(Comic by Nijaz Sedic.)
Ok, so maybe you don’t actually want to be a meathead. But you should. And it’s not for the reasons you think.
Sure, it might be cool to have a back that tears at your shirt’s seams, and biceps that get the girls all giggly. And maybe it would be kinda neat having people turn their heads to stare at you in awe as you walk on past them.
“Did you SEE that guy? He’s HUGE!”
But you don’t really want to be like them. Vain. Conceited. Musclebound. Probably insecure. Compensating for something.
Nah, all those weightlifting types are just shallow egotistical narcissists. Soulless, even. All body, no brain.
What could we possibly learn from them?
Well . . . more than you might think.
You see, there’s something about weightlifting that most people don’t get. They can’t get it. It’s just not possible to see from the outside. What they don’t understand is that lifting is hard.
Really fucking hard.
And anyone who has had even a small measure of success in the endeavor has accomplished something few people ever will.
They’ve built themselves.
That’s hard business. Anyone can lose weight. Fat loss is a natural byproduct of corrective eating.
But to grow muscle . . . that’s something else entirely. The human body doesn’t like it. It will fight you tooth and nail.
So with that in mind, I’m going to give you an inside look into the qualities that make for a successful weightlifter. Whether they be bodybuilders, strongmen, or Olympic lifters; all accomplished “lunks” share these hard earned traits . . .
And we can all learn a little something from them.
1. Know Thyself – It’s the cornerstone of achievement. You will never get anywhere in life if you are unwilling to look deep inside and face your demons.
Nothing will bring you face to face with your demons quicker than that last rep on the bench. The one you didn’t think you could make. That hard fought 13th rep when you thought you were done for at 10.
You learn things about yourself when you are willing to push to your limits. Not the limits people say you have. Not even the limits you think you have.
No.
I’m talking about end limits here. Mental and physical. The point where you absolutely cannot go any damn further.
True failure. Utter collapse.
Meatheads have been there. Many times over.
2. Find Your Passion – You don’t add 30 pounds of muscle to your frame by chance. Nor do you squat triple your bodyweight through god-given talent alone. It takes dedication. Determination.
The kind of persistence that only comes when you’ve found your passion.
High-level weightlifters are some of the most passionate folks you’ll ever meet. They have to be. Putting yourself through the rigors of lifting, day in and day out, is grueling business. You won’t last if you don’t find purpose there.
Meatheads have found their passion. And they pursue it with all the reckless intensity it deserves.
3. Sacrifice – Achievement requires sacrifice. Something most of us prefer to ignore.
But not the weightlifter.
He knows that strength can only be built through pain. There is no other way. He accepts that simple fact and doesn’t cry about it. He doesn’t whine. He doesn’t complain how unfair it is . . . that other lifters have bigger bi’s, or that Joey, on the next mat over, is out-deadlifting him by ninety pounds.
The weightlifter knows that Joey worked his ass off for those extra ninety pounds. He understands that he’ll have to do the same if he wants to achieve that level of success.
Meatheads are willing to make the sacrifices necessary. They will sacrifice their comfort. They will sacrifice their time. They will sacrifice Friday nights at the pub, sleeping late in the morning, and buffet lunches at Ming’s Chinese.
At the very least, after a set of 20 rep squats, they’ll sacrifice that lunch all over the mat.
4. Iron Begets Iron – Weightlifting is all about growth. And I’m not just talking muscle growth. Because what is the pursuit of strength if not an attempt to better oneself?
You cannot build strength of body without building strength of mind. It’s impossible. The effort required to truly change your body is resistance on a whole ‘nuther level. Resistance that must be overcome.
Resistance that makes you stronger.
The more you give to the iron . . . the more struggle, blood and pain . . . the more it gives you in return. The more of its own qualities you embody.
You become iron.
Iron body. Iron mind.
So many people are looking for a foolproof way to build their willpower. To build their character. They’ll scour self-help sites looking for tips and tricks to strengthen their mind and empower themselves.
But they seldom even consider the simple and proven method right before their eyes. All it takes is a trip to the local gym.
Meatheads understand the fortitude that weight lifting builds. The grit. They have it because they’ve earned it.
Don’t Be So Quick to Judge
People look at a well-muscled guy and think, “He must spend all day in the gym. Dude needs to get a life.”
Well guess what, he’s got a life. And it’s probably a lot better than yours. Maybe if we tried living a bit more like our meathead brethren, we might have more to show for our own efforts.
And we might even develop a little grit ourselves.
Cheers!
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I totally agree that bodybuilders have a lot of lessons to be learned from. It takes an admirable amount of mental stamina and even though I’m no professional bodybuilder, gyming consistently in itself is brutal discipline.
It takes so much will to get to the gym on a consistent basis, ignoring the fact that you’re on of the smallest people there and that the woman 3 times your age may bench twice your bodyweight, but you keep trying anyways. It’s tough and it doesn’t get any easier. Once you’re at the top, you want to keep testing your limits and striving for more. That’s an amazing mindset.
That’s a great way to look at it Vincent. “It’s tough and it doesn’t get any easier.” Truer words were never spoken. That’s what makes it so worthwhile. The challenge is never ending. You don’t just wake up one day to find yourself on the top of the mountain with nowhere left to go.
