Headlock

by Greg McLaughlin

My long journey back to competitive wrestling shape in my Late 40s …It had been 20 years since I won the Division III College New England Championship as a trim 126-pound fifth year senior at nationally ranked Rhode Island College. I had ballooned to almost 200 pounds and fallen out of the kind of extreme athletic shape I had reached in my young 20's. I had a wife and kids, a demanding job and no spare time for myself. So, when I finally crossed that line and exceeded 200 pounds, something inside me snapped and I embarked on a journey of renewal that changed my life. Following is the story of how I took back my body from the ravages of time; how I implemented a six point plan to whip myself into the kind of athletic shape I enjoyed in my 20s; how I retrained my body, reawakened my muscles and reworked my way back to the wrestling mat in an unlikely, dream to compete for the USA Wrestling National Championship in my late 40s.Balancing work, family, vacation and time, this unique story details how I implemented - Step 1: The Food Plan, Step 2: The Measurement Plan, Step 3: The Exercise Plan, Step 4: The Strength Plan, Step 5: The Disclosure Plan and Step 6: The Workout Plan - along my journey to push myself toward the stretch goal of competing for a National Championship.

148 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2018

About the author

I live in Greenwich, CT with my wife and two boys, 22 and 19. I graduated in 1991 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Film Studies from Rhode Island College. I later earned my Masters of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.

I’ve worked in Journalism, Marketing and Management Consulting for my career. Additionally, I’ve written fiction as a passionate hobby for the past twenty years, and have completed ten fictional novels including "The Curve in the Road", "The Triple Date", "The Second Coming", "The Third Party", "Broken English", "Under the Aurora", "Matunuck", "Erosion" (the sequel to Matunuck, and my newest release, "Il Pleure Dand Mon Coeur", co-written with my father who, sadly passed away in March, 2021.

I tend to write in two distinct genres including intense social-political contemporary thrillers and cozy romantic comedies.

I also published a personal memoir about my recent quest to lose 80 pounds, get in the best shape of my life - at 47 years old - and compete in the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Senior National Championship.