training, weight training

Hi this is my first attempt at writing a blog so please bear with me.

After reaching the age of 50 and watching my weight climb close to 120kg struggling everyday to get into a size 42” trousers i knew it was time for change.

All my life i have struggled with my weight if i so much as looked at a cream cake i would put a pound on, i spent 24 years in the British Army and was always at the back during physical training spent thousands of hours on treadmills and countless miles plodding trying to control my weight.

At the moment i am living in Kuwait and there’s not a great deal to do here, this April just gone a colleague Firas in a similar plight to myself suggested we join one of the locale gyms in an effort to get back some sort of body, first i thought oh no not more hours on the treadmill but due to his persistence i decided to go with him and at least have a look.

The gym “Casablanca” is in the basement of a tower block in Mangaf on entering loud Arabic music fills the halls and a very strong smell of sweat greets your nostrils, the air conditioning struggles to keep you cool in temperatures close to 40c. A young strapping Egyptian greets us Ashraf and gives us a guided tour of the gym attempting to communicate in broken English all the staff are very personable unlike the aging cardiovascular suite however the weight training hall was something else, it was full of young Arab men who in an attempt for a quick fix fill their bodies with steroids pumping their muscles to the max.

The instructors are all called Captain and the Captain in charge of the weights is another Egyptian Captain Rudder, Rudder is the Middle East’s current strongman champion and a gentleman his arms were bigger than my thighs and his strength truly awesome all gained without the need for a quick fix, thru an interpreter Rudder laid out his plan for use and how in 6 months he would transform our lives without quick fixes and most of all without the dreaded treadmill to say i was sceptical is an understatement knowing what i thought i knew about various forms of training again “however: nothing to lose so we jumped in feet first and joined.

Most of the gyms westerners frequent here are truly high tech with a joining fee to match the cost of the expensive equipments anything up to $2000 a year, on completing my registration form at the Casablanca i was asked for my yearly fee of $150 less than $3 a week “Wow” then we were taken into the measuring room for the compulsory monthly checks and told to be back at the gym the following day at 4pm.

First day, what have i let myself into Captain Rudder took us straight to an arm workout seeing what our max rep capabilities were and quite disappointed was i with my feeble efforts in a two hour arm pumping session, back tomorrow he barked and we do your chest “4pm sharp”, in the showers i could not raise my hand to put shampoo on my head and had to assist with the other hand “pathetic”

Day two, i can’t lift the tooth brush to my mouth my arms are in so much pain it’s the first time in my life i have shaved with both hands holding the blade and having to rest after each stroke, i tried lifting the coffee cup it was proofing to be more troublesome than the dumbbells, i arrived at the gym at 4pm and told Rudder i would have to take rest due to my arms, that’s when i learnt not to say No to Captain Rudder, he gently lowered his head into his hands and shuck it side two side for what seemed to be an age he looked up and asked who was the Captain “you are Captain we replied” who is in charge of this gym he demanded to know again “you are Captain” then i suggest you get changed stop moaning or get out of my gym and you don’t come back.

Day Three, oh my god it hurts when i breathe why did i stay, why did i not leave when i had the chance, again a two handed shave and the buttons on my shirt hurt my chest, the seatbelt in the car hurts so much as it tightens going over bumps.
I think by now you have an idea of what the following days entailed as we did our backs and then shoulders and legs after the first week most of the pains were subsiding and we started the cyclic training i was hooked well and truly and Rudder’s enthusiasm made it most enjoyable and i started to get right into it.

We were offered by others steroids but refused Captain Rudder advised me to take “Thermo Cuts” to aid with the weight lose and “N.O-XPLODE” 2 scoops just before training.

I would never of thought that you could get a cardio workout form just using weights Rudder as made our training both varied and enjoyable most of the sessions are based on full muscle impact lifts as opposed to isolation training and for the first time in my life i have a six pack and fit comfortably in to a 34” waist with a weight of just over 90kg, it has been hard 5/6 sessions a week 2/3 hours at a time combined with sensible eating.

My life as totally changed for the better and there is defiantly no turning back i am full of confidence and love people passing compliments, i am truly indebted to Captain Rudder a giant of a man who is an consummate professional what he has done for me beggars believe, i remember from somewhere in the memory cells someone saying that muscle growth past the age of 50 was impossible, well i wish i could meet that person now and make him eat is words

James

	Author:	commander (commander's profile, commander's blog)
	Posted On:	Sat, 2007-12-08 09:04
	Tags:	weight training and training
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