What is your favorite hobby or pastime?
My favourite hobby has always been weight training. I started weights when I was 18 and I am still training in my late fifties.
When I started I was very skinny at 183cm tall and weighed 60 kilograms (kg). That is 6 feet tall and 132 pounds. These days I weigh 91 kg (200 pounds). It was a long slow process of gaining muscle for me. Some years I was only able to put on 1 kg of muscle. Some years none!
Weight training has given me so much. When I started I was crippled with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I would often use crutches to walk to my gym. Slowly over time that changed. Now it is not an issue.
One thing with my weight training was I was never tempted to take steroids. I always had to balance gaining bodyweight with how much my arthritic legs could handle. Slow gaining was better for me. I would put on some weight and then see if my body could handle it.
In the image above I am 25 years old. I had been training for about seven years. I have this image up in my gym to keep me motivated as I get older. I am planning to take the same picture when I turn 60.
So what do I love about weight training? There are a few things…
1. I love the pump from the blood in your muscles.
2. It helps me to be strong as I get older.
3. It helps me to control my weight as I age.
4. It has helped me overcome Rheumatoid Arthritis.
5. It has motivated my kids to be fit.