Mind
Why Strength?
Jun
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We talk about strength training a LOT here on Be a Game Character. It’s definitely one of the primary focuses here on the blog, and for good reason! Today we’re going to talk more about why. What are the advantages and motivations for being strong, and why should you make getting stronger one of the main focuses of your training.
1: Strong Feels Awesome
This is honestly my personal biggest reason for lifting weights and doing serious strength training. Exercising for the purpose of losing weight, or building muscle to look good are both perfectly valid, excellent reasons. But as awesome as it can be to hit your goal weight, nothing, and I mean nothing feels as GOOD as being strong feels. The confidence, the power, the feeling of being ready-for-anything. When you nail a solid deadlift, or a handstand push up, or a killed sled push, you just FEEL AWESOME! Walking around every day with that afterglow in your muscles from yesterday’s lifting session, or the knowledge that you’re stronger than 99% of the people around you is just amazing. Nothing tops it, not six-pack abs, or a number on your scale, or what you see in the mirror. Nothing feels better than STRONG.
2: Strong Makes Everything Better
Being stronger makes you more capable in everything you do. I’m not kidding, it literally enhances every single physical aspect of your life. If you’re an athlete of any kind, increasing your strength is going to up your game no matter what your game is. If you’re just an everyday desk worker, being strong is going to give you more energy, make you more capable of getting through your day, and increase your overall quality of life. There is, quite literally, no aspect of your physical existence that can’t be made at least a little bit better by being stronger. There’s a reason why competitors in basically every sport in existence cross-train with some kind of resistance training.
3: Strong Makes You Durable
The number one cause of injury to most people? Regular, boring, everyday accidents, and illness. Being strong helps with these, too. If you slip, trip, or fall, if you’re stronger you’ll have a better chance of bracing correctly without tearing something. In any kind of impact-type situation, your muscles are more conditioned to absorb shock. Physical altercation with another person? Strong gives you an edge there, too. Illness? If you’re strong, your body will have a better immune system to fight it, better energy reserves to make it through, and a more healthy base to rebuild and recover from.
4: Strong is Sexy
Not that we’re in the game for relationship goals, necessarily, but being strong is always more attractive. Humans as a species have an inborn desire to seek out and find capable, healthy, strong partners in life. Magazine ads may focus on the six pack and the shred, but time and time again studies show that people of all genders and preferences tend to prefer a strong partner over a shredded one, if they had to pick between the two. Mass media is not always right about what humans look for in a mate. Strength is always an asset.
5: Strong is Healthy
In addition to resistance to disease and injury, being strong physically helps to develop mental strength as well. Mental health tends to be a subject the general public glosses over too often. What’s worse, chasing that six pack for the sake of vanity can sometimes cause or compound mental illnesses and eating disorders. Getting strong, though? Getting strong always, always seems to help. Once you stop chasing the bodyfat percentage, and start chasing barbell numbers, you find yourself starting to appreciate your body for what it can do, rather than pining for what you want it to look like. My usual mantra is “Cultivate inner strength, and outer strength will follow,” however frequently they go hand in hand. Cultivating external strength is just as capable of building internal power.
If nothing else, I hope this article convinces you that resistance training is something worth adding to your life. You can start with a great bodyweight program, like the Mikasa, Krillin, or Ryu Hayabusa workout. Or, if you’d prefer weights you can try out The Doomguy Workout, the Goku Workout, or the Spider-Man Workout! Bottom line is: Get your muscles working, and start building strength today. You will never regret it.
Speaking of strength, it’s summer, so let’s celebrate! If you’re ready to really kick your training into gear, check out The Summer of Strength Sale!
Live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome.
