. But that is impossible.
There is always compromise.
If I spend all my time trying too maximise my health, I will neglect other parts of my life and will have a worse experience for it. If I maximise my family life, my health will suffer, or my work. To be the absolute best we can be at a single thing, everything else will be diminished. But, this doesn't mean we can't be the best in terms of balance though, does it?
Maybe it does.
Maybe we all just have to accept that we are going to be failures at most things, average at best for some things, and really good at very little. And, we have to accept that the people around us are going to be equally crappy at a lot of things too, average at some, and only good at a few.
At least for now, I can still lift heavy things.
Taraz
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It’s true that as we get older, staying fit becomes more about slowing down the decline rather than making huge progress. With your condition, I reacon you are doing great lifting that much. It is good to see that you are improving on the part that your parents didn't really pay attention to for your own daughter. I have heard people say, 'My parents did nothing spectacular for me, so I'm not going to stress myself for any kids.'
Like you said, seeing a mentor that is school in all grace and lack nothing is rare. If it were to be a professional base, then getting a mentor in that aspect shouldn't be that difficult. In terms of character and living a better life, it is actually difficult getting that nowadays.
I wonder though - is it better to have a mentor of good character, or just for a skill?
Hmm. It's better to have someone who fits in the capacity of both
It is true that developing good habits from a young age can significantly impact our lives down the road. Your experience is an excellent reminder for anyone who prioritizes their health from the start ;)
Will see after the surgery next week, whether it was the right thing to do. But, maybe it will allow me to up my game a bit :)
I've never squatted before. My wife says I have chicken legs, but they are pretty toned. Shave these puppies up and I could have been a calf model I think!
:D
That would be living the dream!
Haha. I just came from the gym! I was my birthday recently, and I setted a goal to bench press, squat, and deadlift my weight (80kg) minimum for the next year. I'm in decent shape, but never really invested in strength training... better late than never.
Absolutely. Most of my work colleagues are overwheight, and almost gave up on promoting physical activity (or decent eating habits, for that matter...), it feel like talking to a brick wall.
You can definitely reach your goals, just inch at a time it up and be sure not to "puss out" :D And have a spotter.
I'll actually do some trainings with a recent friend that is competing in powerlifting. I'll likely be veeeery humbled when I'll train with her, given the absurd amount of weight she can lift! :)
First of all, squatting 1.5x body weight at 46 is quite impressive especially the weight itself. I have been going to gym for almost a year now, and yes, my squat best is 65KG by far. I'm still young :) I can look upon you as a mentor.
Secondly, not being self-sufficient is my biggest fear. It's really brave of you to confront it openly. At least, it gave me little hope that it's natural to think this way. Otherwise, in my society, it is natural to accept your sluggishness by the age of 40-45 max. Once, you have reached this milestone, obesity and unhealthy becomes the new normal.
No no - don't do that. Be far, far better than me!
I think it is natural, at least for some percentage of us. Some might just be happy living off of others.
Not sure how old you are now, but fuck that! You (and everyone else) are far better than to give up at 45! Be the stand out and inspire others to be better.
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Gracious😇
Everyone will eventually become dependent on someone, and they must be. Just as babies depend on their parents when they're young, parents can also become dependent on their children as they grow older. This is perfectly normal. Many things in life are reciprocal. How you treat people now will resonate with them in the future. Your dependence on Smallsteps or your spouse is a pleasure for them. As a father and husband, you have your best interests at heart. They will treat you accordingly.
I reckon a lot of the breakdown in society is due to people paying to look after the elderly, rather than looking after them as a family. So much value is lost in so many ways.
It is not easy to maintain all aspects of life equally successfully and all aspects must be managed with balance. While allocating time to the three main communities of work, family, and society, one should also pay attention to oneself. In that, more attention should be paid to our physical health because at a certain time we are unable to do anything.
That age of doing nothing seems to be getting younger and younger, despite the increase in knowledge we have as a society.
Same x_x
also concerned about being in moderately better shape than a number of people my age or younger x_x in the area
Me -_- I did have savings from when I was self-employed but we couldn't figure out how to manage super-related stuff with the business so just threw it in savings. Sibling dearest continues to do pretty well but mine got eaten by emergency repairs and then TAFE fees.
Yep. Only some people get to be amazing at everything apparently XD
All my siblings seem to do much better than me too :D Annoying, isn't it? ;D
Or they are better liars.
I was not even be able to do that in my peak/ best day.
maybe because I don't even have that much weights...Still your results are impressive even if in the past you could do better.It doesn't take long to get up there - have you started using that gym equipment you have?
I will finish going to the day hospital a day after tomorrow. So I think that I will start after that.
Impressive lift. Does your gym have a hack squat machine? Lower the weight, and the bio-mechanics work a little bit better for an increased range of motion.
I am doing my heavy squats (5 reps) then walking to the hack squat machine and doing 5 reps (of about 15% less weight) before resting for 3 minutes before the next set.
5 sets, every time I go to the gym, which is every second day.
The strength growth is great. :)
If I may ask, how long have you been training this way? I have been going since November / December last year (after 2-3 years off) and I am at 1x body weight squats at the moment!
Yeah, there is a hack squat, but I don't use it very often. Probably should, but I don't use many machines other than cables for some thing, as I feel that they restrict my motion too much.
Maybe three months or so, but I have been working out for a long time and legs is an area that have always been strong for me. I think being short helps too :)
Low centre of gravity always helps with legs. :P
I am about 184cm, its a long way to the ground. :D
u got me beat. I have yet to do a weighted squat. Dumbbells and machines are all good tho. My balance also sucks (even before my car accident) so anything stand up or running/jumping is out.. there goes me tennis career.. I am decent at grappling however. :)