Total Physique Online

I stood in the middle of the gym. All around me were thickly muscled lifters, power racks and benches. The gym was buzzing with activity.

As I recall, the benches and racks stood out like a sore thumb. This was some of the strongest looking equipment I had ever seen. The frames of the benches and squat racks were white, and the tubing that comprised the frames that formed the pillars of the racks and benches was thick and stout. Not surprisingly, the athletes in the gym were equally thick and stout, heavily muscled from stem to stern. What stood out the most about these athletes was their hands.

As I walked around the gym greeting the other lifters, I noticed something strange. When we shook hands I was simply unable to get my hands around theirs. I have never felt thicker hands in all my life. I had never felt so inadequate in all my life.

Now I pride myself in having a firm grip, but shaking these meaty palms was so humbling. Even more interesting was how conspicuously these athletes refused to grip my hand when we shook. This was so strange to me, because I like a firm handshake. Most athletes do. But these guys were purposely avoiding even the slightest display of prowess when I placed my hand into those thick paws of theirs.

Try as I might, to the man I was unable to get my hands around theirs. Try as I might, I was unable to squeeze out the slightest bit of pressure in an effort to say, “Hello, I am here, can you feel my power?”. It really was amusing. I felt like such a wimp.

I watched these guys move around the gym from one exercise to the next without the slightest bit of self-awareness, not bothered in the least by the fact that I was observing them so closely. They were carrying these large 45 pound plates in their hands with such ease. They lifted the plates onto their bars with one hand and I remember thinking to myself, “That is the sort of power I want to achieve!”. In spite of feeling so wimpy, I found myself inspired and ready to get busy.

Two of the lifters were bench pressing. They were playing with 225 lbs like it was a swizzle stick. Again, I just mused to myself that 225 lbs had always felt so heavy to me, and that I wished like anything to be able to bench 225 lbs like it was nothing. I wondered if I ever would.

Suddenly, in a flash all of this disappeared. The athletes vanished before my eyes. So did the gym. And in an instant I was tele-ported back to my bedroom. It was 3AM, and I had just had what was one of the more pleasing dreams I have had in a long time. I just laid there in bed thinking to myself that in spite of my near 3-month layoff, in spite of my relatively young 45 years inside this body, I just knew I was going to get in the best shape of my life very soon. Dreams can be so transforming. And I certainly hoped this dream would prove to be prophetic. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep again, with the sole intent of going to the gym the next day and resuming my quest for strength and power.

———–

I woke up refreshed wondering how I would prepare for the workout I would experience later in the day. I was congested as usual, but a bit more than I have been in a good while. This was discouraging. Coughing simply sucks ass. I hate it. It’s depressing, and a lifetime of it can wear down the steeliest of constitutions. Nevertheless, I was really excited and ready to start training for the first time in several months.

As an aside, I have never taken a layoff like this one. Early on in the summer, I re-injured my already damaged right shoulder, which had experienced a partial separation about two years ago. Healing for the joint had been coming along slowly, but surely. Then, about 3 months ago I slipped on a wet kitchen floor, falling face first and catching myself at the very last second with an outstretched right arm. The searing pain in my shoulder was unmistakable, and I knew I had instantly experienced a setback in my recovery. This injury, coupled with a severe bout of depression, sent me into a tailspin of inactivity that I never seemed to recover from.

As if that were not bad enough, I stopped eating and I ran out of supplements. Since my disability check is my only financial resource for the time being, I was simply unable to feed myself properly. I lost energy, stamina and muscle density. I had no idea just how significant my setbacks were, but I would soon find out.

I hit the gym around 12 noon with only a vague idea of what I would do. I know I wanted to hit my lower back, which was aching as a result of a bad sleeping position the night before. I also wanted to work my neck, calves and back, as well as my chest. And if by chance the gym pass I bought allowed me to come back later in the day, I might try a second workout around 6-7 PM, provided my energy was good.

The problem with this plan was that I had three months worth of nutritional neglect under my belt. If there was a positive in all of this it’s that I am living proof of just how important diet and nutrition is to an athlete. I had not fed my organs, muscles or joints in three months time and my body was screaming the results of what amounts to systematic starvation. My cells were slowly dying of premature age, and I could feel it. I had not used any coenzyme Q10, no MSM, no antioxidants, no nothing for nearly three months. I felt worse than I have felt in a long time. If you must know the truth, it was this realization that led to a decision to promote of some really powerful nutritional products on this web site; products that I have used for years and that have given me superb wellness. Have a look at my nutrition entry a few days back to familiarize yourself.

Anyway, knowing full well that I might not be in the best shape of my life I decided to take things slow. I made the decision not to do more than six sets per body-part, and no more than three exercises amongst which to spread the six sets. Furthermore, I proposed to go light and aim for form and function, rather than heavy weight.

So, here is the workout:

Lower Back, Neck, Calves, Upper Back, Chest

• Hammer Strength Hyper-extensions: 3 sets with no weight x 20, 15, 15, 15
• Reverse Neck: 3 sets w 45 lbs x 7
• Front Neck: 3 sets w 35 lbs x 20, 15, 10
• Seated Calf: 3 sets w 90 lbs x 10
• Chins: 3 sets w no weight x 8, 7, 7
• Seated Rows: 3 sets w 105 x 8; 125 x 8; 135 x 6
• Bench Press: 5 sets w 95 lbs x 8, 8, 8, 3, 3

Observations:

None of the exercises felt particularly bad, however one exercise felt particularly good: Bench Presses. And this is the most surprising thing of all.

More than any of the movements I performed today, bench presses put the fear of God in me. I was almost certain I had lost strength in this exercise, but I was not prepared for just how much I had lost.

When I grabbed the 95 lb bar and did the first rep, it was as if my body was doing bench presses for the very first time. My right shoulder felt a bit unstable, but not alarmingly so. In fact, it felt pretty darned good, but it was an experience that would have been amusing had it not been so sad. My loss of stamina was nothing short of staggering. So was my loss of strength. I swear to you it was as if I had never worked out a day in my life. However, of all the body-parts I trained today, my chest was the only one to get a pump! As weak as I was, I enjoyed the bench presses the most. In fact, I enjoyed them so much that I wish I had only done this one exercise.

Now, I ask you to think back to that dream I had the night before. Remember how the one exercise I remember seeing the lifters perform was the bench press? Remember how weak I felt in the dream, yet how inspired? Remember the white benches and racks?

Guess what color the equipment at this gym was? Yep. White.

And which exercise did I feel the weakest at, yet enjoyed the most? The Bench Press.

I think my dream was prophetic after all. I am jazzed and looking forward to my next workout.

Thanks for reading