About me – an introduction

This isn’t a post about how to get stronger in your garage. So if you were looking for one, then you might want to check out the archives. This is an exercise in self-indulgence, because there isn’t really very much about me in the About This Blog section.

I live in Nottingham

I come from Nottingham, in the UK. It’s about as close to the middle of the country as you can get and probably the furthest city from the the coast. It used to be famous for making lace and it’s still famous for Robin Hood. I was born here, I went to school here and now I work not far from here.

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I’ve competed at swimming

My sporting background is mainly swimming. It’s the only sport I have ever competed in. I was school captain, swam with my university team (but never competed because I was a swot) and competed in masters for 4 years from the age of 25 – 29. I am told that my freestyle looks very pretty but I was never tall enough to be a contender.

I enjoy climbing

It’s hard to grow up in Nottingham and not be tempted by the Peak District. For those of you who don’t know, the Peak District is about the least well-named place in the world. It’s not got a single peak and it’s not even a district. It does, however, have some of the best single-pitch climbing in the UK. The rock is mostly gritstone and is unique to the area. It feels like pumice and there are very few hand holds. What am I saying? Well, I’ve done bit of climbing, too. I’d do more if it wasn’t so busy at weekends.

Derwent water

I enjoy cycling, too

I love long rides in the summer, when the sun is beating down but the wind keeps you cool and it’s never far to the next ice-cream van. I love short rides under a winter moon, the handlebar festooned with lights, breathing white clouds while you glide down silent roads. I love cycle touring, just flitting from place to place, chilling by the side of the road, camping wherever and buying food at each general store you come to.

I’m a Capricorn

I can’t bring myself to believe in star signs but this list (taken from various online sources) is a damn good summary of my personality. In fact, the very fact I don’t believe in star signs is predicted by my star sign.

Strong-willed
Confident
Calm
Hardworking
Unemotional
Practical
Cautious to the extreme
Capable of sticking with a project to the bitter end
Strives for honesty in self-criticism
Methodical
Stubborn
Economical
Pessimistic
Melancholic
Capricious
Skeptical
Rational, logical and clear-headed
Has good concentration

I have found that being calm, cautious and sticking to the plan have served me well so far in lifting weights. Steady and consistent hard work and effort have been at the root of my progress and being calm when things go to the dogs has dug me out of several holes. Similarly, honest self-criticism pays dividends when it comes to assessing and working on weaknesses. If you can target your weaknesses successfully, you can gain strength much faster than if you don’t. It’s that simple.

On the other hand, a tendancy to stubbornness and cautiousness mean that I don’t change my programme as much as I should. When I find a pattern or set/rep scheme that I like, I do tend to use it to death and this can lead to stagnation. Similarly, a leaning towards melancholy and pessimism can mean that my mental recovery isn’t always as good as it could be.

It’s the sheer capriciousness that does it for me, though. It never ceases to amaze my friends and family how I can do a 180 degree about-turn and completely change my views, opinions or methods based on some new information. In a matter of moments, I can have made my mind up and be doing the exact opposite of what I was doing a few minutes ago. And defend it to the death. Capricious, yes. Boring, no.

So on balance, you could say I’m pretty content.

The Garage Gym Online