The Final Installment
STALEY’S SUMMER VACATION
Well, with a heavy sigh, I am writing this.
Congratulations to Jillybop. She not only surpassed her own goals, but inspired others on the trip. That is the definition of a “winner!”
The ‘guinea pig’ days are over, and the T-Nation Transformation Contest has come and gone. Jillybop the well deserved winner. Congratulations to Jill, who really went all out and made the most of her time with Coach Staley. Jillybop and RoadWarrior (Jeff) provided a common experience and alot of friendship on this adventure. We kept getting in trouble with Julianne. Because we were rooting for each other so much, Julianne was afraid we would not be competitive. Jeff, you’re a monster. I wish the others could have met you at Boot Camp. Congratulations on your new life in sunny CA.
Having been out of the gym for longer than many T-Nation guys and gals have been alive, and then returning to training last April gives me, shall we say, a unique vantage point to write from.
40 is the new 30.
First of all, thanks to TeamStaley for the chance to prove that 40 is the new 30 - that was the slogan that permitted me entrance to the contest in the first place. Coach Staley and Julianne, the omnipotent admin of Staley Training Systems, were their normal spectacular selves, and the contest, the experience, and the Training Summit exceeded every hope and expectation I had.
40 is the new 30
(I should write a column on this!)
I determined from the start that if I lost, it would not be because of something I failed to do.
I worked out on the very first day available to me once I received the Staley training program - July 4th. I inundated Coach Staley, and all his Conference Call guests with questions, buth detailed and mundane, in an attempt to extract every possible drop of knowledge and experience from my limited time in their midst. And I tested every bit of knowledge as if my life was a laboratory, and I, the evil scientist (I always loved movies like that). What kind of freak would this experiment yield. The objective: to be strong.
I changed my diet habits - easier for me than you, because my wife is a terrific chef. The old dietary habits weren’t bad (Orthodox Christian fasting rules are strict when they come into play) but more specific methods of “fueling” made muscle growth happen.
I also stopped walking 6 miles a day with my wife (time constraints).
No, I did not use steroids. No, I did not use supplements, with the exception of 3g of creatine a day, and 2 multivitamins a day (I did try Surge for 2 weeks, which I liked, but could not afford a second order during the contest.)
The most powerful “thing” about training that I learned during this experience was that a huge amount of quality work could be done in such a short period of time, and produce much better results than an extended work out.
Hey, when you set out to do your “workout” and finish in less than 40 minutes, and this happens alot, AND you are actually doing more work, making more progress in terms of strength and endurance…well, it doesn’t take long for that lesson to sink into other areas of your life. You start looking for arenas to test this new found “knowledge.”
Awhile ago, Jeff (RoadWarrior) wrote a little article here at T-Nation entitled “The Best $45 You Will Ever Spend.” This is an understated reality.
The Staley program is without peer, and best of all, it’s not hype set out by a self-proclaimed guru who wants you to hang on his every word and new concept.
I loved the fact that when I asked a question, Coach Staley would frequently and honestly reply “I’m not sure on that,” or (my favorite, cause I’m a priest) “I’m agnostic on that…”
This was always followed by a frank discussion of what he could say for sure from experience, then from study, then anecdotal information, and then…well, you get the idea. It was COMPLETE. You never had to take his word for anything, because he simply laid out what he knew, and invited you to test it, and get back to him on it - so he would know.
No secret knowledge. No promise of a magic pill. And no airs of superiority from a man who is clearly the superior of all the coaches on his Private Coaching Forum. These guys are not slouches in their field. They are at the forefront of what is really happening in fitness training. And what a supportive group to have!
Everyone I met, either on the Staley Forum, or on Conference Calls, or face to face at the Training Summit (Boot Camp, for you newbies) was, dare I say it, humble. “Iron” Dan John stood at the front of these humble giants, but the leader of that bunch was Charles Staley.
40 is the new 30.
Okay, what did I actually accomplish?
I put on muscle. I lost fat. I surpassed several life goals I had (the 300 lb bench press being the most significant). I attended my sister-in-law’s wedding in a kilt tuxedo which didn’t fit so well because I had gained so much in the chest and shoulders. (You guys on the forum saw the pics). Not bad for an old man of 43. Remember, it’s not the years, it’s the mileage. I hadn’t been in a gym in 20 yrs til this past April.
I still have several goals ahead of me. Things I really want to accomplish, and I had better do them soon. As a clergyman, I never know when I’ll get reassigned, and those circumstances may make it more difficult to train.
40 is the new 30.
The final lesson I’d like to share about my experience is what I did NOT learn.
I did not learn that I could not accomplish something.
That I was too old.
That I was too weak.
That I didn’t have the means.
That I would ‘break’ doing ‘young man’ stuff.
In fact, I learned that all the years I spent training the mind, the will and the heart made it easier to train. I had a much easier time training than alot of the younger guys in my gym, and made astonishingly better gains.
I’ve often thought about the lack of what is commonly called “Mental toughness” training (a juvenile name, if you ask me) because the Interior man determines what gets done, and how it gets done.
If the interior man is strong, the whole man is strong. If the mind deals with truth and experience, if the will prevents distraction and rationalization, and the heart stays pure and undefiled…what can stop you?
Thanks Coach Staley for helping me be strong.
For a kid who was the proverbial 98lb weakling geek, it’s nice to know that paying your dues pays off.
40 is the new 30. I don’t know if I proved it to anyone else. I don’t even know if I proved it to myself.
Especially when compared to being in my 40’s, I was a slug in my thirties,and I was in pretty good shape.
Maybe 40 is the new 27.
