Robert Rosenberg has been a martial arts instructor and strength trainer for thirty-five years. An ex-Marine, he talks in a jolly rapid-fire code that can be a bit hard to decipher. But during our conversation yesterday, every word rang clear.
I asked Robert a simple question about weightlifting: whether he worked his muscles to the maximum every time he went to the gym. He said, “Certainly not.” He explained that the most important thing in weight training is variety. He said he would work a muscle to failure no more than once every three or four weeks.
We talked about the spiritual side of sports, and Robert surprised me by saying some of the same things I’ve discovered as a runner. Things like, “I never work out just for myself – I exercise to give joy.” And “We’re all connected. When I work out, I’m improving one little part of the whole.”
Robert appears to have matured these attitudes in his heart. He’s a wonderful man, very outgoing and kind. My friend Skip Barrett often accompanies Robert to the gym, and he reports that Robert is forever helping others, cheering them on and making them laugh.
