Saturday, September 14, 2019

The Heavyweight Champion

When I was younger, as a goal oriented workout motivator, I used to imagine how I would respond if I were given three months or so to physically prepare for a professional boxing match. Never mind that I'm not actually a boxer and that in reality any such endeavor would be horribly irresponsible and self-destructive, as a hypothetical it was good because it caused me to analyze my physical self critically. Goal #1 would be to decrease body fat as much as possible so as to avoid having to fight someone at a higher weight category.  Two would be to increase muscle mass so as to have the proper strength to fight at that weight.  Three would be to train for endurance since three minute rounds would be incredibly grueling, more so than most people would imagine. I would take a good look in the mirror and say to myself there is no way I could fight effectively carrying this extra weight.

Enter the current heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz weighing in and looking every bit of his 260 lbs when he won the title. Take nothing away from him, his fight skills are impressive and his power is fearsome. But if you saw him on the street, there is no way you would ever guess him to be a professional athlete. And while his success in the ring does not disprove the idea that one should be in tiptop shape when facing elite level competition, one wonders if he fought that well at that weight, how much better could he be if he were in shape?

Back to my exercise motivation and my mirror. The reason I like the fact that Andy Ruiz is champion is because he makes me look sleek by comparison. Truth be known, I don't even know my current actual weight but my mirror shows added muscle in my chest, shoulders, and arms and although I've lost a little body fat my belly stubbornly remains. The rest of me looks very athletic, even youthful for 49. Only my stomach looks out of place. I think it's time to add some cardio days.

As far as Andy Ruiz is concerned, it should be pointed out that the reason he came into the championship fight so overweight was because he wasn't even supposed to be fighting in the first place. He was tossed in to replace the scheduled challenger who was removed after repeated failed drug tests. In preparing for the December championship rematch however, Ruiz vows to come back in better fighting shape. I think that's a good idea. If I were him, I would ditch the between-round Snickers (I'm not making that up) and add some cardio days.