Plate City in Full Swing

Trevor doing a set of curls.

A month or so ago, I wrote about the improvements I've made this summer at Plate City Gym. Since then I have made the ultimate improvement. Or maybe I should say, the ultimate improvement happened. Or more accurately, God made the ultimate improvement: I acquired a training partner, the first real one I've had at the gym since the early 1980s. You read that right, the 1980s. In fact, Plate City did not exist from the mid '80s until it began to be reborn around 2004. Now she is a star, the apex of backyard gyms.

Trevor McLean, a friend and member of Team Centerville, started coming by after work a few weeks ago. Although I have worked out alone for years, having a buddy to lift with has helped in several ways.

One way Trevor has helped is to increase my regularity. At my advancing age, I am finding myself pretty tired at the end of an easy day. Consequently, I stretch out to take a nap and sometimes get lazy and let a day slip by without doing anything. Now I have Trevor texting me from the backyard wanting to know when the weight clanging starts. That's a good thing. I have to get up and get going.

Another advantage of having T-Man come by for the past several weeks, is he adds youthful enthusiasm to the workout. I can use that. Especially today when I was having real trouble even changing clothes much less hitting the gym. Furthermore, he often pushes me in ways I need pushing. With him there, he challenges me to another rep, another set, another exercise. Although I need no help to get outside and do bench presses, with T-Man's company I am more consistently hitting some muscles that often went neglected.

Today we made a joint commitment to do leg work every week. That's one of the muscle groups that I need to work most, but find it easiest to neglect. We even set Monday, the first day of the working week, as leg day. That sounds like a plan that will work. If we can stay on the legs, and I can lose some weight, I may be able to get my running back. Lord, I am doing what I can. Please make up the difference.

T-Man hitting a set of shrugs using
the leg press machine.