The real benefits of weight training have nothing to do with reducing body fat or having a nice build.
The real benefits have everything to do with relieving stress, getting out aggression, building confidence, giving you a positive mental attitude, giving you pride, developing discipline, and giving you a rush like narcotics would do.
In an emasculated world there are precious few outlets for Men to get out aggression. Weight lifting is one of the best ways to relieve aggression.
Therapy is an excuse to never actually do anything for yourself and a convenient way to blame others. Iron therapy makes you as mentally strong as it does physically strong.
If you're full of pent up aggression you go to the gym, pick up 135 lbs, and put it overhead as many times as you can. You turn on some music that lights a fire under your ass.
You walk out the door and see how far you can run before you can't breathe anymore.
You don't go talk to an emasculated psychiatrist who thinks ‘open communication' is the key to getting out aggression.
Put 200 lbs on his back and make him squat 'til he can't move and see if he still wants to talk about his feelings. In our world we can't go hunting woolly mammoths, but we can do the next best thing.
Lift some weights and eat some steaks.
It's impossible to feel stress after an hour of solid training.
No matter how stressed you were when you got to the gym ,as long as you give it your all that stress will go away and be replaced by a testosterone fueled feeling of euphoria.
The best rush in the world and all the narcotics in the world can't give you that natural high.
There's a confidence gained in the gym that people who never train cannot understand.
When a guy first starts out and can barely bench 45 lbs and ups that to 225 lbs with steady, solid training the feeling of accomplishment is immense. When a guy starts out deadlifting 95 lbs and ups that to 405 lbs that's a huge boost to the ego.
That's something you can be proud of. Even if no one else in the world understands where you came from it doesn't matter, you have accomplished what you once thought impossible and no one can take that away from you.
Discipline comes along for the ride. If you never had any before, you will after you start training.
Weight training requires you eat right. You won't even want to eat junk food anymore, your body will crave the good foods and you'll want to eat those good foods.
Heavy weight training requires you get good sleep, and you will. Weight training requires you get up off the couch and go to the gym and accomplish something. If you can manage that you will see what all the hype was about.
Agreed! I love lifting heavy iron not only because of the physical transformation is provides, but also, and maybe more importantly, because of the sense of achievement it generates; continually lifting heavier and heavier poundages.
What is your training philosophy in terms of frequency, number of sets and reps, full-body workouts versus splits, training to failure?
pete:
my philosophy is do the most amount of work in the least amount of time. i typically train exercises over splits or bodyparts. for example i train squats, deadlifts, clean and press, military press, bench press etc.. in heavy rep ranges (1-5 reps) for a high volume of sets. at the end of a heavy training session i’ll rep lighter weight and catch a pump like the next gym rat. everything has it’s place but i favor heavy weight training with compound movements.
Victor- I’m a big fan of what you’ve got going on with this blog. I’m 6’2″, 250 and a type 1 diabetic. Trying to cut down and get stronger- not to bulk up. As far as workouts, what would you suggest?
John,
Get the heart going with weights. Do real weight training, not bs like triceps kickbacks, but do higher reps and low/no rest. Google barbell complexes, especially ‘the bear’, these types of things are great for building strength and burning that fat off.
Good luck!
Thank you very much sir. Keep up the bad ass site.
This is why I love to train with weights, in this feminine flowery society, the only way I can actually regain my masculinity and not submit to being a pretty little bitch like a lot of men today is by training with weights, I train everyday for 2 hours, and even though it’s hard and tough, at the end I always feel wonderful. Another great post, Victor.
In the society we live we’re always being geared to know we’re ‘beautiful no matter what’ and ‘nothing matters so long as you’re happy’ etc. When you start lifting weights you really start appreciating what achievement is and how to measure it. In all honesty I’m a pretty arrogant guy; when I’m lifting weight however it’s just me and the iron, and I learn to measure myself against myself.
I used to use resistance bands to strength train. They were recommened to help me recover from a torn rotator cuff. I gave up the bands and switched to weights once I healed up. Weights offer a rush that only weeights can provide. Bands are for girls and the injured. Lifting weights turned my often sissy boyish attitude into a confident, determined, and mature attitude.
Everything Vic says about weight training is true. Take his advice and lift weights. You can not fail.
Dear Victor,
My name is Shawn from Ohio. I love your article on strength training. I myself have been training for a number of years, and the discipline one gets along with the increased strength is a thing of greatness in the world of weight lifters…… “Be true to the iron, and the iron shall be true to you.”. Thanks for the article Victor, and keep up the hard work everybody.
Quick question:
Which is superior, Bodyweight vs. Weightlifting and WHY?
What’s the name of the article?
This book claims that “To become hugely powerful, you don’t need weights, cables, fancy machines, or any other crap
that the industry or the informercials are brainwashing you into thinking you can’t do without.
You can gain Herculean strength-genuine brawn and vitality-with no special equipment at all.”
All what it focuses on is six bodyweight exercises (pushups, squats, pullups, bridges, leg raises, handstand pushups) with their progressions.
http://www.amazon.com/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength/dp/0938045768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371795970&sr=8-1&keywords=convict+conditioning
OK.
JB,
I tried following that program as well as other bodyweight programs(p90x style) and guessed what happened. While circuit training workouts like p90x helped me lose weight, I found out that I also became WEAKER than before because I lost muscle as well. Convict Conditioning MIGHT give you some strength but you have to work way too hard and long, and if you’ve seen Victor’s last article, working hard doesn’t get you there, it’s working smart that does. Now I’m stuck in the skinny-fat zone, but with Body of a Spartan I will gain both my strength back and more, and I will have a power-projecting body.
My problem is that I travel a lot and always did bodyweight workouts. Well now I notice that nearly all hotels you go to have gyms that more or less have the necessary free weights equipment.
Also bodyweight training, while good for functional movement, is not enough to build strength and not enough for people who practice self-defense(I practiced martial arts before), because in reality so-called “muscular endurance” doesn’t exist, as long as you are strong you can take and give more punishment. actually, if you are strong and know how to fight like ww2 soldier(www.theselfdefenseco.com), your fight(or should I say beating the shit out of the agressor) would last only a few seconds.
So bodyweight training alone is not enough, circuit-training and other kinds of so called “dance workouts” are for women, they’ll make you ‘lean’ but not muscular or strong. This is my take on this subject, I don’t know if Victor agrees with me or not. Getting slimmer or skinnier is what women should do, men should get bigger and stronger.
Victor, what are your best lifts (Squat/Bench/Deadlift/ Power clean/ Press) ?
You got it, bud! The basics.
Your post is spot-on. Weight training has given me discipline, confidence and courage. Through research, discipline, and effort, I managed to double my strength and gain 20+ lbs of muscle. I now believe I can change other aspects of my life with the same effort.
Well, I really can’t see why you cant do both.
Weightlifting is fucking awesome, agreed. But talk therapy (totally against drugs) is the real way if dealing with your problems.
Throwing lumps of iron around isn’t going to solve any issues you have, and can end up being a crutch, just like the other drugs.
IMO, someone who has dedicated themselves to understanding and processing their childhood, having the courage to confront abusers and gained genuine deep relationships in their life is much stronger than some guy who can bench 405 for reps.
What you mean ” when you got to the gym ,as long as you give it your all that stress will go away and be replaced by a testosterone fueled feeling of euphoria”?
From what i know after 45 minutes working out cortisol kicks which is catabolic and testostrone declines. Furthermore CNS severely suffers if working out volume is too high and more chatecholamins release into blood to compensate with disturbances of adrenal, pituary axis.
In other words too much heavy lifting is a factor contributing to physical stress anbd the hormonal responce to that maybe detrimental to health..