Dad, Let’s Get Six-Pack Abs

By Gan Jiang

At the end of 2017, a set of pictures spread like a rash on the Internet:on the left was a family of four,bloated and out-of-shape, and on the right was the same family,fit and well-proportioned with six tight, well-formed abdominal muscles that had only taken six months of fitness training to produce. The difference between the before and after pictures was staggering! Many gyms used it as an inspirational story. While the photo was the center of white hot attention, its central figure lamented it was a shame that people just seemed interested in the story behind the outward transformation rather than the internal one.

Is 53 old?

At the end of 2016, with his wife’s pregnancy, Ding Guoliang asked his mother, who had been living in the countryside, to go to Xiamen to help take care of his wife.

When his mother was away on travel, his father was the only family member left in the village.Ding Guoliang himself had been away from his hometown since 2002 when he attended high school in their county town.Shortly after graduating from university, he opened a photo studio in Xiamen. In the past decade, he felt a little sorry for seldom corresponding with his father and had always wanted to find opportunities to come to terms with his estranged patriarch.

老爸，我們一起擁有六塊腹肌吧

文/贛江

2017年年底，網(wǎng)絡(luò)上瘋傳一組圖片：一邊是一家四口臃腫的身材，另一邊是健身六個(gè)月后有著六塊腹肌的勻稱身材，兩者之間反差驚人。一時(shí)間，很多健身館將這張圖片作為勵(lì)志的典型。照片火了，照片中的主人公卻深感惋惜：大家只看到身材的變化，卻忽略了健身背后那溫暖的故事。

53歲老了嗎

2016年年底，丁國(guó)良的妻子懷孕了，他讓鄉(xiāng)下的母親來(lái)廈門照顧妻子的起居飲食。

母親一走，老家只剩下父親一人。丁國(guó)良2002年到縣城上高中，大學(xué)畢業(yè)后回到廈門開(kāi)了一家攝影工作室，離家以來(lái)，父子十多年間交流很少，丁國(guó)良一直想找機(jī)會(huì)和父親好好地交流一下。

況且，父親脾氣有些暴躁，和母親一直磕磕絆絆，把他們都接到城里來(lái)，或許關(guān)系有所改善。

在丁國(guó)良的強(qiáng)烈要求下，父親有些不情不愿地來(lái)了。

父親情緒低落，源于他在老家開(kāi)了十多年的一家竹器作坊倒閉。這對(duì)曾經(jīng)作為家庭主心骨的父親來(lái)說(shuō)，打擊不小。

來(lái)到廈門，人生地不熟，父親顯得無(wú)所事事，每天窩在沙發(fā)里拿著手機(jī)一動(dòng)不動(dòng)，一副萎靡不振的樣子。一天，丁國(guó)良和父親談心：“來(lái)廈門你不想找點(diǎn)什么事做嗎？”父親說(shuō)：“我還能做什么？一個(gè)53歲的糟老頭子，要體力沒(méi)體力，要能力沒(méi)能力。至多，我去工廠看大門吧。”

這讓丁國(guó)良心酸。父親認(rèn)為自己已經(jīng)老了，這觀念可要不得。

53歲，就真的老了嗎？離退休年齡還差一大截呢。丁國(guó)良想著，一定要讓父親找回自信。

一起來(lái)運(yùn)動(dòng)

怎么才能讓父親融入都市，找回生活的激情呢？丁國(guó)良想了許多辦法，感覺(jué)都不太合適。

有一天，丁國(guó)良看著大腹便便的父親，再看看自己健碩的身材，忽然有了一個(gè)念頭。年輕人都喜歡健身，自己就經(jīng)常去健身房，所以有一副好身材，如果讓父親也鍛煉起來(lái)，是不是能點(diǎn)燃他的生活激情呢？

丁國(guó)良開(kāi)始了胡吃海喝的生活，母親變著花樣給懷孕的媳婦做的營(yíng)養(yǎng)餐，他也要了一份。丁國(guó)良原本平坦的肚子漸漸鼓了起來(lái)。妻子感到很奇怪，丈夫以前都是精挑細(xì)選、嚴(yán)格控制飲食，為何這段時(shí)間突然一點(diǎn)節(jié)制都沒(méi)有了？丁國(guó)良只是笑笑，不解釋。

