You were interested in being 'big and strong' at a very young age. Did you have any other inspiration? Many if not most 8 year olds are just into playing with their friends. What kinds of gains in strength and size were you able to achieve prior to puberty?
I think sometimes you forget how old I am. I'm 58 years old and come from a generation where
"that boy can't sit still" was not considered a pathology calling for drugs such as adderall. When I got
too rambunctious, as most boys were apt to do, it was treated with a well worn belt at home and a sturdy yardstick at school, wielded by nuns whom I was convinced had at least some rudimentary training in Kenjitsu.
During those halcyon pre cellphone days your parents just turned you loose with the only condition
that you return home in time for dinner. There were tons of things to do. There was a river across the
street where you could catch guppies and black mollies for my 10 gallon aquarium I had. I also had a stable of Siamese fighting fish that I would match with my neighbor's offerings. There was a rat infested junkyard in which we would position ourselves 10 yards out with our BB guns tallying the body count
of those filthy rodents. I lived next door to a kennels which housed about a dozen or more dogs from the
nearby vet hospital. I've always love dogs and would help with the feeding and care with my best friend at the time who lived in the house whose father took care of the dogs. Of course there was surfing and
fishing and crabbing. I was in the Cub Scouts, Webelos and Boy Scouts. I became an Altar Boy at eight.
Started Aikido training at nine. I played Tball (Bruddah Iz of "Under the Rainbow" fame was my team mate on the Palolo Braves), Minors and Majors.
I could go one but CalvinH is starting to glare at me and I can hear the yawnings. So, yes, I had
other interests other than strength training. It's not like I was on a Weider Double Spilt. I had a routine
in which I did pushups, pull ups, situps, dead lifts with whatever I could find and what was called at the
time "Hindu Squats" which my neighbor's father and dog babysitter showed me how to do. It took me
about 20 minutes to do.