So 25 lbs lighter, I finished grad school and finally got up the nerve to change jobs. Soon after that I met the Modern Caveman. We worked at the same company but not in the same department. I was a golfer then and so was he so there was plenty of trash talk at company golf outings.
In addition to his competitive nature on the golf course, Modern Cavemen was/is very much a muscle head into weight lifting. When he challenged me to a bench press contest, who was I to refuse?
The deal: I had six weeks to prepare. After that time there would be a showdown. I would perform a single maximum lift on the bench press. The Caveman needed to double that weight to win.
So I beelined to my gym, handpicked Shawn, the most supremely buff trainer I could find, and hired him. I worked my ass off in what I’d previously considered the smelly scary part of the gym where Neanderthals guys grunted and preened as they threw mega tons of iron around. Except for my pink, vinyl-covered Princess Bells, clocking in at 2.5 lbs each, I’d never used free weights in my life.
We measured body fat and lean tissue and watched my muscle mass grow. I learned the importance of protein, essential amino acids, how muscle mass increases metabolic rate and more.
The big day came: I successfully hoisted an impressive (to me anyway) 125 lbs.
Modern Caveman put up well over 300 lbs.
Game over.
So I married him.
15 pounds came off for a total of 40.
Phase III coming soon!
