As Good As I Once Was

By John R. Nocero

Back in 2006, Toby Keith recorded "As Good As I Once Was," which has become one of his signature songs. According to Wikipedia, The narrator, a man approaching or in middle age and apparently sitting in a bar, is put into situations that test his masculinity. Having outlived his glory days, he insists he now is no longer "as good as (he) once was" in his younger days, but although he no longer has the stamina to do what he used to do all the time, he can still be "as good, once, as (he) ever was." Examples given include a set of twins who want to draw him into a night of passion and a fight against two rednecks and a "big fat biker man" to bail his buddy out of a botched pool hustle.

As you hit middle age, you realize you are not as young as you used to be, but you can still bring it depending on the situation. Sometimes you realize you need to be in those situations to see if you have grown. I was sitting around on Christmas Day talking to my wife's nephew, and he asked me if I wanted to go to the gym the next day. My son, who was here, asked if he could go too.

MY HOW THE YEARS HAVE FLOWN

I first got into weights when I was 13, to impress a girl who insulted me. I spent hours in the basement, pumping iron, and as I started to gain size, I found that it helped me with football, so I continued to lift more and more weights. Going to the weight room daily was more than just a strength-building exercise. It helped me develop mental toughness, discipline and a strong work ethic. I am 44 now, and I still exercise on the daily, but my programming has changed, primarily due to the number of injuries I have accumulated over the years. I have torn both biceps, both pecs, wrecked my left knee multiple times and now I am dealing with the loss of flexibility from sitting at a desk all day. Heavy bench presses, squats, and deadlifts have been replaced by pushups, bodyweight squats, dips and chinups, with yoga and bridges thrown in to help me with my movement patterns. I still have my size, but my better days in the weight room are behind me.

On the contrary, my son, who will be 20, is a prime physical specimen, and is just entering his physical prime. To say he is oxen strong is an understatement. He bears the resemblance to WWE superstar Brawn Strowman, with massive shoulders, wingspan, and complete with long hair and giant beard. He is a mastodon.

THERE WAS A TIME, BACK IN MY PRIME

He just drove three-plus hours to see us and he woke up early that morning, so there is a slim chance that he won't want to go. I set my alarm for 7 am, so I could get up and get somewhat awake before we go pick up my nephew. To my amazement, my son's alarm goes off 5 minutes after mine did, which gave me the first inclination that he was serious about this also. There was a part of me that smiled inside. He told me that before he went to bed, he received a text saying that my nephew was still awake, and likely would not be going the next day. I asked him if he still wanted to go. "Of course I do."

Okay, now it is solely father and son and it has all changed.

We get to the gym and the owner remembers me, since I have been there multiple times in the past. I introduce him to my son and he welcomes us, says whatever we need to do, we can. The gym is not crowded, and that is a good thing. My son pulls out his phone to look at the workout plan for the day. Since he is on a strict weightlifting schedule, I decide to let him lead. He starts to walk over to the squat rack and this is where I knew I was in trouble.

Okay, this was the point that I started to ask myself, "Can I still do this?" Yes, I can bang out bodyweight squats, but to put a barbell on my back is something I have not done in at least 20 years. As I started to stretch, I suddenly began to have flashbacks, all those Friday nights in the squat rack as a high schooler, all those maxes as a college football player. I can still do this.

MY BODY SAYS I CAN'T, MY PRIDE SAYS I CAN

So he says it is a light squat day, and imagine my surprise when his weights are a small Buick. I tell him, "look I won't lift your weights, but I will do my best." He was just glad I was there. On my last set, which was a pittance of weights that I used to use twenty years prior, he says, "you just go as deep as you can, and I will get you." and I got all my reps. He asked if this conditioning is different than I am used to and of course I say yes, but I am hanging in there.

He coaches me through a set of dumbbell exercises and I manage to hang in there on his lat pulldowns and his rows. Finally, we reach the last exercise - dumbbell pullovers. I am thinking my back is still pretty strong and I have thoroughly warmed up. On the last set of the day, I say, let me use your weight and I bang out 11 strong reps. God I feel born again.

After we workout, we go to breakfast and I find out how much weightlifting means to him now, how he wants to be a strength trainer. I always was the person who didn't know what I wanted to do growing up, but once I found it, I focused with laser-light intensity and prioritized it. Out of all my attributes, I thought I gave that to him. No doubt he found it earlier than I did. But he will be successful. He has the discipline, the drive, the work ethic. Where have I heard that before?

EPILOGUE

Okay, that was yesterday. Today, the lactic acid buildup is so strong in my legs, that I will need to stretch exclusively and maybe take a long walk to loosen back up. I will need to drink a lot of water to help my recovery and maybe need a nap. I know I will need to eat a lot of protein rich foods. I will consume some eggs today, that is a given. I would bet that my son will need just a couple hours sleep, a bit of food and he will be good to go. A definite contrast between us.

However, I have a memory that will last me a lifetime. I needed to test myself against me, and I got a chance to do it with my son, my alter ego, my younger self. I didn't need to earn his respect, as I already had it. I needed to test it against myself. That's the most important respect - self-respect.

To everyone out there in middle age, just because your body doesn't move the same, doesn't mean you can't still accomplish greatness. Check your ego. Learn from those younger than you. Admit you don't know everything. Always keep your mind open.

You may not be as good as you once were, but you are as good once, as you ever were.