I'm Just Glad to Be Back in the Weight Room

The good news is that I have been working out again. The bad news is that I feel older than I was when I last consistently lifted.

I remember the peak of my “strength” being when I could throw four plates (405 pounds) on my back and squat out several reps before I had to rack them. This was roughly eight years ago.

I remember wanting to be in the 1,000 pound club in high school. This meant the ability to one rep max 1,000 pounds between bench press, squats and deadlifts. I was probably good for about 750 between the three exercises. I remember kids my age being able to lift twice the amount of...