The texts usually start rolling in about 6AM.
“The bass line in Thelma Houston’s ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’.....outrageous!”
“In light of Christine McVies death I’ve been revisiting ‘Rumours’. Monumental album from start to finish…”
Robert and I have been sending each other these types of messages for years now.
We met on the training floor at the personal training gym Kyle and I both worked at prior to opening the Fort.
Robert is not only a super nice guy, he was one of the most diligent trainers on the floor. Never distracted, never gimmicky, never took his eyes off his clients.
He was quick to make technical corrections, never overloaded people with weights they couldn’t handle and had a real knack for utilizing programs that were appropriate for his client’s level.
For sure we bonded over our love of music that no one else on the training staff appreciated (Robert was one of the few trainers in the facility who was actually older than me) but I always admired his professionalism as a coach.
So I was somewhat surprised when one morning I received a text that had nothing to do with the lost classics of 1970’s AM radio or a debate-starter over the best Police song, but, rather, contained a request.
“I need to interview someone prominent in the industry as part of my coursework in pursuit of my masters in Exercise Science. Would you be willing to participate?”
Not only was I flattered by the ask, I had no idea that Robert was pursuing an advanced degree. As a guy in his late 50’s who was already successful and knowledgeable in what he did, I also wondered ‘why’?
This was at the height of the Covid lockdown. Was Robert just bored and looking for something to fill his time?
Was he issued some sort of grant that he needed to apply?
Did he want to gain more in-depth knowledge of a particular aspect of physiology?
I have no idea. I never asked.
But I did admire the shit out of him for doing it.
We are frequently fed societal norms that we are too young or too old for certain things.
“You are too young to start a business, you should go to college instead.”
“You are too old to pursue an advanced degree. You’ll never get a good return on investment at this point.”
And my personal, nuanced advice to all this is, fuck that noise.
There are plenty of instances where age-related advice makes sense. Whether your investments should be more conservative or risky. Whether or not to get a colonoscopy. Whether you can attend a Taylor Swift concert without looking like a creeper.
But when it comes to self-improvement and the pursuit of knowledge and joy, please do not let your age talk you out of any decision.
We have been seeing an increase in older adults inquiring about the gym. And many of them will seek out the advice of a doctor before beginning. And the encouraging thing that I am seeing is that most are being told that strength and conditioning training in this manner is exactly what they need.
This is a huge departure from how that story typically ended just a few years ago. Doctors are not as risk averse as lawyers, but it’s close. So the fact that they are recommending challenging your muscles and elevating your heart rate is a really positive sign.
My interview with Robert started with the typical pleasantries and I spoke about my history and background. And then, as invariably happens, he asked what advice I had for any young people who might be interested in starting in fitness and I gave him my stock answer.
“Don’t do it.”
But after letting the joke land I gave him my honest thought.
“Think about it for a long time. Know what you are getting yourself into. And if you decide it’s for you, go for it with everything you have.”
And then, I added something that I hoped Robert recognized was actually targeted at him,
“And that advice isn’t just for young people.”
I was hoping he would follow up with a question about Jimi Hendrix’s early guitar work but, alas, that didn’t happen.
I guess I’ll just have to wait for the text.