A Different Kind of Weight

There is an old SNL skit with Jay Mohr, Chris Farley and some other guys in which they were talk show hosts. The topic of the show was weight lifting and all of the hosts had these padded sweatshirts on to make their upper body look massive and then sticking out from the chairs were fake little chicken legs that flopped around when they yelled. They would take call-in questions and begin every conversation with, "What 'cha bench?" The skit basically made fun of guys that feel that being ripped makes them more of a man. The skit always ended with all of the hosts having a 'Roid-rage.'

I think of that skit sometimes when I am tempted to talk about my lifting days while playing football. My job on the field was to protect my QB and running back by tossing around 250-300lb men. It required some strength and a lot if technique. In the off season I would lift five days a week and during the season three days a week.

The reason I bring this up, I am approaching my playing weight from my freshman year of college. It's not a low weight and not where I want to end up, but it is a benchmark number for me. I also realize that back then, I had a lot more muscle than I do now. So the number on the scale may read the same very soon, but it's a different kind of weight. I still have a lot more fat than I did then. I will be proud when I reach it, but it will also be a reminder that I can do even better.

Here's to reaching a benchmark and knowing it's just a marker of better things to come!