The point is to keep it tough. What’s hard for you today will be easy 6 months from now. But by then it won’t matter because you’ll be looking to the next challenge. But after years of effort you’ll be able to look back and see just how far you’ve come . . . by following the hard path.
So keep at my friend. It won’t ever get any easier, but you WILL get stronger.
Cheers!
I was always a skinny runt as a kid and young man. I tried over and over to put on muscle. My meathead friends used to envy my “definition,” but in my eyes I was still just a skinny runt. I’ve had an on again/off again affair with weightlifting most of my life. About ten years ago I made the decision to quit trying to gain muscle. Now, when I use weights, I just use light dumbbells and go for reps.
But I make up for heavy lifting in heavy writing, and it’s similar. It’s work. Sometimes, hard f*cking work.
That’s true Dan. Resistance is resistance. Whether it comes from cold hard iron or that blank screen and flashing cursor. And I figure anyone who lifts on even a semi-regular basis, whether heavy or light for reps, is improving themselves in some fashion or another.
It sounds like you were a classic hard-gainer. It may just have been that you weren’t eating sufficiently to gain appreciable muscle. That can be pretty discouraging. I’ve been there myself. To really gain muscle requires the right diet in addition to the right training routine. If you’re missing one or the other (or both, as is most often the case) you will have disappointing results. And no motivation to continue.
Cheers!
Trevor,
I wouldn’t consider myself a bodybuilder by any stretch but I’ve been routinely lifting weights for the last decade. I’ve seen some good results but the biggest thing I have gained from it was a sense of capability. I remember the first time a benched 200 lbs or repped ten pull ups (something I never thought I’d do – I wasn’t an athlete in H.S.) and I felt like I’d uncovered a whole new toy – my body.
That’s awesome Aaron! Lifting builds so many things besides strength. It builds confidence, determination, toughness . . . you name it. A decade of consistent lifting is one helluva track record. I’m sure the reason you feel more capable is because you are more capable. Strength breeds capability. And the nice thing is that your achievements in the gym carry over to so many other areas in life. It’s like sports . . . it sets the stage for life.
Cheers!
Did you ever get a chance to listen to Joe Rogan’s podcast? He talks a lot about fitness and weight lifting. I tend to agree with his opinion that doing more natural movements (i.e. battle ropes, body weight exercises, kettlebells etc) are better than hulking up due to a weight machine that’s more unnatural. THoughts?
I haven’t listened to him yet. I just put it on my to-do list. Truth be told, I completely forgot.
My opinion is that exercises are tools — you need to use the right tool for the job. If you’re an MMA fighter then the right tools are kettlebells, battle ropes, and athletic type of training. If you’re a bodybuilder the right tools are heavy compound lifts and the appropriate isolation exercises. Machines are just another tool. I would never recommend training with them exclusively, but they have their place depending on you and your goals.
All training routines need to be judged based on the goals of the trainee. So the real key is to figure out what you want and then figure out the best routine to get there.
Cheers!
I use to spend a lot of time at the gym during college. It’s amazing how many lessons we can learn from working out that can carry into other areas of our life. I think perseverance is important for working out and life. Those who want to become better persevere through the challenges or hard times. They keep fighting. Great post and thoughts.
Thanks Dan! Perseverance is key to working out . . . at least if you want to see any results. And you’re right, perseverance carries over so well to all areas of our lives. Training is just a form of voluntary hardship. And hardship is what builds character. It doesn’t matter if you build that character in the gym or outside of it. Character is character. It’s with you forever.
Cheers!
Excellent article. There is nothing quite like lifting something heavy especially things made of iron. So simple an action that does so many things for the mind and body.
So true. Lifting heavy things is primal. In a lot of ways it brings out the best in us. And it makes our “best” better. It teaches us how to apply ourselves. How to give more of ourselves to a pursuit. I directly credit lifting for the path my life has taken over the last few years. Had I never started, I would still be the same bitter individual I used to be. I would still be stuck in my own world of excuses.
Thank you Iron. From the bottom of my heart.
Cheers!
Oh, I love this post. I’m a bodybuilder so I can relate to what you’ve said here. That part about building muscle being hard is true. I’ve lifted weights for several years and never really learned how to build muscle effectively until recently. I’m actually thinking about writing a post about it soon, but haven’t worked the details out yet.
For me, the biggest lesson I learned from weightlifting is about sacrifice. In order to get anywhere I have to give up things. I give up eating garbage so I don’t put on fat. There is time I spend at the gym I could be using elsewhere. But it’s like that old saying, “no pain – no gain.” Every goal takes a little bit of pain, but it’s worth it.
Thanks for stopping by Steve. I’m glad you can relate. Building muscle is tough business. People think you pick up a couple pink dumbbells, rep a few curls, and BAM! Instant muscle.
It doesn’t work that way.
It takes years of persistent effort and sacrifice. That’s what I see when I look at a well muscled individual — determination and lots of pain.
I’ll keep my eye out for your article. I’d love to read your take on building muscle.
Cheers!