The pull/push part of my last workout

 

I’ve been doing weighted pull-ups and bar dips lately in my fitness training and am pleased with the recent progress made reclaiming my strength. I say “reclaiming” because whatever I’m currently achieving with my training – weight used, reps completed and time to complete a specified workout - is what I’ve done in the past. At this point in my gracefully aging fitness training pursuits, there’s nothing new under the sun and this includes workout performance.

Sometimes I’ll do the weighted pull-ups or weighted bar dips on different days but sometimes, I’ll pair them together as a superset. When I need pushing variety, I’ll substitute the weighted bar dips with double kettlebell overhead press work.

Other exercises I’m including in my training are double kettlebell rack squats, an occasional kettlebell complex or chain workout and burpees. I’ve discovered the challenge of Navy Seals burpees and have been trying to get about two workouts a week doing 100 repetitions of them. I’ll also do other burpees work because it (the burpee) has become my primary cardiovascular-respiratory conditioning exercise. Like other burpees enthusiasts, I “hate” burpees but love the benefits they provide. And they keep my humble. 

Here’s part of my workout last Monday.  I’ve been off since then because I caught the flu and had to take a training time out. I’m projecting to be ready to get back with my fitness training tomorrow or the next day and am sure I’ll notice the time out.

 Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

67th birthday 100 burpees party

 

Father time continues to tick tock forward for everyone, including all the middle-aged men of the world, and that includes Pierini Fitness.

Recently, Father Time added one year to his age which now reads and sounds as age 67.  How time flies when we’re having fun.

I’m blessed and grateful to thus far be enjoying good fitness, health and wellness.  These are things I’ll never take for granted.  I’m smart enough to know how it could all change – as in end – in a heartbeat as it recently did for an internet fitness forum acquaintance who passed from lung cancer, and two cousins who passed from COVID.

So, what did Pierini Fitness do on his 67^th birthday?

He had a 100 burpees party at the park but guess what, nobody showed up, so he celebrated alone.  Here’s the action:

He had a great time at his 67^th birthday 100 burpees party.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

I am now on my way out

 

Some of our fitness brothers from different mothers we know upfront and close; they may be gym workout or running partners. For those of us who frequent and participate in internet fitness discussion forums, we have these other fitness brothers that we befriend in cyberspace.  

Our sense of these fellows is influenced by their internet characters, imagination and sharing of fitness experiences and knowledge.  Sometimes, these cyberspace relationships evolve to an upfront and close acquaintanceship when discovering that someone might live within our striking distance.

This was my case with one person who I just learned over the weekend has Stage 4 lung cancer. He “dropped this bomb news” at the internet fitness discussion forum he established years ago.  He shared how he’s close to the end of his life.

Wow, that was hard to learn!

The title of his discussion topic where he made his announcement was: “I am now on my way out”.

His message was brief, but he did express two thoughts that will stick in the minds of those who know him for a long time.  The first was that he was very weak so he wouldn’t be reading any best wishes messages that forum members may express.  The second was that he wanted everyone to know that each of us are in his heart.

It's likely that will be the last time I’ll ever hear from him.

Death news, including eminent death announcements, are hard to swallow and the lump in my throat that arrived upon reading this news still lingers. 

I had the privilege to know this person beyond a cyberspace acquaintanceship, having spent time with him about four times, including one time when I introduced him to Tommy Kono, America’s greatest Olympic weightlifter.

Our gatherings were made possible because he lived about 45 minutes from me.  I vividly remember one time when he and his wife visited my wife and I at our home.  We had an enjoyable conversation, including an equitable exchange of middle-aged man wit and wisdom.  Shortly thereafter, he relocated to another state, but we still had awareness of each other via his internet fitness discussion forum.

In a private e-mail I sent him sharing my prayers and well wishes, I preceded it by sharing all of this.  While I’m unsure if he’ll read it, it would be nice if he did but what I hope the most is that he’s comfortable and pain free during the remainder of his life.

The title of his fitness discussion forum announcement may one day be how I make my eminent end-of-life announcement that “I am now on my way out.”

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Green bananas anymore

 

Like many older people in training, I periodically spend time in a stuck zone about various matters, such as how much time there is remaining in my life here on planet earth.  I won’t say that I’m obsessed or possessed about this, but I do ponder it more now than I did twenty, thirty or forty years ago.  I believe most people in my age zone do.

One day when getting out of my car in the grocery store parking lot, I noticed an older person gimping along stiff legged with his rear end slightly sticking out.  He was sporting a forward lean in his posture while inching along, ever so slowly, towards the grocery store entrance.  “Another old turd”, I thought to myself while I, too, gimped along in the same direction.  Then, in a moment of rigorous honesty, I self-confessed that, like this person whom I had just passed judgement on moments earlier, I am also another older turd. 

These visual moments give me opportunities to be honest about who I really am and that my clock is getting closer to midnight, also known as the end of my life.  Only God knows how close to midnight I really am.  It may only be 10:00 pm on my aging clock so I’ve got some time to go.  Fate, however, may have a different plan and before I know, my aging clock can quickly advance to, say, ten minutes before midnight.

Spending time yesterday with my four little grandsons and being the numbers guy I am, I intuitively calculated how old I would be when each of them turns age 18.  The answers to my math quiz ranged from 77 years to 81 years.  It’s possible that I may still be living then but, again, only God knows.

I then pondered whether I would ever get to know my great grandchildren.  I could go on and on with this future wondering and suppose there’s nothing wrong spending time doing this.  A retired person has got to have something to do and something to ponder.

Like, when will my day come when I won’t buy green bananas anymore.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum