Weight Lifting

Todd: Mike, I thought we would talk about weight training. You're kind of an expert. I see you in the gym a lot. You're always, you know, lifting weights. How did you get involved in weight training?

Mike: Well, I started in high school. I've played sports since I was little and once I got to high school, we had to start weight training for our team.

Todd: OK, and so did you just start with like, you know, the basics, like free weights or did you do like the machines?

Mike: Yeah, well, we had a weight lifting coach so we did both machines and free weights and he made sure that our form was correct and we did everything properly, so.

Todd: Right, now, actually which did you prefer, the machines or the free weights?

Mike: I prefer free weights. Yeah, I think machine is a little bit more restrictive than free weights so if you know how to... if you have proper guidance, then free weights are better.

Todd: So, actually you play soccer. Is that correct?

Mike: Yes.

Todd: See, that's interesting cause I wouldn't think that soccer players would be into weight training.

Mike: Yeah, that's the usual way of thinking for a lot of people, but actually now people into playing soccer are doing a lot more weights.

Todd: But when you lift weights, don't you feel that you're more tight? Or you're tighter? That you're not flexible?

Mike: Yeah, but that means that you have to stretch. Do a lot of stretching as well.

Todd: So, stretching is just as important as the weight training?

Mike: Yes.

Todd: OK, well, you don't play soccer anymore, do you?

Mike: No, after college I've retired from competitive sports.

Todd: So, do you still follow the same regiment that you did with your soccer training?

Mike: No. Weight lifting when you're not playing sports is different than when you are playing sports, so now I just lift to keep fit and not actually for sports performance.

Todd: Well, that's interesting. Like, what is different about doing weight training for sports and doing it just to be fit?

Mike: The exercises vary a lot. If you're doing, for sports, you do things that you need to do a lot of explosion work so that you can move faster or better and... whereas if you're just staying fit, you just do more to get exercise and you know, to keep your shape.