USAWA

by Thom Van Vleck

My first workout instruction book was given to me by my Uncle Wayne.  It was written by Doug Hepburn and my uncle bought it in 1957 and I still have it.  It was the first workout routine I followed.  There was a chapter in there on rest.  It said work was not rest and should be avoided if the lifter wanted to make maximum gains.  I tried telling my mom the yard work she wanted me to do was cutting into my gains.  She wasn’t having none of that!  I still had to do the yard work!

My grandfather was an avid weightlifter.  His collar was also as blue as they come and grew up on the farm before tractors were common.  He worked hard his whole life.  Sometimes holding down three jobs to take care of his family.  He also rarely missed a workout!  I recall him teaching me how to turn work into a workout.  We were shoveling after a deep snow.  He said to shovel 5 times to the left and 5 times to the right.  Always keep balanced.  Whatever I did one way I should do an equal amount to the other side.  Squat down to pick things up and equal number of time to bending over to pick things up.  Find ways to get in exercise while you work.  He would do calf raises while standing at his work bench.  That way work became a workout.  Because a workout, like work, tears the body down.   The difference is that workouts are balanced.

Then when I was a teen I had a manual labor job.  I hated it but I liked having money.  I dreaded going to work and watched the clock for quitting time.  I worked with a guy that had a great attitude.  He made everything a game.  If we had to stack up sacks of flour he would say, “Race ya!” and we would race to see who could fill a pallet the fastest.  When I started looking at work that way the clock disappeared and it was quitting time before I knew it.

When I first started working out I honestly hated it.  It was a means to an end.  I wanted to be and look strong and this was the way to do it.  After awhile, when I saw results, I started to enjoy workouts.  They gained intrinsic value to me.  I think that’s why over 40 years later I’m still doing it.  I took the work out of my work outs.

A few years back I had to cut down a very large dead elm tree on my property.  I went after it like a workout.  I did sets and reps and varied how I carried the wood keeping things balanced. I made a game out of it.  It was a really good workout in the end.

So my point is that the difference between work and a work out is balance and attitude.  Bring both to your work and your workouts and you’ll be better off in the end!