Monday, March 17, 2008

Monday gym workout

And very enjoyable it was too...

(Slight left knee issues--having some twinges last night on the bike--couldn't do the one-legged squats today, arghhh! Nothing alarming--discretion the better part of valor--I have had this before--that knee is the reason I do not end up doing lunges on a very regular basis either...)

There's only a bit of it up, but check out the preview of M.'s abs video! That fellow really has some quite awe-inspiring abdominal muscles, it must be said. They are going to reshoot the video, some stuff didn't come out right, but he has to work up the abs again first for display purposes!

Funny conversation at the gym last week re: very small skinny guy who is always running on the treadmill, with an awkward-looking but brisk and effortless gait that really and truly makes it seem that he could run like that forever. Sort of a loping trot! He came over to do a few assisted pullups (with so much assistance that he really was just bobbing up and down on the footrest with a little bit of help from the biceps) while M. and I were using the back extension thing, we were both slightly mesmerized, and once he went away M. could not refrain from asking the following question....

M: How much do you think that guy weighs?

JMD: 115, 120 pounds?

M: Maybe 130. 135, tops...

JMD: You know, M., this would not be true for YOU, but I look at that guy every day and just wish that I had that build, it is perfect for running!

M: [Gives me horrified look--he has not been working with me for a year and a half in order for me to have that build, he is a great believer in muscle!]

JMD: Very scrawny, no upper-body muscles...

M: You know, when I was a kid, I was very skinny! I had that build...

JMD: You were a slender young thing. You would not be happy if you had that build now...

What I do not understand is why the guy isn't running outside and actually training for something. He would be an insanely gifted marathoner, he just has that look! But instead he runs for an hour on the treadmill every day, at the exact same speed, and does some desultory upper-body stuff, all without breaking a sweat. No training benefits to speak of from doing your runs like that! He does not really look as though he's enjoying himself, either--but when I said that to M., he just started laughing and said, "No, that's just his personality, though!"

Clearly this fellow has found a routine that suits him and prefers not to depart from it!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Not everyone has the competitive instinct! (Of course, I think everyone I know has it, in one form or another.)

I'm sure M. was appalled you might like to have that build!