I got an email from a reader a couple weeks ago who shared with me a little bit about his story of how he was experiencing the many benefits he got from lifting weights and I found it very encouraging and asked him if he would be willing to share his story so that other readers who might be in a similar situation could benefit from it.

He agreed so I sent him a list of questions to learn more about his story and he took the time to answer them and for that, I wish to thank him. I think it’s something that will help a lot of people push themselves over the edge if they’re still sitting on the fence of deciding whether or not to pursue a program of weight lifting, while at the same time giving them some helpful insight into the process itself.

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself Chris?

I’m just your average guy with a desk job. I’ve never been an athletic person and have always been really skinny. Years ago I started using my apartment’s exercise equipment but I really had no idea what I was doing for the longest time. I did enough to keep myself in “ok” shape. I wasn’t muscular by any stretch of the imagination, but I also was a healthy weight.

How did you come to read the Why Every Man Should Lift Weights article?

I had been thinking about joining a gym for literally years but I could never make myself do it. I felt too intimidated at the thought of even trying it. I thought a little guy like me would get laughed out of the building. Just recently I started considering it more seriously and I found your article when I was doing Google searches about weightlifting.

You mentioned that you had a crushing fear of joining a gym. Can you please expand on that if you don’t mind? What exactly did you fear that was preventing you from joining the gym?

Where would I start? I was afraid I would look stupid for not knowing how to use any of the machines. I thought the giants walking around would laugh at me for trying. I was afraid I would look ridiculous using small weights. I felt I would be out of place among a bunch of people in great shape.

You also mentioned in our emails that the article helped “kicked your ass into gear” and helped defeat your crushing fear of joining a gym. Just out of curiosity, what was it about the article that helped accomplish those things?

Something about it just clicked with me. It’s hard trying to research weightlifting because a lot of the articles are geared towards the hardcore bodybuilders, not normal people who want to get into better shape. I was stuck in a nebulous zone where I wasn’t sedentary, but I wasn’t also reaping all the benefits I should have been. I knew I needed to make a change.

You’ve certainly had some remarkable results with only a month and a half of training. You’ve gained five pounds of muscle and dropped your body fat into single digits. Would you mind sharing with us the program you created for yourself to obtain those results? How did you come to find the necessary information needed to create that program?

I was lucky in this respect because I could afford to hire a personal trainer and I found one that was knowledgeable and he clicked with my personality. He always keeps me on a varied routine. If we’re doing bench pressing for “chest day” one week the next week we could completely ignore that. For example, the next week I could find myself doing all sorts of strange pushups on chest day.

You also mentioned that you weren’t pushing yourself hard enough in the past, but it seems from your results that there’s a strong drive pushing you now. What do you think is behind that drive now that wasn’t there before?

I think I always had drive. It was a lack of knowledge that was really hurting me. I was very good with keeping up my old workout routine. If I couldn’t make it to the exercise room before it would close I would do pushups at home instead. The problem is that I really didn’t know how much exercise I was supposed to be doing. I would throw some weight around for a half an hour and call it quits. I also rarely upped my weight I was trying to lift because it felt like I was already “working hard”. Now I work out for one hour with my trainer each session. When I compare one of my old workouts to one of my new ones the difference is laughable.

What benefits have you noticed from lifting weights that seemed to correspond with the benefits listed in the article and what other benefits (if any) have you experienced that weren’t mentioned in the article?

In the article:

Mental toughness – This is so true. You simply cannot be successful if you are not dedicated and tough. Sometimes you have to eat food you don’t want to. Suck it up. It has a lot of protein. Sometimes you have to go to bed when you don’t want to. Suck it up. You have to lift tomorrow and need rest. Sometimes I’ve thought there’s no way I can do what my trainer asks and I find myself amazed when I dig deep and make myself do it.

Happiness – I really feel like a million bucks. I’m only spending three hours a week in the gym but the positive attitude I carry around all week because of that is amazing.

