The Ten Things I Love About Weight Training

I remember being one of the lankiest kids on the planet, or so I thought anyway. In junior high school and high school, it was the same thing. Girls would think of me as the good friend, but never anything more than that. I was just the typical nice guy, who did his work. Let's just say I wasn't considered the coolest of people in school. But I guess being the lanky, nerdy kid gets a bit old after a while. I really wanted to know how to gain muscle FAST! I wanted to be athletic like the football players or the wrestlers. I wanted girls to look at me the way they looked at those guys.
I was always shy kid, but I became even shier in my teenage years because of a disorder called gynecomastia. It's often a hormonal condition that results in males developing breast tissue. For some, gynecomastia can be a temporary side effect of puberty. Unfortunately mine, wasn't temporary, it lasted until my early twenties. I was teased, pinched, and laughed at. It's really a blow to your pride when people poke fun at you for something you can't control. My parents would tell me to ignore it, but my parents nor my siblings had to deal with the constant jeering.
One summer, I finally got so sick of being teased that my frustrations led me to take action. Dad had a weight set, and I think I used it almost everyday that summer. I discovered the magic secret, the best way to build muscle. Do you know what that secret was? HARD WORK! I gained so much solid, fat-free muscle (a good amount of this muscle went straight to my chest) that summer, that I have stretch marks to this very day.
Upon returning to school, my confidence was through the roof! It was after that summer that I became a weight lifting junkie. I was looking at every weight training magazine I could get my hands on, I became fascinated with training programs, lifting technique, and supplements.
Sure, weight training was a great, temporary self-esteem booster, but eventually weight training (along with karate) became something that I grew to love. These days, whether people notice my body or not, I train now because it's a part of me now. I train mostly because I love it.
What exactly do I love about weight-training and exercise? So many things. Though I could probably make a list of 100 reasons, but I'll give you ten of the top reasons I love weight training:
1. Hard Work Equals Results- You ever been at a dead end job before? You work your behind off only to find that no matter how much time you put in, your pay never changes. I like weightlifting, because hard work and results are directly related. If you're putting in the time, honestly pushing yourself, your body is going to get stronger, your physique is going to change. It's beautifully simplistic.
2. Training Regulates my Schedule- Call me crazy but, when I am on my exercise routine, and I stick to it, I find that I have more time to do other things, because I plan for them.
3. I Like Looking at Myself Naked - Okay maybe this reason sounds perverted at worst and a little vain at best, but I can't be the only one who feels this way. I think it's a great feeling to see new lines and cuts in your musculature when you hop out of the shower and stand in the mirror. It's great!
4. I Like People Touching Me- Wait, this one also sounds perverted. I promise I'm not a sicko.
There's not really a whole lot to add to this one, but if you're training, and your muscles are pumped it's gratifying when people squeeze your arms or touch your chest and ask if you've been training. Um, it's especially gratifying for me when some hot lady I work with does it...I'm just saying.
5. The Feeling of Accomplishment- I'll never forget how strong I felt when I bench pressed 225 pounds for the very first time. It was the exercise that I was most afraid to do. All the big guys could lift that weight, but not me. When it finally happened, I thought to myself..."HELL YEAH!!"
6. Mindset Shifting- After bench pressing 225 pounds for the first time, there was this "Now what?" moment. In that moment, I realized that maybe it was possible for me to do more. I kept training, and I can now bench press 225 lbs 14 times without a spotter. To some advanced lifters that may not sound like much, but another cool thing about weightlifting is that it's a personal journey. When you get impossible out of your head, it's amazing what you can accomplish.
7. Enhanced Mental Function- When I'm exercising regularly, I find that I can focus better, that I read more, and my brain even produces more ideas.
8. Energy Boost - If you're just starting out, Immediately after a workout, your muscles can be spent and you can feel pretty worn out. But if you've been working out consistently for a while, you may notice that your body has more energy than it did before. Your muscles aren't tiring as easily. You feel like you have the energy to take on the world. Stick to those training plans...it does pay off!
9. Sexual Drive - I don't know if this is necessarily because of the weight training, but I think it is. When I'm sticking to my exercise plan, for some reason, my libido hits a ceiling. Now if I can just get a girlfriend...
10. Builds Self-Discipline- I'll level with you, there are days when I don't want to go to the gym. Perhaps it's because of a long day at work, or just downright laziness. But nine times out of ten, going to the gym when I'm not feeling up to it really makes me feel like I've accomplished something big. I feel fantastic afterwards. Going when I don't feel like it makes it easier to go the next time the fatigue hits.