Friday, September 06, 2013

" The legs are the first to go"



So says the old adage about how to tell when people start getting old  and I think it's true.People's legs get weak very quickly as they age through disuse, injury or a combination of both.Keeping one's legs strong is neither fun nor easy.They are big, tough muscles and demand a lot of work to maintain much less improve strength and endurance.

It's a stereotype and running joke in most gyms about how busy it is on chest and arm day and how deadly quiet it is on leg day.That was always the hallmark for me if someone was going to be a good training partner or now as to whether he always made it to 'leg day'. G-d forbid he skip it without calling. If they did miss it someone better be bleeding and or in the emergency room.

Leaving me without a spot on squat day was a terminal offense. Meaning your ass got terminated as  "training partner" immediately. Legs are hard but they also have a big payback. Injury your knee or your ankle and see how complicated, hard and heavy life gets. And how quickly.

I've been living, and operating on basically one leg for most of my life and now that I have two working legs it's pretty eye opening just how imbalanced and out of square I was. Didn't really have much choice when one side of the body won't hold you up but it was a revelation.

I immediately felt a strong sense of security and freedom, of all things.When you only have one working leg you literally can't " stand on your own two feet", or run away from danger, hell I couldn't even WALK away. " Carry your own weight" or "stand your ground"." He doesn't have a leg to stand on" describes weakness at it's worst.

I could barely stand up at all,really. Now I know I will be able to walk as far as I need to to accomplish whatever goal that occurs. I will be able to run to, or from a situation that requires speed of action. And, most importantly,  I will be able to stand up On my own two feet, for whatever life throws at me :)

So many of our elders are too weak to get out of chair, or get off the floor if they fall. That is tragic but it will never be me .

Light day today walking, focus on technique, multiple terrains, speeds, some marching, backwards walking and high steps

3842 steps
1.636 mile
44 min
2.2 ave speed

Sleep was good, up at 3 am with tight leg but slept mostly through the night. Foam roll and floor work started the day

No comments:

155 x 3 x 5, 160 x 3 x 5, 20 kg swings 5 x 8/8, floor pushups 40, 35

 Thought about going back to 5x5 for a hot second then my left shoulder  reminded me why I stopped doing them before. It doesn't seem to...