NOT in the article:

The Pump – Good lord. I literally feel sorry for anyone that doesn’t get to experience what it feels like. When I finish a grueling chest or arm day my muscles feel like they’re ready to burst and I feel like an absolute beast. Understand that my physique is far from impressive and I’m not trying to claim that it is. You literally feel like you could bend steel. I’m an average guy and I’m already feeling this. It makes me look forward to getting back to the gym.

Clothes – Putting on clothes I haven’t worn in a while and having them feel snug just feels incredible.

Out of all the benefits you’ve experienced, which one do you think personally is the one that has positively affected your life the most? Can you give us examples?

I think that the biggest benefit is the pride I’ve experienced by conquering my fears and learning that the only thing holding me back was myself. I was scared to join a gym but I did it. I was scared to do squats on a Smith machine but I did it. Once you consistently keep conquering fears you realize how silly they were and gain so much confidence.

What would you say is the hardest thing is about going on consistent program of weight lifting?

Dealing with people that don’t understand what you’re trying to accomplish. If my friends want me to go out with them on a gym night they don’t understand why I can’t go. “Can’t you just cancel a stupid trip to the gym?” No, sorry I can’t. I’m trying to reach a goal and I’m setting myself back by skipping when I could be going.

What advice would you give to those who might currently be in a similar position such as the one you were in before, who have fear of joining a gym, who have no idea what they’re doing, and who aren’t pushing themselves hard enough?

You’ve just got to make yourself do it. It’s as simple as that. You have to make the decision that you want to better yourself and no one is going to stop you. Believe me, I know how scary it is. Absolute worst case if your fears come true and your gym experience is bad then find another gym. In the end the only person you have to blame for your body not being the way you want it to be is yourself.

Any other last pieces of advice you want to give those who still might be on the fence when it comes to lifting weights?

I would say if you choose not to do it you’re making a huge mistake. I decided to spend a tiny fraction of the time I spend sitting in front of a computer or television to better myself. I’ve only been committed for two months and I know now this is something I will keep up for the rest of my life.

---

I want to thank Chris again for taking the time to share his story. I really appreciate it.

There are a couple of things I want to point out from his story.

First, that specialized knowledge is very important. And you don’t have to necessarily get it from literature. It can surely help, but another way is to get that knowledge from someone else who has experience and has done the research. It’s a great shortcut and one of the ways to do it when it comes to getting in shape, like Chris did, is to hire a personal trainer. It’s a great move and great investment. You get the specialized knowledge, your own personal motivator, and a mini mastermind too all rolled up into one.

You can have all the drive in the world but if that drive isn’t correctly “guided” by specialized knowledge, it becomes negated.

The second thing I want to mention is “the pump”. How could I forget that? Chris speaks the truth when he describes what that’s like. It’s such an incredible feeling and I’m really glad he pointed that out.

Another thing that you can really take away from his story is that when he took on all his fears, he realized in hindsight just how silly they were.

And this goes for pretty much most fears that people have. I think it’s one of those things that you can only fully understand when you actually do it and look back. It’s one thing to read about it, and hopefully that will give you the motivation to face your fears and come to the same realization, but it’s another thing to avoid confronting that fear and let that fear control your life. So just remember that fear only grows with inaction. You face your fears, act on them, and you’ll realize just how silly they were and your confidence will grow, just like Chris said.

The last thing I want to mention is what Chris said at the end.

“I would say if you choose not to do it you’re making a huge mistake. I decided to spend a tiny fraction of the time I spend sitting in front of a computer or television to better myself. I’ve only been committed for two months and I know now this is something I will keep up for the rest of my life.”

For the rest of his life.

Weight lifting is truly one of those habits that will stick with you for the rest of your life. You will not want to turn back once you get a proper taste of it.

I guarantee it.

Last but certainly not least, I know the article may seem very male centered and it’s something that I can’t help as I can only write from a male perspective. But I’m sure that females will also greatly benefit from weight training, although the program they undergo may be different, but the benefits will probably be the same. I highly encourage women to follow suit as well, maybe hire a personal trainer to get the specialized knowledge or do some research on the web before undertaking this endeavor.

All I can say for sure is that once you start and taste the benefits of it, there’s no going back.

There is no going back.

  
     

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