Why We Lift

Strength/resistance training is not the end-all/be-all of exercise. Cardio and strength training both have a wide variety of different benefits, and from my research, they are both just as important. No matter what your goals are, you are missing large benefits if you train one way and ignore the other.

That being said, until I started strength training, I didn't know what I was missing. When I start my day with resistance training, I notice enormous improvements to my mood and energy for the rest of the day and I feel like I'm ready to tackle whatever decides to come at me.

Even though most of my posts dig deeper into optimizing your training/nutrition, what is more important is the individuality - why it is important to you and what keeps you motivated to come back to the gym day after day.

For this post, I decided to ask the following question in a Facebook Group and I want to share the wonderful anecdotes that I received...

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Here are several different of the answers that I received:

1. Anti-depressant and good mental health benefits.
2. To be happier when looking in the mirror.
3. After having a serious intervention with my doctor, I decided this was the best course of action.
4. To step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself.
5. To lose weight.
6. To reduce chances of injury in other sports.
7. To overcome an injury.
8. To look good naked and get more attention from the opposite sex.
9. To build confidence.
10. To build the strength to work through physically demanding tasks and not be wiped out
11. Because getting stronger feels magnificent.
12. To relieve stress and anger.
13. To help motivate me to stop smoking.
14. To slow/counter the aging process.
15. To be healthier for my children; being able to join in family activities later in life.
16. It makes me feel alive.
17. And of course, "GAINZZZZZZZZZ."

These are all answers from one Facebook Group. I'm sure there are hundreds of unique reasons.

If you lift and you would like to add your reason to the list, take a minute and comment on this post!

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I love getting these answers and I hope these reactions "wow" you like they did for me. Whether you are male or female, 15 or 50+ years old, you are bound to reap the benefits, both physical and mental.

If you have any questions/comments, comment below! Also, if you enjoyed this post, please go to the Contact page and subscribe to get notified of new posts.