The Challenge Continues

After reviewing my post from last week, I really have to wonder whether I premeditate my troubles in advance. It very well could be that I’m a masochist in denial. I was aware of the risks entailed in getting involved with my brother’s six-week ab challenge. It was no mystery. I knew I’d be stepping awkwardly into his commercial fitness world, somewhere I really don’t belong, filled with ‘athletes’ who flaunt bodies carefully-sculpted through carb-cycle starvation, steroids, even surgery. What I didn’t expect, seeing as how they all live at least part-time in the gym, is the huge discrepancy between the strength, stamina, and versatility of my abdominal muscles compared to theirs. Their resentment, when I crunch 200 sit-ups, while they struggle with 50 reps, would have been predictable, had I really understood ahead of time how illusory their physical appearances truly are. Maybe then I would have avoided this challenge altogether… though probably not. I tell myself that the reason for my involvement is to connect with my brother, to have a shared experience even while we’re thousands of miles apart. That’s at least partly true. Yet, there’s clearly some other dynamics as well, compelling me to continue my participation despite now being somewhat unwelcome. Maybe it’s ego, or stubborn pride, or the aforementioned masochism. I’m still hoping that, in the end, our differences will be bridged. And if not, at least I’ll have done my best

Outside of the ab challenge, my regular training continues unabated. My TKD kicks are definitely improving, little by little. At least some of the challenge in performing these kicks well is mental. I find that if I think myself light, they’re a bit easier. Also, I seem more able to perform the difficult kicks when I have a tree trunk in front of me. Even if I’m not actually making contact, something about the presence of a target helps me break through the mental wall, and the kick just happens