Well, I’ve been hitting the gym again. Not the main gym, if I wanted to pay to see a creature running on the spot, I’d buy a Hamster. I’ve gone back to my old haunt, the Body Pump class.

Interesting, especially in light of my last post. It’s interesting the way the feeling that we should somehow be competing with others kicks in so readily. My focus in the workout was on my form, and my intended focus is on my own personal best, but I found myself comparing how I was doing next to everyone else. Later in the workout, I tried to simply accept what others were doing and make my focus my own form and the feelings in my own muscles.

I found that this freed me to enjoy the workout more, amazing how the competitive impulse simply got in the way of enjoying my workout. Compete less, live more. You know, that could be a good slogan!

I’ve been reading “Fantastic – The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger” by Laurence Leamer. I have to say, it is a very good book! Like a lot of worthwhile things in my possession, I picked it up on a whim, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by it.

The book makes the point that Arnold’s wisdom was learned from bodybuilding, he has said himself “Everything I learned I learned in the weight room.” I thought for a minute and then realised that that isn’t as odd a statement as you might think at first glance. I’m not a bodybuilder, but I’ve done enough sessions in weight rooms and talked to enough bodybuilders to have an idea where he’s coming from.

With bodybuilding, you have to have a clear idea of where you’re going, what you want to achieve. You work very methodically and in small steps, you build big muscles but you do so one rep at a time, paying attention to small details. A lot of it is mental attitude. Arnold’s success owes a lot to determination and a positive attitude, I think that’s admirable. I look forward to seeing what he acheives in the future.