Life outside the weight room.

[PapaBear59]

Rip,

I like your program and your books (I only have "Mean Ol' Mr. Gravity" to read. Do you plan on writing others?

I have finally got a lifting partner and we have been training togeather for a month. The other day to be friendly I asked him if he and his wife would like to go on a five mile hike with me and my wife and he politely said he would rather not because he said it may interfere with his gains. His response got me to thinking that here is this guy who is in his early 50s like me, he is not a professional athlete, nor does he play any sports and he is worried about his gains. Other than training for professional sports isn't strength training purpose other than getting stronger meant to bring about a better quality of life?

I like hiking, moutain biking, kayaking, and fishing and I do not see any need to give any of those up just because they may interfere some with my gains. I know guys who won't eat chicken wings or have a cold beer because it is not on their diet plan.

Once again I am not talking about a athlete training for a sport, and I am definitely not knocking your program, but have you found many people so obsessed with strength training that they forget or will not allow themselves to enjoy life?

One last thing. In your DVD did I see a giant Rattle Trap hanging on the wall? Do you fish? If so I would like to see what you would catch with that.

Have a great evening.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Other than training for professional sports isn't strength training purpose other than getting stronger meant to bring about a better quality of life?

Training means many different things to many people. Some guys, believe it or not, are more interested in their training than in hiking, for various reasons. Some of them might be: already hiked the AT and the PCT at some point in the past, and the local scenery might not be comparable; a nagging injury is aggravated by the 5 miles, while training does not bother it; his wife is not that interesting to him, especially 5 miles' worth; your wife is not that interesting to him under similar circumstances; your wife is too interesting to him, and he's operating in everybody's best interest here; he's training for PRs he knows he's not likely to get next year.

Hope this helps.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

Other than training for professional sports

why do you need to get paid to play a sport to make it worthwhile? Whats wronwith wanting to play in your local rugby league, weight and power lift at local and state meets or particpate in whatever other sport you enjoy doing without regard for conpemsation?

Also, he may just find those things boring. I like kayaking and mountain biking, but not as much as lifting more week to week. Setting pr's are likely as exciting to him as catching a big fish for you.

He could make the opposite arguement; how can you train without specific goals and milestones or allow anything come between you and those goals?

I've found that many people train for many different reasons, none of them better or worse than the others. Unless it involves abs, thats just stupid.

[Gary Gibson]

"Life Outside The Weight Room"

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this.

[Mark Rippetoe]

This is not hard to believe, Gary.

[ZKP]

PB

he just didn't want to go, for any number of reasons as Rip pointed out, and that was his out.

Try not to read into this too much...

[Joel Chapman]

PapaBear,

I find it hard to believe that you are in your 50's and haven't yet figured out that not everyone has your same interests.

[bomb1977]

Haha 5 miles with my wife, what are you trying to do to me? A 4 minute car ride driving her to work hardly offsets the 8 hours we get to be apart

Bad enough my wife always tries to get me to do her smith machine routines at the gym...

I'd rather take the little guy swimming in the kiddie pool and hang out with the mommies

[PapaBear59]

PapaBear,

I find it hard to believe that you are in your 50's and haven't yet figured out that not everyone has your same interests.

I am sorry I did not state what I was thinking clearly. I understand if someone does not want to do the same activities as I do. I was thinking of people who become so obsessed with an activity (weight lifting or whatever) that they become one dimensional.

I had a friend years ago who use to powerlift and went into bodybuilding and he became so consumed with it that he had no life outside the gym. He started taking steroids and anything else he could get his hands one and it ruined his marraige and cost him his job at the sheriff department.

I work with young people and there is this kid, 12 years old, whose total obsession is video games. He is a good 80 pounds over weight but refuses to try anything that does not involve his Play Station. His parents are cool with it.

I still may not be making my point and by no means am I trying to offend anyone and it is not a slam against my lifting partner. I was just talking about becoming so obsessed with anything that it totally consumes a person.

But what the hell to each his own.

[Michael Liao]

You don't need knees that bend in order to be happy.

... just someone who can touch her ankles...