Arnold Schwarzenegger popularized the line, "pump it up", during a guest host appearance on SNL a number of years ago. Since that time, whenever anyone talks of weight lifting, I can almost hear his thick German accent saying those words and then hearing them echo in my mind. In spite of not having a fondness for pumping iron all these years, I now have to admit that weight training sure does have some benefits.
My friends and I have recently incorporated some rather basic weight training into our weekly exercise routine of triathlon's 3 disciplines, running, biking, and swimming. During the winter months and even challenging the temperature cut off, we still typically don't get as much bike training, as we do the others. Bearing this in mind, we all now have come to the conclusion that our little rendezvous with the weight machines has proven invaluable to our overall strength and conditioning. I actually never had subscribed to this, simply because we were faithfully engaging in these other activities, and I thought that was adequate enough strength training by itself. Alas, my old high school AD, Mr. D. Wood, was right; weight training is beneficial, however it may be valuable beyond just for playing football, which was his contention.
As most of us have eclipsed the half century milestone, hitting the weight room has proven quite utilitarian indeed. Mind you, I did not say "Herculean", and those "performance enhancing drugs" advertised for old guys like us have a very different desired clinical response. So, with the addition of just a little weight training to our other "activities of daily living", I am now a convert to its benefits. We are becoming "buff old guys", but please, let me have my afternoon nap!
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