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| My basement weight room. |
This is a not the norm of previous blogs but it is something I have been doing since August 3, 2014 and is on my mind daily. Strength training.......I know you are thinking what the heck! Well my youngest son and wife have a Crossfit Retribution and Westminster Strength and Conditioning business in Westminster, MD. For quite a few years Beau tried to make me a believer and I'm sorry to say he failed or rather I failed. Then on April 13th as many know I broke my tibia, fibula and total ankle dislocation. Blahhh, blahhh, blahhbh on the story goes. Beau asked me to visit because he knew with proper instructions and strength training he could make my ankle and leg stronger and I was not satisfied with what seemed to be a slow progress. At this point I was ready to give his way a go, too many limitations for doing my everyday favorites. Away I went to MD, went through the weekend training, he sent home with all the wonderful equipment and I haven't stopped. Each week more weights are added to the bar for squats, presses and dead lifts and documented in my little book. I AM A BELIEVER! If anyone would tell me what I am telling you I would grin, nod and in my mind say "horse feathers" (my SILS saying not mine, I would think "bull----"). At 65 years old I should be losing strength, muscle tone and complaining of aches and pains, at least that was my excuse. Far be it from me to make a believer out of someone if they are in denial of what lifting weight can do. I've thought it and heard it, I can't lift weights because of my back, shoulder, hip, knee, neck, elbow, wrist etc. Start light and go at a pace for a stronger you not to be like the guy or gal next to you in the gym. In my case basement and it's just me. My back paid dearly for every outdoor activity or chore right down to my sciatica. Very few mornings did I wake up without saying, oh, my back or hip. I blamed what ever I did the day before, how I slept or didn't sleep never realizing I was WEAK MUSCLED from my toes to my nose. The old saying, if I knew then what I know now I would have worked harder to maintain strength. August 3rd, lifting one day with a 2-3 day rest in between and 2 weeks into it I realized I have not been complaining about my back and still no pain or discomfort as of 1/19. I pop out of a chair with so much more ease, this is ridiculous and the answer was so close, I just made excuses why I couldn't lift. Heaven on Earth! This is not to get someone lifting heavy without proper training. That will do more harm and leave you discouraged never to try again. I watch videos by Mark Rippetoe on YouTube, he has beginning techniques with dead lifts, presses and squats that make it so much easier for me to remember what Beau taught me. The more I watch and listen the more I understand how these 3 strength training lifts are giving me back the strength that slowly was leaving this 65 year old body. Strong is good! I no longer think how stiff or sore I am, it's gone! Even with osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, screws and wires in left shoulder and plate and screws in left ankle/leg, I am pain free, building muscle and very important bone mass!
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8/3/14- 22# PR, 22# SQ & 50# DL☆☆☆~1/19/15- 70# Pr., 115# Sq.
and 125# DL |
If you really have the time and want to watch here is an interview about why I weight train. No run through, just mom come out in the garage I want to ask you a couple questions. I'm sure if he had given me a practice run it would have been worse, I don't like speaking in front of more than a few people but when your kids ask, ya do
♡ no matter what.
If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of getting stronger there are many good articles and videos just ask me or google Westminster Strength and Conditioning, Crossfit Retribution and Mark Rippetoe Starting Strength.
Back in my early 20s I never thought about strength it was just there. I was lean and strong along with my niece Pam (I'm older, only 6 weeks older, she always wants people to know ;) Strength came from running, climbing and playing outside in our growing up on Horse Run Rd. In the first 10 years of marriage we had little ones and burned wood for heat. Off to the woods we would go, the guys used chainsaws to cut the logs into bolts and of course Pam and I were the carriers that lifted and hauled the bolts to the truck. That's just how life was 40+ years ago. Bolts were heavy lifts and at one point Al and Dick started splitting them in half to lighten the lift and carry. Now Al's dad was there helping cut bolts and he was gruff and hard lined kinda guy (at least to me) he said, "don't split the bolts then they have to make two trips for one bolt!" Hard to believe Pam and I never said what we were thinking.......not only were we lean we were mean back in our younger years. That was respect for Ol'Lyle not saying what we thought. He really was interesting but intimidating to a young gal. If I had only known how to squat and lift back then it would have been much easier to carry wood bolts. I remember Pam's mom saying......women aren't built to lift that's a man's job. Times were changing in the 60s and 70s......women's rights and proving we can do anything we wanted outside of cooking, cleaning, sewing etc. Heck we could even toss the bra ;) Good years, change is inevitable and I was lucky to witness some drastic changes in my young life for women.
Promise......no more blogs on my personal strength training porgram. Back to the blogs of norm ~
