Next chapter

Wow, what a year it's been.  Since my last post (6/16/2012) I trained up my shot put to 50 feet, gained 15 lbs (mostly, but not all, muscle), moved back to California, watched my son graduate high school, started cycling & lost the 15 lbs I gained, and turned 40.  Whew.  Through all of this I let blogging go but I've stuck by my basic principles of eating healthy and exercising regularly.  Turning 40 has given me perspective on a few things.  First of all, we are only as old as we feel...and we feel as good as we are active...period.  Getting up and moving in some purposeful fashion every day for the past decade is paying huge dividends now.  Aside from the occasional ache, I feel as good or better than I did throughout my thirties.  When I look around at my peers I am amazed at how badly the human body can be affected by disuse and a shitty diet.

So, kicking off this next chapter of my life, I've decided that my competing days in strength sports are behind me.  I had a good run (multiple Powerlifting & Strongman championships plus one year competing in Olympic style weightlifting) and I achieved more than I'd ever expected.  My best lifts in the individual powerlifts are a 485 lb squat, 330 lb bench press, and a 601 lb deadlift (got 617 lbs to the knee but couldn't lock it out)...all at body weights ranging from 275 - 308 lbs.  Some of my Strongman accomplishments include pulling a 23,000 lb truck 75 feet, flipping a 700 lb tire 13 times, deadlifting a Toyota Corolla for 15 reps (with a woman in the trunk), and carrying a 275 lb Husafel Stone 300 feet...all as a light weight (body weight < 231.5 lbs).  I was never very competitive in Olympic lifting but have enjoyed learning and training the lifts...the snatch and the clean & jerk (they are still staples in my workout routines).  My best competition lifts are 75 kg (165 lbs) in the snatch and 110 kg (242 lbs) in the clean & jerk...all in the 105 kg (231.5 lbs) weight class.  Yes, I've had a good run.

My decision to leave competitive strength sports is primarily due to age.  The rigors of strength athletics take a huge toll on your body & mind over time and the risk-to-reward ratio becomes higher as you age...i.e. higher risk (the body's ability to recover diminishes with age) & lower reward (as a natural athlete your strength curve inevitably begins to flatten out & eventually plateau...nobody has unlimited strength potential).  I picked up shot putting since it felt like a natural extension of my strength athletic training (and it is) however, there isn't a large community of throwers (at least not in the areas I've lived) and after a year I sort of lost interest.  I still throw from time to time but just for fun.

This leads me to my newest venture...cycling.  I've always been impressed with cyclists and the sport in general.  I got a vintage road bike from a co-worker of mine in Dallas in 2011 and rode a bit from time to time but nothing seriously.  After moving back to LA, I became interested in taking my cycling to the next level so I looked for a group to ride with.  I researched Major Taylor cycling clubs in the area and found Major Motion (I'll write more about Major Taylor in another post).  This group changed my life.  After a couple of weeks riding with them I got more serious about cycling and bought a new bike.  I dropped 15 lbs of body fat & have improved immensely over the 2 months that I've been riding seriously.  I'm interested in entering a criterium race next year so will be training with the racers in Major Motion this winter.

Life is good.  I've got health, my kids are doing okay, & I'm fortunate to be able to continue my quest to stay healthy & fit.