Big Auto Sez...

Big Auto is a friend who occasionally trains with our group (which is an ever evolving circle dependent upon work schedules, etcetera). He is a student (as in-still-in-school) teacher who works a couple (I think) of jobs to make ends meet. I can't keep up with him. His appearances are based on how early in the morning he can get in. He likes to train in anonymity so he goes to the gym when no one is there. Unfortunately, his timing is not the best and he occasionally shows up when I am there. Thus he gets drug into all sorts of (he says) "strange s&%t". I assume he means training wise. Currently he is using a version of Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 program for his training regimen. The results he gets from it are mixed. Not so much because of anything wrong with the program. It's a matter of his execution (or lack thereof). We were discussing all this and so much more when we again discussed training togther on a regular basis. Big was outlining, in effervescent gory details, the joys of pre-dawn training. I countered with the joys of pre-dawn sleep. Big sez, besides there is no one in the gym in the morning to make him feel puny. Now Big is a former college football player and wrestler and he was named Big Auto for a reason so why he feels puny is lost on me.





This led the conversation into the topic of judgement. Not judging people by their size (big, medium or little), strength (or weakness), gender (male, female, undecided or both), and race, etcetera. I countered that in some areas there is right and wrong and judgement is perfectly acceptable (or should be). That if we judge people then we should be willing to help them if we find them deficent in some area. Like their squat technique sucks and we just judge them and make fun of it yet never offer to help them get any better (and you probably thought we were talking about something deeper...). Stuff like that. Then, if they learn then they can get better and maybe help someone else along the way. And so it goes. And makes the world a better place.





Then Big dropped some knowledge on me, what I will call the quote de jour. Big Auto said, "If you can't look in the mirror and judge yourself then you'll always be weak and never get any better."





Something to think about,

Ed T.