Getting it back.
When I retired in 2018, I stopped doing as much Army stuff as I could. After 22 years I was tired of the shenanigans and needed to reinvent myself as Ash vs SFC Hess. I use first names, AM/PM, grew a beard, and stopped waking up before the sun to work out. Five years later, I finally got tired of being overweight and looking/feeling like crap.
I always have to have a yard stick and The Proving Grounds provided that. I decided to compete in their matches which provide an excellent fitness assessment venue. I shot my first one at the end of February to establish a baseline. I finished mid pack but more importantly it showed I was weak in every area of fitness.
This licked off a slow build back into getting in shape. I started with diet and cleaned that up because it wasn't far off. Over 5 years with next to zero exercise, I had "only" gained 30 pounds since my last Army weigh in. Next, I started on strength training. Squats, bench and back three times a week.
I am no fitness or medical guru, but I know enough that you can increase load or volume fairly safely but doing both is risking injury. The Feb match had shown me that I need to build strength quickly so that was the focus.
I lost 20 pounds over the three months and went from embarrassing numbers on Squat and Bench to Ok numbers. I felt better, look better (still not good but better) and more importantly, established patterns and mentally got back into working out.
That 3 months culminated with The Murph Challenge and The Proving Grounds Georgia in the same week. During Murph, cardio was the weak point. 300 squats and 200 push-ups were no problem at all. The pull ups were weak but achievable with assistance but the run? Hell no.
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That next Friday at The Proving Grounds Georgia, the same remained true. I finished mid pack because of cardio. I won the night stages that had no fitness component, so the shooting wasn't the major reason for being slow.
The next match is in August so the focus will be on introducing Cardio. I don't need to run a marathon, but I do need to be able to sprint and recover quickly.
I am guilty, but if you are not doing something, get after it. Obesity and heart related problems kill more people than anything involving guns. If you want to do both, there are place to do that too.
More to follow.
Experienced Marketing Executive | Strategic Marketing Leader with Brand Management and E-Commerce Expertise
1yInspiring brother!
Retired Green Beret
1yThank you for sharing! So many let that slip once they “hang up their hat”, but there’s always something we can do to challenge/improve ourselves. More importantly are those who SHOULD still be getting after it often fall into the “I’m T for Trained” and stop seeking improvement. No matter who we are, no matter how good we may think we are, there’s always room to improve our skills and knowledge base. Keep doing what you’re doing sir!
Innovation Officer | Aggressive Problem Solver
1yGreat write up Ash! Awesome to watch the progress.
Business Advisor & Consultant|EOS Integrator|Fractional C-Suite
1yGreat article Ash Hess. The Deliberate Discomfort Challenge from Jason Van Camp kick started our “getting it back”. I can tell you my rifle feels much lighter these days!
IT Logistics Manager I Veteran
1yWe’ve got to “put in the work” or we won’t be around for decades to be with our families and friends. I’m right there also.