Shape Shifter – Lemons into Lemonade

“Never let a good crisis go to waste.”

This past week one of my training partners remarked on my recent (purposeful) weight loss. Over the past 60 days I dropped 18 pounds, from 205 to 187. One of them said, “How is it that you make these dramatic changes to your body – which would be fantastic at any age – but at your age?! What’s up with this? What are you doing.” I am (I responded truthfully) just following my own advice. Over the course of my life, I have been a continual shape shifter, a bodyweight manipulator. Every periodized training cycle I have ever embarked on has included a bodyweight manipulation component.

As both a teenage Olympic lifter and adult powerlifter, I used periodized training strategies that sought to peak strength for an upcoming competition. These periodized cycles lasted 12 weeks and each cycle always had a weekly bodyweight manipulation element. I would start off a competitive training cycle with a highly specific bodyweight goal, pursued with the same ferocity as trying to improve my lifts. I never trained for a national or international competition without seeking to either add muscle or strip off body fat in the lead-up.

My shapeshifter credentials are documented as follows: in one five-year period, 1991 thru 1995 I won five national Masters’ championships in three different weight classes. I commenced with a two-year run in the 220 pound class, squatting 722 pounds. In year three, I dropped 22 pounds and captured the national title in the 198 pound class, deadlifting 644. The following year, back up to 220, I deadlifted 688. In year five I won the national title in the 242-pound class squatting 800.

I competed in three Masters’ IPF world championships: I placed 3^rd in Slovakia, 2^nd in Montreal and I won the world title in Sydney. It is one thing to manipulate bodyweight – it is quite another to do so and stay strong enough to win national and world titles.

My most recent body composition manipulation, 30 years later, was not by design. I was content where I was at (in terms of bodyweight and condition) when life interrupted my velvet rut. I had two dehydration episodes three weeks apart. The first episode occurred around the beginning of August and was a result of too much of everything: too much cardio, too much lifting, too much fun.

Dehydration was the culmination of five excellent training sessions in seven days, sweaty outdoor cardio in the August heat, spirited lifting, great stuff. My pal Matt invited me over for an all-day lifting/running session followed by a cookout. Strong gourmet coffee all morning interspersed with hard training followed by strong imported beer. Beer and coffee, it turns out, are excellent diuretics. Off to the emergency room the next morning. The remedial solution was easy: drink more water. Three weeks later I had relapse that I barely rode out, no hospital. Lesson learned. Seriously, drink more damn water! (how hard is that??)

I had some good things going for me. I was already an intermittent faster. I wake up early (4 am) and drink coffee (and now water) until 3 pm. From 3 pm until 7 pm I would eat. This was a “four-hour window” in intermittent fasting lingo. After a recent rereading Ori’s (Hofmekler’s) seminal book, The Warrior Diet, the genesis of intermittent fasting, I made some changes. Check out my post on my good friend Ori below. As well as Stacy's intermittent fasting guide.

Life has a way of disrupting “the best laid plans of mice and men.” The ability to improvise, to adjust to the current hand life has dealt us is a learned skill. Be the impediment work, injury, sickness, stress, whatever, when pitfalls and roadblocks arise, can lemonade be made from these acidic lemons?

In 1983 I broke my leg, thereby ending my powerlifting aspirations. (though I made a comeback eight years later as an age-group lifter) I remember my coach visiting me after this catastrophic injury. He sized me up as I lay there in a hip-to-ankle cast and without a hint of irony said, “Well, I guess it’s time for you to embark on an upper body specialization program.” I bought my bench press up 44-pounds during my year on crutches.

My current odyssey is simply a different variation of that same theme: let's make lemonade from these super-tart lemons. Plus, I loved discovering that radical shape shifting is still possible, even being on the wrong side of 70. To read more about some of my training realizations and changes in training check out the posts below.

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