一段時(shí)間后，丁國(guó)良足足胖了10公斤，肚子圓鼓鼓的。

2017年2月初，丁國(guó)良對(duì)窩在沙發(fā)里看手機(jī)的父親說(shuō)：“老爸，我們一起去運(yùn)動(dòng)吧?！备赣H疑惑地問(wèn)：“運(yùn)什么動(dòng)？你和我？”丁國(guó)良開(kāi)始勸說(shuō)父親：“小時(shí)候，你經(jīng)常帶著我去跑步，如今，看看我胖起來(lái)的肚子，再看看你的啤酒肚。這一次我?guī)闳ヅ懿?，咱爺倆還可以邊跑邊聊?！?/p>

Besides his estrangement from his son, his father was quite shorttempered and hadn’t been exactly getting along with his mother.Thus, by taking advantage of inviting them both to Xiamen,Ding Guoliang was hoping that the relationship between the parents would improve.

At Ding Guoliang’s strong request, his father came to Xiamen reluctantly.

Yet his father was in low spirits at that time as the bamboo workshop he had been operating in his hometown for decades closed down, which was a tough blow to the father who had always been the bread-winner of the family.

When first arriving in Xiamen,Ding’s father could not seem to find anything to do in this new unfamiliar environment. All he did was sitting on the couch all day playing on his mobile phone steeped in lethargy and self-pity.One day, Ding Guoliang asked his father, “Do you want to find something to do in Xiamen?”His father replied, “What can I do? I’m 53, with no strong body or any skills. The best I can do is probably be a doorman for some factory.”

Ding Guoliang felt sad upon hearing the reply. The fact that his father already considered himself too old was disheartening.

Is age 53 really that old? It’s still far away from retirement age,isn’t it? Ding Guoliang gave it a lot of thought as to how to help his father regain his confidence.

Let’s Work Out Together

How could he help his father fit into the city environment and bring back his passion for life?Ding Guoliang thought a lot about it, yet came up dry at first.

One day, looking at his father’s pudgy potbelly and his own muscular frame, an idea suddenly struck Ding Guoliang.Young people like to work out.He himself often went to the gym,and as a result had stayed in good shape. If he could talk his father into exercising, was it possible to rekindle father’s passion for life?

Ding Guoliang started binge eating. He asked his mother to prepare his share of the nutritional meals made for his pregnant wife. As time went by, his flat belly began to bulge.His wife found it odd, since her husband had always been so health-conscious and careful with his diet. Why was he losing his typical self-restraint? To which Ding Guoliang only smiled and pled the fifth.

As time went by Ding Guoliang gained 10 kilograms and his gut began hanging out over his belt.

In early February 2017, Ding Guoliang said to his father who was sitting on sofa and playing on his cell phone, “Dad, let’s go for some exercise together.”

這一說(shuō)，父親心動(dòng)了。丁國(guó)良拿出早就準(zhǔn)備好的運(yùn)動(dòng)衣褲父子裝，穿在身上雖然肚皮鼓了起來(lái)，但運(yùn)動(dòng)裝就是顯得精神，父親的臉上也有了笑容。

這個(gè)時(shí)候，妻子才明白丁國(guó)良突然間增胖的原因。

第一次，考慮到父親的身體狀況，遵循循序漸進(jìn)的規(guī)律，丁國(guó)良和父親就在小區(qū)的花園道上快走了半個(gè)小時(shí)左右，微微出了身細(xì)汗。因?yàn)檫\(yùn)動(dòng)適度，父親感覺(jué)神清氣爽，一路上父子倆有說(shuō)有笑，話題不斷。

