I’ve been following Dan John for a long time now. He’s 70 years old and always has great articles. Below is his latest post.
This Saturday, I will be back on the platform. Every so often, I send in my money, train a bit, and go to a lifting meet. I think it is something that helps me as a fitness writer. I still have “skin in the game” and that gives me a different vision.
It’s been hard, honestly, watching my lifts drop as the decades go by me. Jim Schmitz, my lifting coach at The Sports Palace, calls Masters lifting “The Farewell Tour.” In other words, you make a lift, wave at the bar and realize that you will never see that weight again!
It’s a hard thing to swallow. My best lifts were in my thirties and my best throws were in my forties and I think part of my brain still lives in those decades. The realityof all the years, all the surgeries, and all of the “life” have impacted my ability to toss heavy loads over my head.
Honestly, I don’t know many fitness experts who still put it on the line. I’m not judging at all, just pointing it out. I’m not talking about videos or the “look at me, look at me” posts on social media. I’m talking about lining up, stepping up and stepping in competitions.
Years ago, I was at a track meet in Ohio and a famous coach walked up to me after the discus throw and said: “I’m really glad you threw far. I read your stuff and it was nice to see you weren’t full of (expletive deleted).” For many of us, the doing is as important as the writing.
I’m not telling anyone to do anything here, but my competitions remind me of every lesson I try to teach my athletes. The day before my meet, my throwers upon up their season and, knowing Utah, they will freeze and get sunburns in a few hours. When they struggle with this or that during the day, I understand it at that oddly vulnerable “athlete” way. Coaches need to be reminded that life has a funny way of impacting performance.
As we move into Spring, I look forward to the fun of outdoor track and field meets, some Bees games, and all my flowers. I will be planting veggies soon and I will be harvesting before you know it. And next year, I will be a year older and I hope to still be going off to compete.
This Saturday, I will be back on the platform. Every so often, I send in my money, train a bit, and go to a lifting meet. I think it is something that helps me as a fitness writer. I still have “skin in the game” and that gives me a different vision.
It’s been hard, honestly, watching my lifts drop as the decades go by me. Jim Schmitz, my lifting coach at The Sports Palace, calls Masters lifting “The Farewell Tour.” In other words, you make a lift, wave at the bar and realize that you will never see that weight again!
It’s a hard thing to swallow. My best lifts were in my thirties and my best throws were in my forties and I think part of my brain still lives in those decades. The realityof all the years, all the surgeries, and all of the “life” have impacted my ability to toss heavy loads over my head.
Honestly, I don’t know many fitness experts who still put it on the line. I’m not judging at all, just pointing it out. I’m not talking about videos or the “look at me, look at me” posts on social media. I’m talking about lining up, stepping up and stepping in competitions.
Years ago, I was at a track meet in Ohio and a famous coach walked up to me after the discus throw and said: “I’m really glad you threw far. I read your stuff and it was nice to see you weren’t full of (expletive deleted).” For many of us, the doing is as important as the writing.
I’m not telling anyone to do anything here, but my competitions remind me of every lesson I try to teach my athletes. The day before my meet, my throwers upon up their season and, knowing Utah, they will freeze and get sunburns in a few hours. When they struggle with this or that during the day, I understand it at that oddly vulnerable “athlete” way. Coaches need to be reminded that life has a funny way of impacting performance.
As we move into Spring, I look forward to the fun of outdoor track and field meets, some Bees games, and all my flowers. I will be planting veggies soon and I will be harvesting before you know it. And next year, I will be a year older and I hope to still be going off to compete.
