Losing a Battle with Myself

Author: Ken Kowalsky

Why the Old Way Doesn’t Work Anymore

Who needs enemies when I have my own brain to deal with.

It’s mid-April 2020, and many of us are stuck in our homes. At work as a physical therapist, I’m so geared up with protective equipment, I feel like I’m walking around on Mars.

So for now and the foreseeable future, I won’t be personally strength training anyone. This leads me to some thoughts I had early this morning:

How many men over 50 want to go out of their house to be personally strength trained?

Will they know where to go?

How far are they willing to drive?

Who will they see, that actually knows how to work with them, so they don’t get hurt?

We Need a New Normal for Aging

I think this world-wide crisis will change some things forever. The news is right, there will be a “New Normal.”

You know what? We need a ‘new normal’ with aging. A new paradigm of Strength Training in our second half of life. But can it be done?

Thousands of 2nd 50 men squatting with a barbell at home. That seems crazy. Or does it?

I have no idea. Let’s see what’s possible at home:

Simple? Yes, we can do that.

Short? Even more so with no driving involved.

Safe? There’s the kicker. How will everyone know if they’re doing it right?

Equipment? I don’t even know where to start with that one.

I can’t personally train my entire community, let alone the country. But every man deserves a chance to turn aging upside down, and get their youthful body back.

I can write about strengthening forever, but unless I get us all to DO it, nothing really changes.

I Want Change

I want you to change. I want you so comfortable with strength training, that it feels as natural as brushing your teeth.

If I can’t show you how, then I suck.

And I am totally sucking right now.

It would be so convenient if I could offer a total package - All the information, all the equipment, all the instruction and feedback.

It would be like having a 2nd50strong program you could plug into and reap its benefits.

But that’s like, light years away.

Should I write a book? Make videos? Pamphlets? What about strength training equipment?

Whoa-ho-ho Nelly. This is starting to feel like more than I bargained for.

My head is swimming with questions.

I’m just a man who knows physical therapy, strength/conditioning, and wrestling. The reality is - I’m not a driven entrepreneur guy.

I’m just tired of watching men fade away into ‘old age’ because nobody taught them how to fight back.

What I See: An Army of Strong Older Men

But this is what I do know, I know how to fight back. I close my eyes, and I see an army.

An army of men in their 70s, 80s, and beyond that are strong, glowing with life, and valued for all they have to offer. I see straight spines, confident faces, and a strong sense of pride. Just their physical presence alone challenges others to become like them.

Am I crazy? Is all this just fantasy?

I have to be honest, I’m really doubting myself right now.

Grow or Die,

Ken Kowalsky