Cross-posted from gymrats

[vicarz]

I'm happily back to over 50% of what I used to lift in all lifts since blowing out my elbow.It was a difficult thing to do assisted pull-ups, lift tiny little weights (I'd get pink ones just so it was that much more emasculating), and not really push myself to strain. A lot of people work out to "lose weight," or gain muscle, but I think we might take for granted the minor benefits we achieve from working out. Sure we don't lift 1-400 lbs very often in our lives, but how often do you run up the stairs, walk an extra mall parking lot, twist awkwardly to reach the cable behind the tv, and carry groceries a few blocks?

The other day a friend helped me carry a new 100" couch up the stairs (I'm on the 4th floor). He noted that no matter how fit you are, no exercise helps you move boxes or furniture. I noted that actually, my workout does in fact help you on moving day. My deadlifts helped when I lifted anything, the squats too, and that most people who "work out" do things for their chest and biceps - ignoring the rest. My workout was building the lower back and entire spiny thing (technical term), and my back workout was far more useful for picking things up than lying on the ground and pushing them over my chest, so lifting the couch over my head was much easier for me. Moving day is a rare event though, and one you can pay someone else to perform. Still, if you have a long day in the office and have to sit in that chair for 10 or 12 hours instead of 8, I think a fit person is far better able to handle the strain physically.

A majority of USians never use gym class. Ever.

Of course, there may be some truth to this article. After us idiots, masters of spatial relations according to gender studies made in the 1950s, realized that the couch was too long to get around the landing to the next set of stairs on the 2nd floor, we discovered that the couch had bolts you could undo to take the couch apart into 4 pieces. So perhaps if I had studied harder, learned to read, developed analytical skills, engaged in outlining plans of action before executing them, researched problems and compared various methods of solving them, and experimented using my opposable thumbs - the task might have gone by faster. Instead we rammed the full assembled couch into 3 walls, 2 banisters, 1 window, and our opposeable thumbs. It might have taken longer, but we had a short break when my friend stared at a big black stone and then turned to hit me on the head with a bone. Lying on the ground I saw something shiny amongst the new stars, which turned out to be a wing-nut (Ikea wing not, not a political one).

Comments

[greatevil.livejournal.com]

Amen! I need to get back. not just go for a week... but actually back. Because being fit does feel better all the time in lots of ways. Walking around the mall? The random day at the ren fair? dancing all night at the club? Killing the guy with no shirt that just grabbed your girls ass? yes on all counts!

[predigested.livejournal.com]

I find the final paragraph here utterly hilarious, and well-written, too.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I had fun with that one.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Shhh...by mischaracterizing what you said, I made a much funnier story! Reality be damned!

Why hit head bone?