You Don’t Have to Be Slim to Be Fit.

130kg/286lb big fat and strong

When I was in high school one of my friends was on the wrestling team; it was a good team and they had a tradition of winning.  The head coach was a big guy; to be honest he was way over weight and probably tipping the scales at well over 300lb/145kg.  What I remember most about the coach was his “old school” training techniques.



same weight different pose

Ask Google what is fit? And a wide range of non answers come up.  I recall reading an article about what was considered a test of fitness and it was quite simple; carry your own body weight for a good distance, run a long distance without stopping, be able to do push-ups, sit- ups and pull -ups.  That was it and that was the coach’s basic fitness training, he had team mates’ piggy back one another up a flight of stairs and through a course until they failed.  They ran stairs and laps until they were spent; they did push-ups, sit -ups and pull-ups until they could do no more.  In the end they all had the endurance, strength and agility to power through a long match and win. 


107kg/235lb fat and fit

When I read about the history of fitness I learned;  as society changed from hunters and gathers, to farmers, manufacturers, and into  information and service providers the levels and standards of fitness changed as well.

 Today the average American male is 5’9”/175cm. and weighs around 180lb/82kg.

·         69% of the average men think they are fit; 13% actually are.  

·         The number of sit-ups the average man can do in a minute: 36

·         The number of pull ups an average man can do: 1

·         The number of push-ups and average man can do in one minute: 27

·         The average time it takes the average man to run a mile is: 8 min. 34 sec.

·         The percentage of men that don’t belong to a gym: 88%

·         The percentage of men who use their home gym equipment to hang their clothes on: 45%

·         The life expectancy of the average man: 71yrs.



60 yrs plus fat and fit

The coach was big, fat and strong and I am sure more fit than many of the young slender teacher roaming the halls.  A couple of years ago, I was a big fat guy and I am sure that the last thing a person thought when they saw me was; hey that is a fit guy.

 107kg/235 fat and fit

The truth of the matter is when I was 18yrs old,  6’2”/188cm a slim 76kg/167lb I could not bench press my own weight, do 15 push-ups in any amount of time nor 50 sit-ups, or 1 pull-up.

167lb/76kg slim, weak and not fit

Today I warm up on 82kg and can max bench 115kg/250lb, do 50 sit ups in 60 seconds, 45 push-ups in a minute and 10 pull-ups, 20 dips, and run a mile in just over 6 minutes.  I am in the 12% of men who belong to a gym and I do not use my home equipment as a clothes hanger or door stop and I am not slim, trim or skinny but I am fit, strong and healthy.

130kg/286lb fat and fit

If you are fat it does not mean you cannot be fit.  If you don’t go to a fitness centre or exercise 3x per week, start and make it a part of your life style.  Follow the above list, do sit-ups, and push-ups this will build your strength and soon you will be able to perform for long periods of time without fatigue setting in at which point you will be fit.

Go have some fun,

Geo

time to bend an elbow