快走了幾天后，丁國(guó)良開(kāi)始帶著父親到小區(qū)對(duì)面的山上慢跑。山路蜿蜒，高低不平，父親感覺(jué)到了困難，他氣喘吁吁地說(shuō)：“我跑不動(dòng)了，咱們不跑了，回去吧?！倍?guó)良給父親打氣：“還差一會(huì)兒呢，我們今天的目標(biāo)是3公里。你從小就教導(dǎo)我，做事不能半途而廢，要有始有終?！本瓦@樣，在丁國(guó)良的鼓勵(lì)下，父親堅(jiān)持了下來(lái)。

從快走，到慢跑，每天丁國(guó)良都盡量準(zhǔn)點(diǎn)下班。他知道，這個(gè)時(shí)候他和父親的運(yùn)動(dòng)，堅(jiān)持是最重要的。

有一次，丁國(guó)良因?yàn)榧影嘌诱`了一點(diǎn)時(shí)間，父親的電話居然打了過(guò)來(lái)：“怎么今天還沒(méi)回來(lái)，我可穿好了運(yùn)動(dòng)裝，就等你一起呢?！边@讓丁國(guó)良感到欣慰，運(yùn)動(dòng)一段時(shí)間后，父親終于在心態(tài)上、身體上都有了一些變化，他開(kāi)心地回答：“老爸，我現(xiàn)在在回來(lái)的路上，再過(guò)十幾分鐘就到家了，咱們不見(jiàn)不散。”

父親在電話那頭開(kāi)心地笑道：“好嘞。”

陪伴暖家人

跑了一段時(shí)間，丁國(guó)良試探著問(wèn)父親：“老爸，想不想要六塊腹?。吭蹅兊浇∩矸咳??！备赣H猶豫著：“健身房都是你們年輕人去的地方，我一個(gè)老頭子去多尷尬啊?！倍?guó)良趕緊打斷父親的話：“我想再練出腹肌，老爸你就陪我去唄?！?/p>

就這樣，丁國(guó)良將父親拉到附近的健身房。看見(jiàn)里面的各種健身器械，父親像個(gè)孩子，躍躍欲試。

接下來(lái)的日子充滿了挑戰(zhàn)和艱難。

如鍛煉三角肌，主要進(jìn)行拉力器前平舉、側(cè)平舉、屈伸、展肩、下壓等動(dòng)作；鍛煉背部肌群有引體向上、坐姿頸后下拉、站姿直臂下拉、坐姿劃船、山羊挺身等；練習(xí)腹部有羅馬椅抬腿、仰臥提臀抬腿、懸垂提臀抬腿、支撐提臀抬腿等。這些動(dòng)作說(shuō)起來(lái)簡(jiǎn)單，做起來(lái)可就困難了。每當(dāng)父親想放棄的時(shí)候，陪伴在一旁的丁國(guó)良就給父親打氣，鼓勵(lì)父親完成最后一個(gè)動(dòng)作。

進(jìn)入健身房后，每隔10天，父子倆就用照片記錄一次身體的變化。父子倆的肚腩逐漸縮小，身板逐漸硬朗，肌肉變得結(jié)實(shí)，短短六個(gè)月，父親瘦下40多斤，從挺著啤酒肚變成有六塊腹肌的肌肉男。

更重要的是父親變了，從不茍言笑到微微一笑再到燦爛大笑，生活中的父親像變了一個(gè)人似的。

父親以前基本上是窩在沙發(fā)上看手機(jī)，如今轉(zhuǎn)而讀書(shū)看報(bào)，精神倍兒爽，經(jīng)常笑聲不斷；以前基本上是衣來(lái)伸手、飯來(lái)張口，家務(wù)活一點(diǎn)都不干，如今可是經(jīng)常哼著小曲兒泡在廚房，給家人做一頓可口的晚餐；以前很少和母親交流，過(guò)著一成不變的生活，如今他教母親騎單車，空閑的時(shí)候一起散步，兩人手牽著手。

丁國(guó)良說(shuō)，父愛(ài)如山，從來(lái)不是一句空話，正因?yàn)楦赣H在自己心中占據(jù)至高的地位，自己才下定決心去陪伴他，改變他。親情如水，家人相處的溫情，會(huì)融化家中所有的隔閡與分歧。

（摘自《深圳青年》2018年第3期）

His father was surprised,“Exercise? You and me?”

