Heavy hearted - weight lifting and other feats of Sri Chinmoy

I assume my favorite exercise position--prone--and ponder what has suddenly become the most monumental task of my life.

Already the toes are tingling, the legs are twitching and the mouth is watering at the mere thought of trying to lift this weight. As sure as my name is senor Cater, this is not a job for any mortal human being.

But isn't that what exercise is all about? Pushing yourself to the limit and then crossing the line? I can do it, I know I can. Suddenly I find strength in the inner sanctum of my soul, muscles I last used in Little League baseball, and courage reserved for those much better than me. With one mighty push, I take a deep breath, lift myself from the cloth beach lounge chair and cross the burning sand to a Mexican margarita bar 30 feet away. And you call yourself fit!

Waiting for this famous Puerto Vallartan elixir, my thoughts turn to another man 10,000 miles away who at this very moment is attempting a lift just as thrilling--although Fernando may offer a more appetizing reward.

On this day in the heart of New York City, 59-year-old Sri Chinmoy will lift his 160-pound body weight 400 times, proving once again the muscles of the man don't always measure the size of his heart. That plus this may be New York's first lift that didn't involve a wallet.

Sri Chinmoy is kind of a cult hero to the lifters of the world--a cross between Ghandi and your grandfather (if your grandpa happens to be Ben Kingsley, you know what I mean). He is weightlifting what Mugsy Bogues is to pro basketball, an enigma in a world crammed with enigmas. Their talents are to be appreciated, even when not fully understood.

Sri Chinmoy doesn't just lift heavy weights, he lifts things that are heavy. For example, consider these standing calf raise feats:

* A 3,283-pound elephant (that must have been a circus);

* Two grand pianos and nine people weighing a total of 3,635 pounds (lightweight Marvin Hamlisch not included);

* A Ford F-500 truck checking in at 9,332 pounds (check the transmission would you please?);

* A 3,632-pound seaplane (on land, of course);

* And one-arm lifts of 7,063 pounds and 7,040 pounds.

But just as there is more than one mountain to climb, there is more than one elephant to lift.

This may of many talents and little ego should have his own chapter in the Guinness Book of World Records. Or maybe Ripley's Believe It or Not. Could he possibly lift that scowl off Jack Palance's face?

He also has:

* Published more than 800 books of poetry, plays, stories, essays and lectures.

* Delivered more than 500 lectures on world peace in such lofty places as the United Nations, Royal Albert Hall, Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge.

* More than 135,000 paintings and drawings exhibited internationally at museums and galleries.

* Run more than 20 marathons and ultramarathons.

* Founded the Sri Chinmoy marathon team, which annually sponsors over 200 marathons, ultramarathons and triathlons worldwide including the longest official ultradistance event of 1,300 miles.

* Conducted twice weekly meditations at the United Nations since 1970 and weekly peace meditations under his guidance at the U.S. Congress.

* Met with world leaders including Soviet President Mikhael Gorbachev. There must be a limit to Chinmoy's strengths; the spot's still there.

What strikes you most is his unabashed humility. Just once you'd like him to scream, "Take that P.T. Barnum." Yet, in a world where actress Sally Field raises a gold statuette to the world and looks for applause, Sri Chinmoy would be content if his deeds raised the level of world awareness.

"(Through my lifts) I want to deliver the message that prayer and meditation can help in all aspects of (a person's) life," he explains.

"I have been able to build up my strength and accomplish something in a short time which otherwise would have taken 30 or 40 years. If one needs strength, then uncovering one's inner strength through prayer and meditation is the fastest and most effective way to get it," he insists.

Staged public events, such as the recent Big Apple lift, may get him on the nightly news, but rest assured there isn't an ounce of phony muscle in this man's body. He doesn't do it for the record books, which we often wrongly judge as the true worth of a person's accomplishments, but for the purpose it ultimately serves.

"I am not trying to break records," he admits, "I am competing only with myself. When I do weightlifting, my body is my world. If I can improve myself, if I can go beyond my previous achievements, then that is my goal."

Despite lacking great muscle power--his biceps measure less than 14 inches--he started training in 1985. Sri Chinmoy continues to defy common logic while bringing attention to his real cause; that once our mind and heart are open, lifting the world's problems from our shoulders is not such a heavy burden after all.

Now if he could only lift me off this barstool. That margarita was strong.

Dave Cater is executive editor of Inside Kung-Fu magazine.

COPYRIGHT 1991 Aerobics and Fitness Association of America
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group