Sunday, January 18, 2015

Hormones like a teenager

In my prime-I was a muscle head.  Lived in Wildwood New Jersey.  Had 3 roommates (1 bartender and 2 bouncers).  Worked out at Atilis Gym in 1982, that summer the gym owners asked me to compete in a Mr East Coast and Mr Natural New Jersey.  I was 18 and didn't give a sh*t so I joined and won both (teenage divisions).  I lifted weights with some Venice beach-like-male-airheads and refined my "Muscle and Fitness magazine" body building movements.  (Joe Weider's publication was a bible back then)


I seemed to develop a lot of muscle mass with what I was taught so I took it with me to college and later.  I believe when we adapt a "routine" that: works, doesn't cause injury and gives size gains.....that becomes religion for the remainder of our exercise lives (at least for guys).  The lucky ones can still continue with the "usual" exercises no matter what age (maybe tailoring the routine to help with weight gain).  The not so lucky end up in physical therapy for some age related ache and are given a 3-6 week sentence with a physical therapist.  From that point on, free time limitations and achey reminders keep the "new routine" fresh.    

I stumbled upon alternative and complementary therapies when I tried to avoid rotator cuff surgery from a rock climbing injury in my 40's.  I did my own rehab and kept it to bare essential movements to maximize time in the gym and still get a "pump".  (can't let go of the feeling to muscle fiber with targeted movements with weights!!)  I beat the knife but it took a few years; I also dived into marathon running, yoga and more recently hiking.  Still can't stay away from trying to chisel a little muscle definition-so I have been doing this truncated weight/cardio work out (called peripheral heart action or circuit weight training before there was cross fit) guys do and getting by to work the heart and keep fit.

I started a new chapter in my life by signing a contract to go back to running a primary care office like I did in the 90's.  (worked in family medicine and carved a niche with my sports medicine clinic in Wheaton).  This week I decided to go back to using cables to work my shoulders.   [In a gym there are free weights, Nautilus-type machines to isolate body parts, universal cable machines for some restricted movement then Smith Machines for universal bars and big plates (wagon wheels).  So there I was.....pushing the envelope with repetitions, grunting from pain (had my bluetooth headsets on) and since it was empty-running between 3 stations back to back like a college crew teams would do.  As I finish my last of 3 giant sets, I feel a great pump to delts and traps....no ache...good heart rate....well targeted and I'm done!!  It just hit me, I was so used to the bare basics of quick power lifting movements that I forgot my old techniques of fine muscle tuning.  The feeling brought me right back to days at the gym in Wildwood NJ!!  Then I look up and see:





LOL!!!!

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