Perseverance and Patience

Years ago when I used to lift weights in a gym I would see the usual suspects every day:  big heavy meat heads lifting heavy weights poorly and dropping them on the ground after every set, the half-asseders talking on cell phones while half pedaling exercise bikes or curling 10 pound dumbbells, people who did the exact same workout day after day after day and never looked any different month to month, year to year.  You know, a whole lot of people who probably took a lot of pride in saying they go to the gym every day, but who don't LOOK like they go to the gym every day and probably got their routines out of magazines and never really tweaked them or even thought about them.  There were also the people who use the equipment way wrong but we won't go there.  Look them up on youtube.

But there was one guy who really stood out.  He was probably in his mid to late 30s, very muscular but not huge, perfectly proportioned, ripped, and by the way, a really nice guy.  One day he was looking at himself in the mirror and a guy who didn't look like him at all wandered over and said "man, what is your SECRET?"  His answer?  "Eleven years."  That's all he said.  "Eleven years."

You know what he meant of course.  I've been doing this consistently for eleven years. I've also been doing it CORRECTLY for eleven years, and I've paid attention to what works and what doesn't, I don't let anyone dictate my workout but myself, and I change things up.  I'm pretty sure that's what he would say.

Eleven years is a long time but it's also proof that this is a worthwhile endeavor, can't be rushed, is as much about learning as exercising, and can and will last a lot longer than the actual time spent.  It's a process, a journey.  Of the mind and body.

I've been doing bodyweight calisthenics consistently for at least four years.  I'm not good at keeping records so I don't know for sure, but I suspect it's more like five or six years.  I DO remember vacation in the summer of 2011 and figuring out how to do pullups on the bathroom door and dips in the kitchen where the counter comes together in a V at the hotel.  Back then I remember that my rule was at least ONE set of each of the big four (squats, dips, pushups, pullups) per day.  A modest rule to be sure, but that's right about when I noticed that it was working.

Now I'm at about eight times that modest rule.