Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
On days that he was feeling really good and when it was really hot, Capt. R.E. Ludlow moved his exercise out of doors – not working from 7:00 to 3:00 meant he could get all that done before it got too hot, and the morning breeze made it refreshing.
He noticed that the Ludlow man-training unit – grandsons Andrew (10), George (9), Grayson (6) and Lil' Robert (5) were curious about how Grandpa stayed so strong. Andrew, being the researcher that he was, asked the questions one would expect, and George followed his lead.
Grayson built himself a Lego pair of dumbbells and just bounced on out of the house and started imitating his grandfather's movements.
“Welcome, Grayson,” his grandfather purred, and the little boy smiled like the whole sunshine.
That left Lil' Robert, who put his Lego pair down and went and grabbed one of his grandfather's ten-pound dumbbells. Obviously, it did not move when he tried to curl it with one arm, but on his second attempt he lifted it over his head like an Olympian would lift a barbell, using his knees like he saw his grandfather using his knees for said lifts.
“I did it!”
“That's not a dumbbell, Lil' Robert!” Capt. Ludlow said as he swiftly dropped his 15-pound dumbbells and wrapped his hand around the ten-pound dumbbell his grandson was holding up in the air to keep him from dropping it.
“It is when you're little!”
“He kinda has a point, Grandpa, sir,” Grayson said as he kept doing his Lego dumbbell curls.
Capt. Ludlow chuckled.
“Kinda,” he said. “Let's go build you a Lego barbell, Lil' Robert.”
Ten minutes later, Grayson was happily doing his curls and Lil' Robert was lifting his barbell along with his grandfather lifting his barbell in that part of his grandfather's rotation.
“The boy is actually my body double, accounting for age,” Capt. Ludlow said to his wife Thalia, “so, naturally, he is pushing the envelope because he is very strong for his age.”
“Oh, I know,” Mrs. Ludlow said. “When he gets overly excited, he can lift Amanda (7) in a hug, and he probably could even lift Edwina (8) if she wasn't so much taller. Lil' Robert is all muscle, and really Robert, all seven of them are very strong. Was your first wife built as well?”
“Yes, ma'am, she was – a near Olympian-level runner, toned and fit and fabulous, and not so much shorter than me. So, genetically, they do come by it all naturally – their parents, all four, were all college athletes as well.
Mrs. Ludlow considered Lil' Robert again, and how he was eyeing his grandfather's “real barbell.”
“That one has the Olympian in him,” she said. “He has the drive.”
“I know, Thalia,” Capt. Ludlow said. “I've known that since I met him – oh, gotta go – back up, Robert, now! You have to be spotted when working with weights!”
“Well, somebody come spot me!”
“It would help if you remember that's not your size!”
“But it will be when I'm bigger and I gotta start now!”