Readers of gapingvoid will be pleased to know that yes, I’m keeping up with my weightlifting regime.
Yes, there is definite progress. Yes, it seems I’m getting A LOT stronger, even after only a few weeks, thanks to the “muscle memory” kicking in.
The gym I go to, for whatever reason has a lot of Russian and Jamaican members. A good proportion of them look like they hurt people for a living. It’s not really a bodybuilding “What do you think of my fabulous abs” kinda gym. Nor is it a metrosexual “I don’t eat carbs after 3pm” kinda gym. It’s more of a blue collar, “Hello, my name is Yakov and I am going to rip your lungs from your chest” kinda gym. I like that.
I see the personal trainer once or twice a week, depending on what kind of week I’m having. And I’ll also visit the gym once or twice a week by myself, again, depending on what kind of week I’m having.
My only trouble is I’m not digging the cardio regime. Face it: I don’t like running, and I like treadmills even less.
When I lived in New York [the last time I took physical exercise REALLY seriously], I got my cardio ration by going to a pretty hardcore Kung Fu class, three times a week, which I really enjoyed [and I was working out in the gym four times a week at the same time, as well]. This time round, I think I’ll keep it simple. So I’m having a boxing lesson this weekend, and see where it takes me. Punching a bag a few times a week is something I can see myself getting really into.
I did a wee bit of boxing in the past, before getting into King Fu. It’s harder than it looks.
But it’s the free weights that give me the biggest buzz. There is something so satisfying about hefting a large piece of iron around. Especially the squats. The latter takes your body into a zone that most people don’t even know exists. The funny thing is with squats is not how tired you get whilst doing them [and you do get tired, believe me]; it’s how much more tired you feel afterwards. It’s off the scale. Because you use your whole body, if you’ve done it properly, your whole body is completely exhausted by the end of it. You feel so utterly depleted on so many levels.
Right now I’m just using fairly light weights, while my body acclimatizes to the new regime. By year’s end I hope to be on the big boys’ stuff again, after a seven-year break. Wish me luck.
