[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
I guess I’m not completely shocked by all this hating on Mr. Green, but I do think it’s unreasonable. I read the article, and some related posts on his website. The dude still has resistance training sessions once a week, in which he’s incorporating various forms of squats, deadlifts, Turkish get-ups, presses, planks, rows, etc. He’s running regularly, playing sports, rock climbing, participating in various water sports… In short, he’s doing all the things he wants to do.
I would also argue that he was definitely reasonably strong at his peak. The video in the article shows him performing 20 bench press reps @ 225. That’s seriously not bad, particularly for his bodyweight. Plenty of skill-position players in the NFL can’t hit those numbers. I’d probably tap out at about 20 reps right now, and I consider myself to be relatively strong. Did he ever have elite strength or an elite build? Nah. But he was in better shape than a lot of the guys on here with thousands of posts.
I also don’t get this argument that he should man up and get in the gym more, because his ancestors worked in fields or whatever. It’s not like he’s sitting on his ass all day. He sounds like he’s plenty active. Not everyone wants to be a gym rat or a strength-athlete forever.
He made a decision that this was not the best thing for him. It’s not for everybody, and props to him for recognizing that early on his life. He’s actively pursuing his own dreams. There’s something to be said for that. If I didn’t love the gym, I’d be a goddamn fool for lifting for 5 or 6 hours every week just to be able to say I did it.[/quote]
Speaking for myself I never said he needed to “man up” and get in the gym. But I think it’s odd that he apparently didn’t play basketball or sprint or hike or do all of the other awesome shit he is doing now when he used to lift weights. Was he prepping for a contest? Terrified of overtraining?
Also, the title of his article was obviously intended to push buttons. Which is cheap. I think his problem was more that when you go from doing something for the love of it to doing it because you have to to earn your paycheck it can become a tiresome chore and you end up hating it.[/quote]
Is it that odd? I don’t think so, based on what I know my own schedule is like. For me, I have VERY little time to devote to hobbies. I wake up at 6:30, have breakfast, get cleaned up for work, and get home from work around 5:30. I change, go to the gym, and get home around 7. I have dinner with my wife, who generally has dinner ready for me (Green’s not married, so this part would have to include cooking or going out for food). We’re done with dinner sometime between 730 and 8, at which time I walk my dogs. Then I do whatever housework needs to be done (dishes, vacuuming, yard work, laundry, etc). This takes me to about 9:30. I read for an hour, and go to sleep.
I’m a pretty average guy. Many people work longer hours than me. My weekends are consumed by projects at home, which never end. Occasionally I can spare a few hours on the weekend for a social activity, but certainly not every weekend.
The point is, that 5-7 hours I’m devoting to the gym is a valuable set of hours. If I wanted to play sports recreationally, gym time would be the only time from which I could borrow. Some might suggest that I could sleep less, but I don’t think this is a viable solution for most.
I imagine that Green’s life is relatively comparable to this. As for the title… seriously? What should he have called it? ‘Boring article # 285’? Come on man. Articles with lame titles that don’t push buttons don’t get read. It’s not cheap, it’s reality.