Meet the Training Partner

I do try to respect people's privacy. Unless it's Randy Beets'. That's why I have not named my new training partner. I kept forgetting to ask him if he minded me naming him in the blog. He is OK with it. I didn't think he'd mind, but it is only proper to ask first.

Tyler Kirk is the God-sent man to bump up my training. He is 27-years old, very strong, and extremely hungry to train. Not only that, but he wants to learn, to be coached, to get really fit. Often, in my own mind, I have lamented the fact that I have so much knowledge. I wanted to pass it on to someone. Now I have someone who wants what I have in my mind, what I have learned both from study and experience.

We did pull at Plate City Tuesday morning. That consisted of five sets of chest-supported rows, two sets of lat pull downs, and two sets of the Swim Pull. To that we added reverse flys with the red band, and we finished off with two minutes and ten seconds on the Ski Erg.

We also talked about the fundraising challenge, about the minimum training, about his need for a bicycle, about nutritional strategies, about the event itself. And he mentioned this morning that since we started training together, his arms and shoulders feel stronger in the water. Imagine that. I told him that we are going to max his bench out Thursday morning so that we can start training him on percentages. I can get this guy way, way stronger. 

He is a big guy, 6'2" and 250. He told me that he got up to over 300. "I looked in the mirror one day and said, 'No more,'" he relayed to me. I need to have one of those mirror moments. I have had them in the past. I need one now. Still, I have not lost the weight that holds my running back so terribly. Lord help me. It's not like I have to starve. I just need a little restrain. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," said Jesus correctly. You know, He's right nine times out of ten. Or is it ten times out of nine?