Double take!
That’s what I did the other day when I was finishing up my workout at Workout Anytime of Clinton. Was that Phillip Finch, one of the employees of the fitness facility, working out in a tank top and gym shorts?
Yes, it sure was! My surprised reaction, one of astonishment really, was due to his solid muscular upper body — a Greek god-type physique, if you will — you couldn’t help but notice it.
But what amazed me was the fact he wasn’t wearing his eyeglasses. That’s why I didn’t recognize him upon first glance.
He always looks like Clark Kent with those spectacles perched on his nose. I had no idea he was hiding all those muscles up under his work shirt. He sure would give Superman a run for his money.
I didn’t want to gawk, but I couldn’t help it. My eyes bugged out. Then he saw me. Dang! That’s the last thing I wanted to happen. LOL!!!
When I see a dude that has a Hercules-type build, I think to myself, “Man, I want to look like that.” I mean, I’m on my way with one workout at a time; and one day, hopefully, I’ll get there. Who knows, maybe some day, not in the too distant future, another scrawny guy, like myself, will look at me and think, “I want to have muscles like him.”
That’s what gives me hope and makes me feel good about myself.
At any rate, I was intrigued by the exercise Phillip was performing on the smith machine while using a weight bench.
I have a workout program that my friend and workout partner, Adam Sutphin, gave me through an app on my phone; but that particular set of movements wasn’t part of my usual routine.
I’m always looking to change it up, so my muscles don’t get conditioned to my exercises and stop growing. Desiring to bust out of my shirt like Bruce Banner‘s alter ego, I had to learn the new maneuver.
When I came out of the locker room after my shower, I walked over to Phillip and mentioned that I saw the exercise he had been doing earlier on the smith machine and was interested in learning how to perform it.
He said he would be happy to show me.
That’s one of the many reasons why I like that young man. Besides being attentive, kind and caring, Phillip is always willing to help make the most of my workouts — whether it’s putting those huge 45-pound weights on a number of machines for me or repositioning the adjustable pulley, so I don’t end up on the floor.
Since I do my arms and shoulders workout on Tuesdays and Fridays and knew I was off work the following Friday, I asked if he could show me then. He flashed his pearly whites and said it was a deal.
I was stoked for Friday to finally arrive; so I could add another exercise to my arsenal of maneuvers. I was like a little kid in the candy store eager to get my hands on the goodies. Is it Friday yet?
For those of you who don’t know — the smith machine, which is used for a variety of exercises, is basically a barbell set between two vertical metal rods on either end of the weight-lifting mechanism.
Two metal hooks are attached to either side of the barbell allowing you to place it at different heights. Although the barbell can move up and down, if not hooked on one of the many perpendicular rungs, it can’t sway back and forth because of its encasement within the metal rods.
Since I can do squats and other exercises on the smith machine without falling backward or forward and having the barbell crush my larynx or skull, I’m kind of loving it. If I came home with a barbell sticking out of my head, I don’t think my family would want me to continue going to the gym. LOL!!!
After snatching him from the front desk, Phillip grabbed the straight back bench and placed it under the barbell at the smith machine. Without even mentioning it to him, he knew that particular bench would give my back more support when performing the exercise.
That young man never ceases to amaze me. Phillip definitely knows his stuff, especially when it comes to weight training and exercise — even for a disabled dude like myself.
And like any good teacher knows, you learn by doing. Phillip didn’t demonstrate the set of movements himself. He had me sit down on the bench and walked me through the steps, showing me where to place my hands on the barbell, as I performed the maneuver on my own.
It was pretty basic. The weightlifting exercise really activated the middle deltoid in the shoulder. I could definitely feel the burn.
For a lack of a better name, the overhead press exercise, using the smith machine, is sort of like the shoulder press. The only difference is that the barbell/handles drop down behind your head instead of in front of it.
After watching me perform the feat and being satisfied with my handle on it, Phillip mentioned the rep/set scheme. Then he was off to help another gym member in distress as I let out my inner animal like I was dead-lifting 500 pounds.
I can’t wait to come back to the gym for my next workout.