What Did You Exercise Last?

Does it really make any difference?
I had recently become proud of my accomplishments in the gym in that I could comfortably do dumbbell presses with 70 pounders and a get a couple with 80 pounders plus a lot of strain.
Until I meet the trainer.
She can destroy me with miniscule weights in only a few minutes.
Set of three, 50 reps, no rest between sets, different angles, shoulders, on and on.
I am having trouble remembering all of the different exercises she has been throwing at me lately.
She has caused me to drink at the fountain of humility.
This has become a common “draught” these days. (Old guys are humbled easily)
While bitter to taste, it does confer a level of insight.
I am gradually discovering the many facets of weight training.
It is not just simply pushing more and more weight.
Joints start to rebel with this approach, especially 60 plus year old joints.
Instead it is angles of attack; it is reps on some days and weight on other days with a healthy dose of aerobics thrown in for good measure.
It is the right diet and the right amount of protein.
It is muscle fatigue; it is muscle exhaustion.
It is taking your body to the limit.
When the “burn” starts, this is not the time to quit.
This is the time to go on and finish.
When the skin feels too tight to constrain the muscles, this is the time to do one more set or add a drop set.
When the hands are shaking and it is hard to open the lock on the locker and everything has a halo around it like a “Currier and Ives” print, then it is OK to quit.
So, “what did you exercise last” is key information if you are going to be able to keep up with the next set of exercises.
Try to get it right or you will end up eating more humble pie than could ever be good for someone on a diet.
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