My First Time

Not literally my first time.  Just my first time in a long time.  Last night I did some thing I hadn't done in 20 years or so. 

Mrs Ipsa is a health nut.  Part of that is her job and part of that is just who she is.  For the last 18 years, which is as long as I've known her, she has worked out.  Me, not so much.  My "working out" has consisted of doing some extra cardio a couple of times during our marriage.  The only reason I did that was to get ready for a hunting trip.  That's not to say I didn't do physical stuff.  I've always liked hunting, training my dogs, hiking in the mountains or other outside stuff.  Exercise for the sake of exercise isn't my thing.

That's not to say its not been my thing.  I used to lift in school.  The girls liked it.  I liked girls.  It seemed like a good fit.  Fast forward a couple of years and I got married.  Apparently married means that a man isn't supposed to let random young, firm and tasty members of the female sex rub sunscreen on his chest, arms, back etc.  No more bikini babes, no more reason for spending time at the Y.

That is until now.  The stages of middle life go from; fit to pot belly, pot belly to fat but still fit, fat but fit to fat, and fat to holy crap Jabba the Hut is closer to six pack abs than I am. 

While I'm not quite at the Jabba level I've been gaining on him.  The worst part of this fitness level isn't all the medical related issues, it's not being able to do the things I love with my kids.  I didn't hike at all last year.  I didn't backpack into a mountain lake and fish.  Which means I didn't take my kids to do it.  That is unacceptable. 

Unacceptable, but with my work schedule there was nothing I could do about it.   Which is what I thought until I was talking to a friend who told me that one gym in town is now open 24 hours.  I can go work out after work.  I got a membership and last night after work I hit the iron.

Maybe "hit the iron" is a little strong.  My 17 year old self would have laughed at the old fat man I saw in the mirror last night.  I didn't hit it heavy.  That was intentional.  I picked moderate weight and I only did 2 sets of 10 reps for each of the exercises in my rotation. 

Last night I did chest and back.  You can laugh if you want but I couldn't put up anywhere near what I did in my 20's.  I couldn't press 280 or even 140.  On the bench press I did 2x10 on the decline, then 2x10 on the incline and then 2x10 on a flat bench.  The last rep on the last set almost didn't go up, but I made it and got the bar into the bracket on my own.  I got in all my cardio and I got in all the exercises on the list except two that needed equipment that was in for repair and one back row that I started but realized that I wasn't going to be able to do properly.   

I'm old, I'm fat, I'm weak but I'm back in the gym.