Ding Guoliang answered,“When I was young, you often took me jogging. Now, look at us, we both got a big gut. Let me take you jogging this time, and we can have a good chatting while running.”

His father was tempted by his suggestion. Ding Guoliang took out the father-and-son matching sportswear he had prepared long before and put them on. They both looked rather sporty even despite the pooching paunches,and his father was all smiles.

Only at that point did his wife understand the reason why Ding Guoliang had suddenly gained all the weight.

Considering his father’s physical condition and the law of step-by-step progress, Ding Guoliang and his father walked for only about half an hour around the park close to their house during their first exercise session,and even after this small amount of exercise, they had both worked up a good sweat. His father felt refreshed after the exercise and they shared a good talk and lots of laughter on their way.

A few days later, Ding Guoliang began jogging with his father on the hill opposite the community they lived. Jogging on the rugged and rough hill trail, his father really felt his age and panted, “I can’t make it further. Let’s stop here and go back home.” Ding Guoliang encouraged his father:“We’re not there yet; our goal today is 3 kilometers. When I was young, you always taught me not to leave things half done. We need to see it through from start to end.” With the encouragement his father was able to complete the whole journey.

From brisk walks to jogging,Ding Guoliang made an effort to get off work and get home in a timely manner every day.He knew that persistence and consistency were the keys to the success of the exercise he and his father were getting together.

On one occasion, Ding Guoliang was delayed by overtime, for which he unexpectedly got his father’s call,asking, “How come you are not back yet? I’ve got my sportswear on and I’m waiting for you.”Ding Guoliang was delighted to see that his father finally had some changes physically and emotionally after working out for a while. He replied cheerily, “Dad,I’m on my way back, and will be home in ten minutes. See you soon.”

His father’s happy laugh came from the other side: “Okay.”

Being There for Family

After running for a while, Ding Guoliang asked his father tentatively, “Dad, do you want sixpack abs? Let’s go to the gym.” His father hesitated, “The gym is for young people. I’m an old man, and don’t fit in there.”

Ding Guoliang quickly retorted,“I want to get my abdominal muscles back in shape. Could you please go with me?”

Just like that Ding Guoliang walked his father into a gym nearby. Once having seen all the fitness equipment there, his father was like a child eager to try new toys.

The following days were full of challenges and hardships.

To train the delts, they had to do wall pulley exercises, such as front raises, lateral raises, flexion and extension exercises, and downward presses; to work out the back muscles, they needed to do exercises like chin-ups,sitting pull-downs, standing pull-downs, seated rows, back hyperextensions. To work the abdomen, they needed to do Roman chair leg raises, lying leghip raises, hanging hip-leg raises and vertical hip leg-hip raises.These exercises sounded simple yet were difficult to do. Whenever his father felt like giving up, Ding Guoliang was there encouraging him to complete his last move.

From the beginning of their weight-loss and body-sculpting adventure, they took a fatherand-son photo once every 10 days to record their physical changes.Both of their bellies were going away, their bodies were getting stronger and their muscles firmer.In just 6 months, his father lost more than 40 kilos and turned from a soggy-bodied old man with a rotund belly to a fit and muscular man with six-pack abs.

More importantly, his father had changed. A once sullen and sardonic geezer had become a smiley and cheerful young man of 53. He was practically a whole new person.

Ding Guoliang’s father used to play on his cell phone all day long like a couch potato, but now he has turned into an effervescent and energetic man, and an avid reader of books and newspapers to boot. The slothful individual who once had to have food and clothing handed out to him without doing any chores turned into a great cook who spent time in the kitchen humming and making delicious dinners for the family. The eccentric and withdrawn man who lived a life of monotony and who rarely communicated with Ding’s mother took to teaching her to ride a bicycle and went on walks with her in their spare time.

Ding Guoliang said that father’s love was as grand as the mountain. He was determined to be there for his father and try to improve his life because his father had always held a supreme position in his heart.The warmth and affection in the family could melt away all the icy frigidity of their differences and disagreements.

(From Shenzhen Youth, March 2018. Translation: Lu Qiongyao)