I have often been quoted saying, “it’s not where you start, but where you finish”.
My own lifting career is a prime example of starting from virtually nothing and constantly striving to become better and better. I bought my first set of weights from York Barbell at the age of 12. It was a 100 lb. set that I was able to buy on my own with the money I got picking cherries at a local orchard. Rode my bike about 5 miles each way and earned a whopping 25 cents a bucket! (remember, that was WAY back in the dark ages!) At the time, my motivation was that I was a skinny little guy weighing about 83 lbs. (I admit that I was so weak, I couldn’t pee a hole in the snow!) I brought my weights home and set up a little gym in a reconverted clothes closet that was literally 4’ x 6’ (with a 5’ exercise bar that didn’t leave much room for error learning how to snatch and c&j)! So, you see, I didn’t start with much, but I was able to finish my lifting career with some pretty good numbers, competing in two Olympic Trials and several National Championships. Who would have thought that the skinny little guy would end up where he did. And, yup, that’s me training in my little home gym back in the day!!
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