Pumping Iron

Next posting is on Monday 12 February evening.

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Written by Moira

Introductory note by KC: With heel pain sustained during The EDGE Executive Rat Race in September 2006, looks like I am grounded. Speed kills – not only it is true on the road, it is also true to me in running. There will be no more runs for me temporarily.

While going through recovery period, here is my plan: I will spend time in gym cycling on stationary bikes and pumping iron to improve my outlook. The only equipment that I have to avoid like a plague is the treadmill. After years of running, I think I have neglected other parts of my body other then the legs – time to re-focus. With all the pumping of iron to look macho, who knows when I am back again on running, I will have to change my running vests from size L to XXL.

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My first experience of going to gym many years ago was quite an eye opener. There was this muscular guy pumping iron and another went to help. I was cycling on the stationary bike and I had a full view of them. They were very close in proximity and in a suggestive pose, almost touching. I could feel my hairs standing on ends.

I have seen other macho guys who ran bare top or with specially designed vest that could reveal very much of their upper bodies. I presume after spending so much time in gym, it is an excellence idea to be admired by runners, particularly girl runners. Maybe I should consider taking off my shirt when taking photos next time – to show a bit also.

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Below is an interesting and humorous story written by Moira trying to answer my naïve discovery. I was having a good laugh reading it. Her story is important to guys because the guys who spend lots of time and effort to look macho are supposed to attract girls but may end up attracting the same gender.

Gym-goers

Shirtless: Yes - you should do it sometimes. Either all the girls will crowd really quickly around you or they will run away. Or the Pacesetters runners who know you well will think something is wrong and lend you a shirt.

In the gym, cycling (for the legs) and rowing (for the arms) and also the stepper or the cross country machine will be good for you temporarily whilst waiting for the foot to get healed. The stepper and cross country trainer is particularly great as it mimics the running bio-mechanics without the pounding that leads to all injuries under the sun. Who knows you might become soooo macho that girls will be surrounding you before you even know it! Ha ha ha ha ha

They are three types of personalities of gym-goers. First is the macho type with loads of muscles and always pumping some sort of iron and grunting and always looking in the mirror to see how good they look. They are usually without shirts or have very little cloth on them.

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The "medium" type is like you and me: just use some of the machines (usually cardiovascular) and perhaps lift some light weights (usually we are well covered up).

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Finally, the really blurrrr kind: those that have no idea what to do in the gym (for example, walk really slow on treadmill) and when they lift the weights we feel like we want to help for fear that they will injure themselves; or worse, injure us (by letting the free weights fall and drop on us).

Macho men in gyms are not afraid to touch one another. They spend all their spare time in the gym building up their muscles and since women don't really find these muscles attractive, these macho men have found other macho men to admire them. Next time, take note how they walk around near the mirrors admiring themselves.

I agree that the macho men have to look into the mirror when they pump iron to look at their own form so to prevent injury but these admiring looks continue after pumping iron. These macho men just love to help each other during the iron pumping and after that, assistance may then turn into admiration (ahem!)

You know guys go to the gym to try to meet girls but normal girls just want to get there and leave ASAP (as soon as possible) because we have a life besides the gym. For a normal girl, classes (kick boxing spinning or what-not) are the best; no need to think, just do so unless the guys is hanging around waiting before class; otherwise, there will be no chance for the guys to meet the girls.

Those girls who spend a lot of time sculpting their bodies like the macho man, Well! they don't want no normal man! They are either “tai tai” (wife) or someone's girlfriend (ahem!) or worse, they are would-be bodybuilders so they aren’t have no time to meet regular guys because these ladies have to pump their muscles! Anyway, the regular guys will be frightened off by these real fit ladies because their (the girls) muscles are bigger than the regular guys !! Ha ha ha ha

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Footnote by KC: Being an ordinary runner, looks like I will forget about pumping iron in gym. I just have to stay focus in cycling while waiting for my heel to recover.

By Moira