The Why of Bench Press

4/14/97

The challenge and struggle against
the unseen forces as I wrest my will
to the mettlesome task of using my 
body for all that it's worth
and pushing around this stuff.
I guess it's just a lot of weight.

Lying flat on the bench,
breathing deep and hard,
my heart beating faster
the blood rushing to fuel,
I raise my arms above my head,
and prepare for the duel.

Reaching within to that animal pure,
I know I'm in there,
a beast trying to break through -
There's the bear, the mighty warrior
powerful and vicious and beyond all reason.

My eyes crack open and I spot the prey,
grip it in fist and launch it away,
pushing, grunting, this is it!
Nothing to think, worry, fear
just me and this obstacle,
to conquer as I will.

And I will, screams my beast
as it lowers the bar,
struggling to maintain a balance of arms.
Then explosive contraction as it moves
into the air, one rep,
two rep, three rep, four,
five… all right! just one more!

Struggling, fighting, shaking,
growling and puffing and craving,
to the chest, now back up,
to hell with pain, to hell with burn!

There it is, the final rep,
and now I place it back on the rack.
Lungs heaving, heart thumping,
blood returning to my brain
as the beast returns to where it waits.

For one brief moment,
for one small instant
I am conqueror of the universe,
controller of my domain.

I stand up, shrug it off,
and look around.
Maybe next time,
I'll add an extra 20 pounds.