The Long and Winding Road, a song by the Beatles (for those of you old enough to remember) has been stuck in my head for the last few days, as songs often are. It occurs to me that I am at the start of a long and winding road and some decisions have to be made. So here I am with my 72nd birthday looming. For the last few years, to facilitate a weight-loss program and rehabilitate a hip replacement, I have been powerlifting. I liked it so much and made such good progress, that I began to compete. To my great surprise and pleasure, the competition was reasonably successful, even though I was in the little-old man division. I was able to break some old-man records and filled a void by establishing some records where none previously existed.
In early February, after a routine EKG, I was told I had better see a cardiologist very quickly—I did. After a stress test and a catheterization of my heart, I was told I needed five bypasses. WHAT? I'm now a little-old man and heart patient in cardiac rehabilitation. The whole process seemed to have happened in 20 minutes. In fact, it was less than two weeks.
At the end of April I didn't know what happened to February and March. I realize now that as a person not engaged in farming or other heavy hard work, I need to exercise. I also realize that as a senior-citizen (I've never called myself that before) with aches and pains and a tendency to be sedentary, I need to exercise. And, it has been recently pointed out to me, as a heart patient, I need to exercise.
What do I do? Do I go to the gym and use free-weights and machines? Should I exercise regularly? Do I stay in better and stronger condition than most of my peers and make my family and cardiologist happy? Do I exercise at my big box gym wearing half gloves that match my gym-bag or purse? Do I go back to the gym and train?
I stand at the start of a long and winding road. From here, it looks all up-hill and full of potholes. Will this newly refurbished heart allow me to train as I have before? It is supposed to be better than it has ever been. The sternum, once healed, should be better than before, since it was put back together with wire. As I am no cardiologist, I will now have to listen to mine. I have always fancied myself as an orthopedist; from personal experience with my ankles, knees, hips, elbows, shoulders, back, and neck. I have learned to use tape, ice, heat, wraps, and rest. But, at my age I don't have time to become a cardiologist.
By now you realize that the long and winding road is the road back to the platform. It requires that I start from zero. Do I have the dedication, drive, perseverance, gut, and all the other adjectives used to describe powerlifting? HELL YES! It is my intention to go down that road as far as my genetic potential and age will allow.
I was so upset at the series of events as they transpired, I did not take time to realize how lucky I am. Never having had a symptom, and never having felt badly, I had no idea I had a heart problem. This discovery has been a terrible inconvenience. However, had it not been discovered, what would have been my chances of a cardiac event at the next meet? I'll deal with the inconvenience.
As we are all going down the long and winding road, how do we go about it? How many time have we all said,"If I knew then what I know now, I would have done things differently?" Well I do! I know a helluva lot more and am a helluva smarter than I was the first time I started this. I have the benefit of Donnie Thompson's coaching, reading book after book, watching elitefts™ lifters at meets, and reading and viewing hundreds of articles and videos on elitefts.com. As I certainly am no expert, there are entire libraries filled with things I do not know. I'll never know as much as Louie, but if I am going to try to reach my genetic potential, I might as well try to reach my mental potential and learn as much as I can.
There are some great lifters and teachers here in the Carolina's. Elitefts™ continues to publish new information every day. And it's not too far to Ohio where more great lifters and teachers reside. Finally, the Internet and e-mail make the exchange of information instantaneous. I intend to use all of these resources and more. In fact, I solicit advice from any and all who can help. I will gather all the information and advice I can, decide what is best for me, and stay true to my plan.
Have you ever read so much that you become confused? You may question, "What program shall I use?" I'll try to get it all resolved before serious training begins. Do I use 5/3/1, Westside, conjugate, block periodization, cube, quartered, diced, sliced, covered, or smothered? In order to squat heavy, I know I have to squat heavy. The same goes for the bench press and the deadlift. My idea is to go heavier each week until I think I'll die, then go heavier for one more week. If in fact I don't die, then I'll take a deload week. As it has been said on elitefts.com often, any program will work if you dedicate yourself to it. It is not as much the program as it is lifting heavy shit regularly. So I'll figure out a program that involves lifting heavy shit regularly, and try not to kill myself as I start down the long and winding road.
