Matt Metzgar

The Capitol

Washington Monument

Q Street, Washington DC

Hooked

I'll say one thing for sure, and that is that lifting weights is a habit I will never lose.  I will never be the biggest guy in the gym, but I have been lifting consistently now for almost twenty years.  There is really a zero chance I will ever stop.

Clarence Bass has been a huge role model for me in this respect.  The guy is 70 and is still in phenomenal shape.  And I would bet my house that he will never stop lifting either.

In my mind, there's no reason to ever stop working out.  If you quit subjecting your body to stress, it will only decay more rapidly.  Many of the traditional conceptions about physical aging are false.  You can look at the generation of bodybuilders from the 1960s and find that many of them are still active and still in good shape.  Physical aging can be greatly slowed by the best medicine available: exercise.

College Days

The other day at the gym, I was doing some dumbbell presses.  While doing them, it occured to me that I was using the exact same weight on the exact same exercise as I did when I was 18 years old.  It's not like I'm lifting massive poundages or anything, but it was neat to realize there has at least not been a dropoff.  It also gave me a bit of deja vu of my lifting during my college days.

I lifted at a smaller gym during college.  In hindsight, I didn't really know what I was doing, but I did lift regularly and enjoy it.  I remember one person that I used to lift with often.  We would just go crazy on the squat, loading up weight and doing reps till we were ready to drop.  It was a lot of fun to just blast your body, especially since being younger you recover quicker.

I think you develop a different type of bond with a guy you lift with versus maybe a guy you work with.  Lifting reveals character to some degree.  If you're doing some heavy squats, no amount of talking or nonsense will get the lifts done.  It takes effort and determination, and as such it tells a little bit about what kind of person you are.  If you lift heavy with a friend, you develop a deeper comraderie because of this.

It was always a good end to the week when I would lift heavy with a friend and then go celebrate with some beers.  It is probably because this mimics an ancient hunt to some degree.  The men would go searching for game, expend some serious effort, and then kick back and celebrate.  Those were good times, and I will always remember them fondly.

Moving

I am in the process of moving, so the blogging might be a little spotty for a few days.

Should've Been A Trainer?

A lot of times when I go to the gym, I just have tons of energy.  Sometimes if I see someone with low energy or a person who is a good bit overweight, I naturally want to help them. 

I don't have any personal trainer certifications or anything like that, and I don't pretend to know all the physiology behind each exercise.  But I do have an authentic desire to help people, and I think that in itself is valuable, at least when combined with adequate knowledge.

I am still figuring out the muscle-building stuff, but I am pretty confident I could guide a person to lose weight if they wanted.

Back from Texas

I'm back from a short trip to Southeast Texas.  It was a good trip - it's always interesting to see new parts of the country.  It isn't exactly what I'd call a booming area, but there was some development in spots.

I managed to get in a lightning-quick workout while I was there.  But it's tough to eat healthy when on the road.  Or at least it's difficult if you don't put some preparation and effort into it.

One idea I had while flying was this: when is an airline going to have the guts to say, "we will no longer serve junk food."  That would mean throwing out the cookies, crackers, and soda they offer.  Are they afraid of a boycott?  Who would boycott them, the people who are unhealthy?  They might lose business in the short-term, but they could gain a more loyal group of health-conscious customers in the long run.

Beaumont TX

Silsbee TX