Getting Back Into Shape, Downing Style (Sort Of)
So, Brian Downing popped into my head the other day. Yeah, the baseball player. California Angels guy, mostly. What really stuck with me was how he kinda reinvented himself later in his career. Went from a regular build to this really jacked dude smashing home runs. Made me think.
I wasn’t exactly in peak condition myself, you know? Work, life, the usual excuses. Seeing those old pictures of Downing, I thought, “He did it later in his career, maybe I can try something.” Not aiming to hit homers in Anaheim, just maybe feel a bit better, get a bit stronger. So, I decided to kickstart my own little fitness thing, loosely inspired by him.
The “Workout” Plan
First step was trying to figure out what Downing actually did. That was tougher than I thought. This was way before everyone had trainers posting routines online. Found some old articles mentioning intense weightlifting, lots of dedication. Nothing specific, really. No magic blueprint.
So, I basically just winged it. Decided to hit the dusty old weights in my garage. Wasn’t gonna get fancy. Just committed to doing something regularly. Focused on basic stuff:
- Bench presses
- Squats (ugh, the squats)
- Rows
- Some curls, because, why not?
Started slow. Had to. Felt pretty weak at first, not gonna lie. Just tried to be consistent, adding a little weight here and there when I could. Some days I felt great, other days I could barely drag myself out there.
Trying the Swing
For a laugh, I even went to the local park with a buddy and tried mimicking Downing’s batting stance from pictures I found. He had that low crouch, looked powerful. Me? I just looked kinda constipated, according to my friend. We took some swings off a tee. Felt super awkward, totally unnatural for me. Didn’t suddenly gain massive power, sadly. Mostly just got a sore back from crouching weirdly.
What Happened?
So, did I become Brian Downing? Obvious answer: nope. Not even close. But, you know what? It wasn’t a total waste.
I definitely got a bit stronger. Could lift more than when I started. Clothes fit a little better. That felt good. Mentally, just sticking to something, even loosely, was a win. It broke the monotony.
The batting stance thing was just a funny experiment, nothing serious came of it except a few laughs.
It’s funny how these guys from sports stick in your memory. Downing wasn’t maybe the absolute top tier Hall of Famer, but his story, that transformation, it’s interesting. It was less about copying him exactly and more about using that memory as a kick in the pants to actually do something. A reminder that you can decide to change things up, even small things, whenever you want. Didn’t last forever, the intense focus kinda faded, but it was a good experiment. Moved more, felt better for a while. That’s something.
