There is this guy (Mr. Pecs) at the gym every time I’m there. This tells me that there is some super-coincidence happening or he is there all the time. He is ripped. His shoulders and pecs and lats make his upper body almost look like a globe. He lifts for strength and power. He looks like one of those “World’s Strongest Man” contestants, you know. The contests where giant dudes throw barrels filled with concrete over buildings for fun. He knows weights.
There was a new guy (Mr. Newbie) at the gym last Thursday. He was a smaller guy and you could tell he was new to the whole “weights” thing. “Mr. Newbie” was at the chest press machine and “Mr. Pecs” was at a pull-down machine. Mr. Pecs had been on that one machine when I got and had been steadily been doing these pull downs for a half-hour. Mr. Newbie was watching Mr. Pecs as Mr. Newbie did his 6 reps at 50 lbs on the chest press. Then he decided to give Mr. Pecs advice:
MR NEWBIE: Hey, that’s for your back, right?
MR PECS: (Who is Hispanic, and I’m not sure about his English): Uh-huh.
MR NEWBIE: Well, I saw the lady doing an orientation on this machine and she said you have to pull down like this (then he shows him) and you were pulling down like that (then he demonstrates)
MR. PECS: Uh-Huh.
Mr. Newbie went on to do his 5 to 6 reps per machine at 50 lbs while Mr. Pecs continued to pull down on his machine for the rest of the time I was there (an hour.)
I smugly thought, “That would be like me giving nutrition advice to that super fit dude on Biggest Loser.” Then I saw Mr. Newbie approach Coach Freeman.
Coach Freeman is a teacher at the high school, was formerly the head varsity football coach, and whose son is Josh Freeman-the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coach is equally strong and muscular and awesome-looking.
I couldn’t see what he’s saying, but young Mr. Newbie (who must be an IHOP-er) was talking to Coach Freeman. “This guy just doesn’t know when to quit,” I think to myself. Then Coach puts me to shame.
I see Coach Freeman listen intently. Then he nods. The he says something pointing to a machine. Then I see Mr. Newbie sitting in the machine. Then I see Coach talking to Mr. Newbie. Then I see Mr. Newbie lift, and lift, and lift. Then I see them go to another machine, then another machine. Finally I see Mr. Newbie and Coach over to the free weights with the “real” lifters. My workout was over. As I took one last glance Mr. Newbie was doing curls with a straight bar.
Coach became his personal trainer for an hour (probably a $25.00 value.) Coach wasn’t irritated (as I had been, and the kid wasn’t even talking to me) he was patient and actually really helped him. (I’m a heel.)
Do you think Mr. Newbie was sore in the morning?
chris
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