Ok, I’m 67 years old any minute now, and I lift. But only beginning less than six months ago and 3x a week for 2.5 hours each time, cardio and weights. So perhaps I dont know what I’m talking about, given I havent had years “of years and years’ of lifting.
I see that Time magazine has run some pics of Paul Ryan working out. But there are things in the pictures that dont make sense to me. Again, I may be wrong, because Im not that experienced. But…
at my gym one uses only one set of dumbells at a time, [and only one dumbell if he/she is doing single curls, leaving the other dumbell of the set in the rack for someone else to do curls with, without waiting around] but doesnt let them litter the floor where the lifter or other persons can trip over them and hurt themselves bad. In Ryan’s photos the dumbells are scattered on the floor all around. The reason lifters also use only one set of dumbells at a time, is to not make others wait to use them when you are not using the second set of dumbells at present.
Secondly, Mr Ryan is wearing a baseball cap. He must have an unusual hydration theory. Most, especially men it seems, sweat hard with rivulets running down back and underarms and chest when lifting. It’s a huge effort to keep increasing weight mastered and reps up or down. A hat while working out will make the head sweat like crazy, and the band of the hat because of the flexing can cause a headache. I cant say I’ve ever seen a guy at the gym wearing outdoor hat indoors.
Usually you put your water bottle under the bench when you’re doing curls again so you and others dont trip over it, it’s considered a courtesy to watch out for the safety of others as well as yourself, but also if you lug around a water bottle you keep it in arm’s reach to take slugs of water in rest period between reps. In the other pix, Ryan’s water bottle is way ‘over there.’
I wont comment on the curling technique because the camera angle makes it look like the outside of the dumbell is even with his nose, which wouldnt be the form I know, which is more to the side of the chin with the midpoint of the dumbell.
I notice in one pic, Ryan is holding a 40# dumbell as marked on the side by someone with white marker.
But I notice he is doing curls with 25# dumbell.
I guess I’d only say this. As a grandmother, I currently curl a 25# dumbell, albeit, not many reps yet, but it just makes me wonder about Mr. Ryan’s actual practice as portrayed in this photo shoot. It seems awfully tame, but then, maybe it’s because I’m inexperienced and can only bench press 95#, up from 45# a few weeks ago, and I can throw the heavy 50′ ‘battle ropes’ around in all manner of configurations, and am just starting to do both ropes with one hand instead of two hands. And/ but seriously, I know for certain I have much yet to learn, will probably never be done learning lifting and fitness… so as I mentioned…
I guess I’m just used to guys and gals, including those I work out with,*** really looking agonized because they ARE striving to a new level but without injuring themselves. They ARE working so hard they sound sometimes like charging bulls, sometimes there’s blood from scraping something, sometimes there is nausea and even weeping. Lifting, I get, there are a million theories about how, where, when, why and what to eat and drink before and during and after.
And I guess I also have never quite seen men work out the way Ryan appears to in the Time mag article, which you can access here.
***I work out with 9 family members, ages 75, 67, 65, 61, 57, 57 45, 42, and 15 years old. EVERY time we work out that 3x a week, by the end, we are drenched and have gone to utter fatigue in every way, esp re core and all large and small muscle bundles. It is EXHILARATING and difficult and worth it. {Even though during the first few weeks was so sore and crippled had to put toothpaste on toothbrush on counter and sort of wag my head back and forth over it…lol} And we all look like hell afterward, just like everyone else who are the real veterans of lifting. It’s not in any way a GQ or Women’s Wear Daily ‘look’. lol. But it is beautiful– and manly and womanly– in its own way, I think.