![]() ![]() Like I said, I’ve used some of the new training technology, especially this last year as I’ve tried to get myself back into shape. Bodies are more complicated and unpredictable than rose bushes, but the same principles apply. The reason they had all those perfect looking roses at the grocery store for Valentine’s day was because they’ve figured out the right amount of light, heat, water, nutrients, et cetera to grow them that way. To ignore that, to just go with what feels right, will surely lead to some kind of training error, too much or too little of this or that. The body adapts through training, and if the methods have been proven, there’s no reason the results won’t come. Well, for a runner, if one’s goal is just to get faster, following a rigorous, scientific training plan probably is better. It’s all out there for anyone who wants it, but the question is, do we want it? Should we? Is it better to train like Drago, to know exactly what you’re doing, why, and what the results will be or is better to train like Rocky did, just going with your gut, just doing it? There is also information on what one is supposed to eat and drink, when and how much, the best ways to recover, et cetera, et cetera. Any athlete can follow any number of training plans that have been scientifically proven to improve speed, endurance, power, anything. ![]() But there have been so many sports science advancements since then, every health club has machines like the ones Drago trained on, and anyone who wants to can get all sorts of precise, numerical feedback on their workouts. When Rocky 4 came out in 1985, Drago’s training methods were not accessible to the average athlete. I’ve run on the treadmill, done the elliptical, pedaled on a spin bike (with a sweaty instructor barking at me the whole time), done swim sessions with everything on precisely timed intervals, contorted my body to push and push all sort of weights, et cetera. You see, all of Drago’s training took place indoors, in the lab, on machines, with every part of every workout precisely planned and measured to maximize the training benefit and coming back from knee surgery, unable to run like I used to, I’ve spent a lot of time on machines, and know how far I’ve gone, how fast, and how hard I’ve had to work to accomplish it. Of course, the majority of the training I’ve done this winter is more like that of Rocky’s nemesis, Ivan Drago. These were all great workouts and you wouldn’t find any of them in anyone’s recommended training plan. Sometimes I even use “Rocky 4” as a verb, as in “I’m going to go out and ‘Rocky 4’ for a while.” I can’t imagine I’m the only one who thinks this way and some of my favorite workouts this seemingly endless winter have been my Rocky 4 days: running high-stepping loops through the snow in that same park behind my house, strapping on ankle weights for a 3 degree walk along the frozen lakefront in Chicago, working off my hangover during Poker Weekend by churning through thigh-high snow in the quiet woods surrounding my brother-in-law’s cabin. At least that’s how I feel on the days I “go” Rocky 4, or “do” my Rocky 4 training. He came home tired and a bit cold, but exhilarated and satisfied. So my son put on his running clothes, a pair of long wool socks and an extra jacket and headed out to the park adjacent our back yard and ran loops in the snow. In the movie Rocky runs through the snow, hoists rocks, chops wood, cuts down a tree, high-steps through the snow with a log over his shoulders, gets down on all fours to pull a sled, and engages in all sorts of other unconventional training methods, and it was that snowy, cold, back-to-nature, get-away-from-it-all, unmeasurable, numbers-free training I was referring to. Rocky 4 is the episode where Rocky goes to desolate, wintery Siberia to train for his fight with the seemingly invincible Ivan Drago. ![]() “You’re just going to have to do some Rocky 4 training.” He knew exactly what I meant because in 2006, when the movie Rocky Balboa was coming out, I decided he and his brother should not only see that movie, but all the Rocky movies, in order, which we did over the course of a few weeks. Last week he wanted to go for a run, but the roads around our house were covered with a slippery, icy slush–runnable, but risky and not conducive to any sort of good workout. My son’s swim season is over and he’s getting himself ready for track. ![]()
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