The Journey Gets Heavy

November 9, 2010. The journey gets heavy

The Revolution was wonderful as usual.  What a day!  Sam, his brother, Brad and his cousin, Ryan, rode the 25 mile and then enjoyed a massage or two at the Trentadue Winery afterwards.  The weather was perfect and the trio made excellent time.  As always, there was plenty of food and drink —even for those three!

Paralympic coaches told Sam to continue lifting and to add a muscle restoring drink afterward.  One of the other athletes on the team recommended Muscle Milk.  It’s very important that he not eat or drink anything with a banned substance in it so, after reading all the labels, Sam went to the United States Anti Doping Association web site to do some research.  Feeling secure that there wasn’t anything besides protein, vitamins and minerals in the drink, Sam now drinks a Muscle Milk after a lifting session.

Paralympic coaches told Sam to continue lifting and to add a muscle restoring drink afterward.  One of the other athletes on the team recommended Muscle Milk.  It’s very important that he not eat or drink anything with a banned substance in it so, after reading all the labels, Sam went to the United States Anti Doping Association web site to do some research.  Feeling secure that there wasn’t anything besides protein, vitamins and minerals in the drink, Sam now drinks a Muscle Milk after a lifting session.

Sam’s blood tests at the Paralympic Training camp were perfect.  His cholesterol and triglycerides were down and he had gained a few pounds but reduced the size of his waist.  Muscle weighs more than fat so the weight gain with associated “v” shape was really good news.  Cycling and weight training is definitely doing the trick.

His weight training program consists of rapid lifts of increasing weight.   By stretching before, during and after, he never really has any pain from the lifting.  He starts with the shoulder incline press, lifting 90 lbs, ten times, to warm up. With 2-3 minutes between different weights, he then does 6 reps at 220 lbs and 10 at 190 lbs. as fast as he can.  He finishes with that machine by doing as many as he can at 90 lb. and moves to the chest decline machine where he goes through the same type of routine  with 10 reps at 150 lb, 8 reps at 220lb and 6 reps at 250lbs, with  a burnout (as many lifts as he can) at 150lb.  He then does hanging crunches (40 reps of 20), and ends the workout by pulling a 45 lb disc as he crawls backwards up and back across the gym floor.

We are getting close!  He will bring only a few pairs of shorts and T-shirts to the next camp, December 1-11 as he will be coming back with a suitcase full of his new uniforms.  Nike is the sponsor, so Sam has to go through his wardrobe and make sure anything he packs is plain or has a Nike logo on it.

A big part of the whole experience is learning to be on time and ready to perform.  Sam has learned how to time his training so he has about a week of rest before he has to throw.  He has also learned how to keep up with the team’s grueling schedule.  He showers every night and lays out all his clothes and gear for the next day before he goes to bed.  It would be a shame to get this far and then miss his event!