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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
MARK HOWE

If you are the son of a man who holds the career records in virtually all areas in your sport… If you are trying to forge a name for yourself in professional hockey and your father is actually known as Mr. Hockey… You wouldn’t have to be embarrassed if you crumbled under the pressure and expectations. It wouldn’t be the first time…

But imagine if you were one of the rare breed who actually lived up to the virtually unattainable standards set by such a father. It would be the first time. Such is the case of Mark Howe, son of the legendary Gordie Howe who held the NHL records for career goals and points before some guy called Wayne Gretzky came along.

Gordie Howe famously played into his early fifties, one of the many amazing and unprecedented aspects of his career. In like fashion, Mark Howe was one of the most experienced players in the league when he retired at age 40 in 1995, a credit not only to obvious genetics and talent, but to proper conditioning and will to compete. Both Gordie and Mark spent time in the NHL and in the WHA (a competitor league in the 1970s of similar caliber). If Mark’s WHA and NHL numbers are combined, he ended up scoring 405 goals and 1246 points in 1355 games, which would have made him the third highest scoring defenseman in hockey history at the point when he retired.

It is a travesty that Mark Howe currently sits on the outside of the Hockey Hall of Fame when he should be enshrined alongside his father. Much like Bobby and Brett Hull, this father-and-son tandem is one of the rare instances where greatness was achieved in two generations. The first generation as trailblazer, the second generation showing the ability to endure pressure and skate out from long and legendary shadows.

Well, Mark Howe was able to skate out from the shadows of greatness and make his own mark on the hockey world. After yesterday’s beating to the legs, I will be happy to simply skate out from inactivity today and be able to move.

TODAY’S PERFORMANCE

Bench Presses (100% Body Weight): 13 Reps

Stationary Bike: 40 Minutes (no pace)

Weights:
- Flat Bench Press (x5)
- Pec Deck Flyes (x5)

iPod songs during training (custom):
1. Ice Cube and Paul Oakenfold – Get em Up
2. Jay Z and Panjabi MC – Beware of the Boy
3. Naturally 7 – Feel it (in the Air Tonight)
4. Nelly – Boom!
5. Nelly Furtado – Maneater
6. Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance
7. No Doubt – Hey Baby
8. Nonpoint – In the Air Tonight
9. NY Confidential – It Really Don’t Matter to Me
10. Oasis vs. Greenday – Wonderwall vs. Boulevard
11. Oingo Boingo – Dead Man’s Party
12. Olivia Newton-John – Physical
13. Orgy – Blue Monday
14. Ozzy Osbourne – I Just Want You
15. Papa Roach – Last Resort
16. Parachute Club – Love is Fire
17. Paul Engemann – Push it to the Limit
18. Paul Lekakis – Boom Boom Boom (Ultimix)
19. Paula Abdul – Straight Up

TRAINING NOTE

Well, the hardest thing to do on the stationary bike was to stick to my plan of not trying very hard. The idea was just to do 40 minutes at a leisurely pace. It was like torture in a way, going slow the whole time, but I guess that is some sort of mental training.

As for the bench press… That was disgusting. Far and away my worst performance on that test. I guess I was just worn out. I have no intention of having such a poor showing there again.

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