The Speaker of the House

One of the constants of my history of going to Les Mills on the Terrace is spending a few sessions with the Speaker of the House, Hon Lockwood Smith.  That's a liberal interpretation rather than a conservative one.  Although it is true to say we spend time together, we don't actually converse in anyway.

While I have had periods (months, bordering on years) away from the gym, every time I go back, there is the Speaker.  I know exactly where to find him: in the Benchpress area.  It's not like I go looking for him, it's just that I quite like the Benchpress.  So, there he is in what I call his "tennis whites" - white shorts and singlet.  Full credit to the guy, from behind he could be mistaken for a 30 something or 40 something guy when I've read he's in his sixties.  I've read he runs, so I've worked out he goes to the gym to supplement his running with weights.  From my observations, primarily light leg weights, the Benchpress and the upper arm lap pull down.  When I read the criticisms in the paper of how vain the man is, I kind of think, well, in some ways, he actually deserves credit that to keep his body in the shape it is actually requires a lot of discipline and hard work. 
 
The Speaker of the House, usually benchpresses about 30-40kg. I can currently benchpress 30kg. I used to be able to benchpress 60kg and I'd like to be able to do that by the time I ride Taupo.  Not because I want big biceps, but because I want to know I can do that weight again.

I think Lockwood and me have a few things in common.  I've never seen him speak to anyone in the weights area (actually, I do speak to a few people now), but I'm sure he observes a lot, like I do.  He likes cows, I like cows.  We also like the same weights.

He often smiles at me, although it would be easy to misintepret that because he has a pernament smile and smiles at everyone.  However, yesterday it would appear I had bet him to the lap pull down machine he likes to use.  He could have used the machine next door to me.  We could've shared sets.  Instead he sat in the leg pull machine behind me - and for three long sets I felt him glaring at me.  It was "awkward".  I kept composing in my head opening lines like "so, you think that's an appropriate dress code"?

Instead, I maintained the silence and just smiled back in bewteen sets, and just becasue I could: added a few extra bars than I know he lifts re the arm press pull down!