adam and the eaves
February 21, 2025
the first time we ever benched, we were working nights as a delivery driver. we had such soreness in our chest that we needed to adjust to driving underhanded because we were absolutely incapable of lifting our arms to our chest. truthfully, at times is was an effort to carry a bag full of food from our car to knock on their front door.
we will call our first gym partner Adam. Adam was a sprinter, a rugby player, a natural athlete and the school sports captain when were in high school together.
we were a skinny beanpole of a distance runner who was allergic to the idea of training in a gym; why would we ever want to be indoors when we could be roaming the world, chasing our own shadow around the neighbourhood in pursuit of a new best time in the 3km race.
more than anything, any clear idea of what training was or why we might do it, Adam was a friend and we enjoyed their company. training, while unfamiliar and often exhausting and confusing, was always enjoyable for the camaraderie.
during our senior year, we needed a fourth runner to compete at the state schools championship. we had three strong runners (including ourself) lined up, but most everyone else had withdrawn to focus on their upcoming examinations.
Adam, however, came through for us in the way that only a true champion can.
the way the schools competition worked, only the placings of the top 3 runners from each school counted towards the final standings - but each team still needed to enter 4 athletes in the race to be considered for the medals.
Enter Adam: a stocky prop of a rugby player build for sprinting, tackling, and grappling. coming in last but a country mile (and then some), Adam secured a gold medal for the team and the school by sacrificing any sense of pride or competition in their own accomplishment for the greater group.
when we discuss with the uninitiated, the curious crew that have not yet found their way to regularly worshipping at the altar of gains, how to take action to begin that journey, our first recommendation is simply to find a friend who already trains, and go with them.
they’re a powerlifter? go with them, learn to squat, bench, deadlift. they’re a gymnast? go with them, learn to handstand. they’re a bodybuilder? go with them, learn to flex and pose.
there are any number of infinite possibilities for what to train and how. what matters far more than any specific movement or activity is cultivating the practice of regularity, of habit.
going with a friend is powerful reinforcement, and more than anything is a way to ensure that the process is enjoyable; that victories are shared and celebrated, and that any suffering is shared.