This is my rock. I say "my" rock because we are now bonded for life. We have been through a lot together. We were involved in a great struggle, overcame, and we're triumphant in our quest. All dramatics aside folks, this rock was a PAIN to move. What started as a favor for my parents, ended up being the ultimate finisher for my workout. What transpired was a war between me and this stinking rock. Thankfully, spoiler alert, I won!
A day before this all took place my dad had mentioned a certain rock down in the ditch that needed some attention. He was hoping I could help him move it out of the ditch for use in the fire pit out back. Seeing as I had taken care of a few rocks earlier in the week I figured it would be a seemingly easy task. I had just finished a fairly strenuous body-weight training session and decided that now would be the perfect time to go ahead and move this little rock. I came upon it not thinking it looked like much of a challenge. That was until I started moving it out of the muddy hole in which it was trapped. After rolling it up to the side of the road I decided this may be a wee bit tougher than I had hoped for. 3 trips later I had gotten it about a third of the way up the driveway. Did I mention I was also going uphill? I was fairly worked up by now, and had decided that no matter what this rock would not get the best of me. Have you ever seen a shirtless man covered in dirt talking to a rock in his front yard? I was starting to scare myself! Two more bursts of power and I had gotten it up to the top of the driveway. With all a short distance to go and my lungs burning I decided to weigh this stinking rock as its size was quite deceiving of its actual mass. Placing it on an old bathroom scale I realized why I was having so much trouble. This particular rock was weighing in it at 160 pounds! I'm quite sure I had never dealt with anything of this size and shape in all my days of training. With only a short 25 yards left to go I summoned up all the energy I had left and was able to shoulder the rock, carry it up the small incline ahead of me, and slam it home. Mission complete!
As I attempted to cool down and clean some dirt off myself a couple of things became clear to me. Number one; lifting odd and/or heavy objects will make you stronger. Number two; you don't need a gym or expensive equipment to train effectively. Number three; there is no greater workout than moving around in nature like we were built to do. And lastly; if you are asked to move a rock consider bringing a wheel barrow!
In all seriousness though, this was an amazing workout. I was able to train my entire body and engage all the metabolic pathways at the same time. Plus, if you are into "functional" fitness, it does not get any more functional than this! The next time you are looking for a quick, fun, and effective workout I urge you to head outside and get a little primal. Maybe you already have? Let me know about your own experience in the comments.
No comments:
Post a Comment