This may appear to be an unlikely story, but its really quite true.
Several years ago, I traded some time and talent as a professional camera man for a Golds Gym membership that I would have had trouble affording otherwise. This particular Gold's gym had as many CEO's, Diva's and paparazzi as it had real weight lifting members. It was here that I met a massive gentleman whom like myself who was working there in order to get the opportunity to be near this fabulous gym, its new equipment and the fantastic talent that was there all the time.
As massive as he was, this gentleman had a way of pulling his aura in real close, so unless you bumped into him, most times you even wouldn't notice he was even there. But he was the talk of the gym because he was consistently winning regional body building awards.
Weirdly enough, none of the other guys in the gym could remember this so called janitor ever having a strenuous workout. Sure, he was moving weights around the gym all the time, but all of us were doing that and wonders of wonders none of the rest of us were winning anything.
It seemed that the more he DIDN'T work out was the more he won. I shouldn't say it was natural for the talk to move in this direction, but human nature being what it is, it wasn't long before people ( mostly guys ) had had it up to their ears with this janitor who was continuing to win body building awards without working out. The talk about illegal drugs and this guy's name were starting to make the rounds. It took more than a month before I actually found him in a position that looked like he had just been lifting weights.
I couldn't help myself, so I thought to query him as to how he managed to win, win, win and yet this was the first time I had ever seen him just finishing a workout.
"How can you continue to win regional and even place nationally in such a consistent manner if you don't lift weights?, I blurted out
I got a weird look from him and he asked why I mistakenly thought that he never worked out. I kind of stuttered and said that his lack of any visible workout routine were fueling rumours around the gym about steroid and drug use. Without blinking an eyelid, he coolly said, "Drugs don't build muscle and that at best some very few drugs might enhance the duration of the workout."
This seemed like the opening I was waiting for so I watched him expectantly, thinking that he was about to let me know what was going on. In vain, apparently since he left that space with a spare weight in his hand. It was pretty well a month later before I could get his attention again on the topic.
On that occasion, he wasn't simply finishing a set, he was in the middle of a strenuous one armed preacher curl. Gathering my lagging courage, i approached him and waited. When he had finished his set, in an odd kind of time bending way he continued the conversation of a month before without even saying hello.
This time I pestered him to tell me his secret. I even intimated that he waited until we had all left the gym before training hard just like the rest of us. Again, he laughed gently and this time he said "Ok, I will tell you"
I couldn't help myself, I smiled as I thought he was finally going to tell me something earthshaking. Something so profound that the rest of the guys in the gym would just marvel. With earth-shattering stillness, he simply said the difference was in the interval. Oh yes, I thought to myself your interval is like once every 30 days. Aloud, I said patiently, is that so?
Without fanfare, he simply said, the difference was the interval between working out.
He works out, monitors his heart rate and never works out again until his heart rate is back at "rest mode". If that takes 2 days or 3 or 4 he doesn't care. He simply waits. When his heart rate is back at "rest", he intensely works out a different muscle set.
And at the time i left that beautiful part of Asia, this reluctant weightlifter continued to win Asian regional awards in a fairly consistent manner. He was placing in the top 3 nationally and outright winning most regional events that he entered.
If you are not a body builder and haven't left a few gallons of sweat in a local gym already this story is probably a total non-event. The "No pain no gain" mantra might have been one of those cutesy phrases that you have merely heard. The real point being made here is so many of us who exercise and have been doing it for years can get so sure that we know, we absolutely know the right way to do a particular thing. So, ohhhhhh no, we are not going to change what we are doing.
So, we have all seen the tunnel visioned friend who is working hard at doing exactly the same thing he has been doing all along and hoping, yes even praying that his future plans which contain more of the same old methodologies will finally bring him that much needed change. Oops, would that be too much to expect?
Several years ago, I traded some time and talent as a professional camera man for a Golds Gym membership that I would have had trouble affording otherwise. This particular Gold's gym had as many CEO's, Diva's and paparazzi as it had real weight lifting members. It was here that I met a massive gentleman whom like myself who was working there in order to get the opportunity to be near this fabulous gym, its new equipment and the fantastic talent that was there all the time.
As massive as he was, this gentleman had a way of pulling his aura in real close, so unless you bumped into him, most times you even wouldn't notice he was even there. But he was the talk of the gym because he was consistently winning regional body building awards.
Weirdly enough, none of the other guys in the gym could remember this so called janitor ever having a strenuous workout. Sure, he was moving weights around the gym all the time, but all of us were doing that and wonders of wonders none of the rest of us were winning anything.
It seemed that the more he DIDN'T work out was the more he won. I shouldn't say it was natural for the talk to move in this direction, but human nature being what it is, it wasn't long before people ( mostly guys ) had had it up to their ears with this janitor who was continuing to win body building awards without working out. The talk about illegal drugs and this guy's name were starting to make the rounds. It took more than a month before I actually found him in a position that looked like he had just been lifting weights.
I couldn't help myself, so I thought to query him as to how he managed to win, win, win and yet this was the first time I had ever seen him just finishing a workout.
"How can you continue to win regional and even place nationally in such a consistent manner if you don't lift weights?, I blurted out
I got a weird look from him and he asked why I mistakenly thought that he never worked out. I kind of stuttered and said that his lack of any visible workout routine were fueling rumours around the gym about steroid and drug use. Without blinking an eyelid, he coolly said, "Drugs don't build muscle and that at best some very few drugs might enhance the duration of the workout."
This seemed like the opening I was waiting for so I watched him expectantly, thinking that he was about to let me know what was going on. In vain, apparently since he left that space with a spare weight in his hand. It was pretty well a month later before I could get his attention again on the topic.
On that occasion, he wasn't simply finishing a set, he was in the middle of a strenuous one armed preacher curl. Gathering my lagging courage, i approached him and waited. When he had finished his set, in an odd kind of time bending way he continued the conversation of a month before without even saying hello.
This time I pestered him to tell me his secret. I even intimated that he waited until we had all left the gym before training hard just like the rest of us. Again, he laughed gently and this time he said "Ok, I will tell you"
I couldn't help myself, I smiled as I thought he was finally going to tell me something earthshaking. Something so profound that the rest of the guys in the gym would just marvel. With earth-shattering stillness, he simply said the difference was in the interval. Oh yes, I thought to myself your interval is like once every 30 days. Aloud, I said patiently, is that so?
Without fanfare, he simply said, the difference was the interval between working out.
He works out, monitors his heart rate and never works out again until his heart rate is back at "rest mode". If that takes 2 days or 3 or 4 he doesn't care. He simply waits. When his heart rate is back at "rest", he intensely works out a different muscle set.
And at the time i left that beautiful part of Asia, this reluctant weightlifter continued to win Asian regional awards in a fairly consistent manner. He was placing in the top 3 nationally and outright winning most regional events that he entered.
If you are not a body builder and haven't left a few gallons of sweat in a local gym already this story is probably a total non-event. The "No pain no gain" mantra might have been one of those cutesy phrases that you have merely heard. The real point being made here is so many of us who exercise and have been doing it for years can get so sure that we know, we absolutely know the right way to do a particular thing. So, ohhhhhh no, we are not going to change what we are doing.
So, we have all seen the tunnel visioned friend who is working hard at doing exactly the same thing he has been doing all along and hoping, yes even praying that his future plans which contain more of the same old methodologies will finally bring him that much needed change. Oops, would that be too much to expect?
About the Author:
A trillion exotic stories under the bright night sky. Visit trevorweir.com for just half of them, lol. Learn the secrets of Affiliate niche marketing from a professional.
0 comments:
Post a Comment