Hey you ! Yes you! The one who’s been running on the treadmill running for hours upon hours with your lungs burning and your hair dripping sweat! I hate to break it to you but hours upon hours of cardio won’t do much for you, which is why the word “cardio” must be making you gag right now. Believe me, I’ve been there. It’s time for you to take a vacation from the treadmill and pick up a barbell instead. Join me on this quest and I will show you the miracles of weight lifting.
BECOMING FEARLESS
I get it. Walking into the weight room for the first time can be intimidating, that’s probably why you’ve never been in the first place. I felt the same way, I never stepped foot in the weight room until my senior year. There were times where I would contemplate going but seeing the jacked gym-sharks lift a million pounds and drop their weight with a huge “BAM” kept me out. I was afraid to pick up the barbell because I felt insecure about how little I could lift, my lack of experience, and potential injury.
There eventually came a certain point during the summer where my boredom with cardio got the best of me so asked one of my karate classmate’s dad how to dead lift. The moment I lifted that barbell, I felt liberated.Conquering my fear of the weight room gave me the opportunity to switch up my work out, making my time at the gym an adventure instead of a torture.
I encourage you to step foot into the unknown, as scary as it may seem, because before you know it, the weight room will be your personal man cave-a place where you can have fun and destress. Overcoming your fear of the weight room will leave you feeling unstoppable and open you to a new world of exercise.
MAKING FRIENDS
Remember, not everyone starts out lifting twice their weight or doing a thousand pull ups. We were all awkward and clueless at one point and that’s totally okay. To get from point A to point B we all need a sense of direction to guide us. Okay, what I’m saying here is to not let yourself be intimidated by these gymsharks.
In fact, you should go ahead and talk to them. If you need help mastering a technique they are the best people to talk to because A. they know what they are doing and B. learning the technique right will prevent you from serious injury. And if you need one of ‘em to spot you, don’t hesitate to ask. Gymsharks need to be spotted themselves too, otherwise, how else would they safely meet a personal record without being crushed by a weight?
Getting to know people in your weight room not only ensures your safety but it will also make the weight room much less intimidating. In fact, you might even make a few friends. There have been times when I’ve been stuck on the bench press and if it weren’t for the gymsharks, I would have wound up hurting myself. Trust me, underneath all those muscles are some of the kindest people you will meet.
BECOMING STRONGER
When I say stronger, I don’t mean physically but also mentally. Weightlifting calls for a lot of positive self-talk which ultimately drives you to take on the challenge, whether it be stepping onto the weight room for the first time, lifting a heavier weight, or trying a new exercise . Ridding your mind of “I can’t” and replacing it with “I can” will make you into a strong minded person because you will tackle whatever challenges lie ahead. If you need a boost of determination, weightlifting is the sport for you!
PHYSICAL GAINS
Along with the mental gains comes the physical gains. WAIT….GAINS? Yes gains. Weight lifting will make you gain weight but the weight you are gaining is MUSCLE. So even though the scale says you gained ten pounds, you will look like you look like you lost fifteen because muscle burns fat, so the more of it you have, the higher your metabolism will be. This is essentially the reason why you cannot depend purely on cardio.
Cardio is a wonderful calorie burner but it is not a great muscle builder. When you do cardio, your body taps into the glycogen stores of your muscles along with your fat stores to supply energy, hence, too much cardio can actually deteriorate your muscle. Cardio also fails to provide an afterburn, so the calorie burning stops as soon as your workout is over.
To maximize the benefits of your workout, it’s best to do both cardio and weights. Doing weights will help you build the muscle to elevate your metabolism and burn fat in the long term. Doing cardio will allow you to burn extra calories to help with weight loss and toning. Weightlifting is one of the best tools for sculpting your body and improving your sport performance.
Alright, if I still haven’t swayed you to pick up a barbell, good luck keeping up with the more painful, bland, cardio workouts. If you still feel uncomfortable going to the weight room by yourself,go with a friend or take a class or two so you learn the proper technique and don’t injure yourself. Weightlifting is a miraculous sport and hobby because it makes you strong in both mental and physical aspects. It also opens up opportunities for you to make some friends! So don’t WEIGH your options any longer. IT IS TIME TO GO BEAST MODE.
Sources
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/images/2014/your-ultimate-guide-to-spotting-graphic-3.jpg
https://fitnationmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/shutterstock_225746320-750×400.jpg
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