Without a deadline, there’s just no reason to get hurt (or so I justify).
As an update, I’m working out, but it’s been in various hotels. Some of what I’m doing is actually fun. I’ll get back to the normal program when I’m back next week.
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This way we don’t skip it!
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Right?!
I have another motivator for not skipping legs, but I don’t recommend trying it. After my leg was crushed, I physically couldn’t do lower body lifts for six years. A walk around the block would take hours and leave me in excruciating pain for three to four weeks. After the second reconstruction, my leg was finally healed, and I started to slowly rebuild leg strength and stamina. While a half-decade of lost leg usage motivated me to use them, I prefer willpower over near limb-loss to overcome training malaise 
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Although I have enjoyed skipping leg day of late…
This week I’ve been doing light leg curls, adductor machine, and leg extensions. I’m still uncomfortable through my inner thigh, but we’ll see how it goes.
Luke Kuechly retired yesterday, so now I’m sad. Better to retire young than dumb, so good for him, but he was an absolute joy to watch on the field.
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I saw a comparison of tight ends and it was Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Gronk. It was stunning to see that Gronk played exactly half the games that they played. He would’ve matched or beat Gonzalez in stats if he’d continued playing (presumably). I don’t remember those guys getting beat up the way he was. Maybe it’s how they used him…
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I think there is something to that. The Patriots ran a lot of 12 and 02 with Gronk, where a linebacker is carrying him up the field and he’d draw a safety over the top. The traditional systems run more 21, so the linebackers’ first read is on the backs and the tight end will end up in single coverage when not a blocker; he’s also more likely to be involved in leaks than seams - just that probably creates a lot of longevity.
I think the bottom line, though, is guys just make more money younger nowadays - they don’t have to play 15 years to amass a lifetime of wealth.
Anyway, I just like to pretend I’ll be the Panthers’ next coaching hire.
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I did some leg extensions again today, and my thigh still hurts like hell. I’m going to have to deal with it. Ugh.
The league minimum is like 10 times what I make in a year. I think I could play for three years and do just fine for myself.
Nah. The minimum is $480k. That’s not “never work again” money. In any case, they’re living above our means.
No, I was correct. 10 times what I made until the last couple years. I’m just barely ahead now.
I guess the difference is I’m accustomed to living off my income and they’re not.
I’m not saying it’s not good money, I’m just saying $1.5M at the highest income tax bracket likely doesn’t mean you never have to work again
I’m on the leg-machine train as well. Ride it for good lower body arms health!
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There’s another aspect too, that’s not as important as the money but not insignificant either - players are becoming smarter with their money. It’s not universally true, but there are enough stories about idiots blowing all their money to incentivize some of the young guys to change, and you hear about it a lot more often.
Even so, Kuechly and all these guys will work again, Norman had broadcasting stuff set up before he retired. They’re not living like us with millions. They’re not being idiots and buying Lambos every other day, but they have big houses and families used to living a certain way, and that takes a lot of money when you’re 28 to live off of forever.
Case in point: my dad died when my mom was 62, and she’s still working at 67 despite getting nearly 2 million from his retirement account. She’s very reasonable with money, but she had to repair and sell our old house which was much too much for her to maintain by herself with no kids there to help, she had to buy a new house for herself, she had to buy another car when her old one was done for, and she realized she couldn’t retire immediately because even at 67 she could easily live another 25 years. That’s a long ass time, if you want to do some traveling in your retirement, and have any sort of comfort above the bare minimum. None of us have gotten money either so it’s not like she gave it away. She’s retiring next year, but she still worked 5-6 more years with a solid retirement account behind her.
Now imagine being in your 30s with 2 million: 50 years later, kids in college, car troubles, house repairs, medical bills, boom - you’re 80 and can’t work and you’re out of money, and maybe you live another 10-15 years as the life expectancy climbs. No way.
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$2 million invested for 3 years with an 8% return (not crazy right now) would earn over $500k in interest.
I still think I could make it last.
We’d have to agree to disagree here, haha. You’re also assuming that things won’t get more expensive. Look at 50 years ago. Now look 50 years from now. If that trend continues, 500K won’t mean jack. I give you 2 million right now and you don’t earn any more money for the next 50-60 years of your life, I’m Going to say you’d need a perfect storm the entire 5-6 decades to make that happen.
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My position tops out after 17 years. Those guys currently make about $73k without any OT or side work. 20 years at that rate is still under $1.5 million. I know the cost of living will go up as well as our pay, but don’t you see how I think $500k for three years could sustain me?
My wife and I are doing fine and we grossed a combined $106k last year. It might be the cost of living or just how we handle money, but we don’t spend much by most people’s standards.
In my head, I’d invest the money and pay myself what I make now each month.
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But that’s you with that amount of money 20 years from now vs you with that amount of money 3 years from now. My mom could EASILY have retired the day my dad died, but she wanted to travel and enjoy life, and she already had tons of expensive repairs, so she chose to work. You, mid-50s, with a couple mil, in the right part of the country, could do fine. You and your wife grossed 106K. That’d Total around 1.5 mil in 14 years. You want to stretch that out for 50-60 years. See how that’s a tough one?
I never said my wife got to stop working. 
If I didn’t have to work then I’d probably be a cheap personal trainer or coach. Unfortunately, I live in the real world where I’m not willing to do what it takes to make a living with those things now.
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I love this discussion!
I do agree about them being smarter with their money and a future occupation - the broadcasting game is huge; that’s actually the GOAL for a lot of these guys when they play in the first place.
Keep in mind, also, taxes matter. At $480k, you’re taking home about $330 after federal income taxes alone (then you pay out your SSI, state/ local, etc). You’re not seeing the same percentages. They also have agents and pay union fees.
An 8% return right now is not insane, but that’s still huge. You’re not going to see it over and over, and you’re certainly unable to invest your entire check. A quick check at bond returns, an easy 0-risk standard, tells you you can expect half that if we’re using it as our income plan (we have to be low-risk because we don’t plan to earn additional money).
In any case, I don’t mean this as a comparison. What you do is incredibly important and stressful, and I don’t think you get paid nearly enough (I can get real political here, but I won’t). I also think athletes get paid absolutely stupid money until one of them cures cancer (I say that recognizing I’m part of the problem because I am a source of revenue). My point is just that a couple years at league minimum would not make me comfortable that I could live for another 60.
So I have an adductor strain or minor tear. I can keep doing the Dark Horse stuff for upper body, and I’m already doing light stuff for lower body, but I might just keep doing whatever for the next few weeks (it’s been ~2 so far) and let this heal and then get back to the Dark Horse stuff full strength after. We’ll kind of gauge that depending on what whim takes me away when I walk into the gym tomorrow.
So far I have a pretty awesome history with starting this program and then quitting.
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