Why I workout

I have always been a active kid, from playing in the woods, to playing sports. I didn’t really get into working out until the summer before my junior year. My “why” for lifting has changed dramatically over the years, because my goals have also changed.

When I workout I set a goal and figure out my “why.” The question everyone should ask themselves when they go to the gym is “why?”, why am I lifting? What is the purpose for spending a few hours a week in a room full of iron?

For me my lifting journey truly began when I was going into my junior year of high school. I was a rising star in the world of high school wrestling, and everyone knew it. My sophomore year I had only lost 13 matches, all to state reps, and some of those loses are from the same person.

When I asked myself why couldn’t I beat them it came down to strength.  I was never a ripped kid with tattoos walking on the mat, I was always the kid with an average body that was very technical with moves, and had endurance through the roof. So I decided if I was going to meet my goal of going to States, I need to get stronger.

I started lifting during the summer after work with my best friend. The only things we knew about lifting was what we learned through watching “Pumping iron” and YouTube videos. Needless to say we really didn’t know what we were doing but we were trying out best and somehow managing to get slightly stronger.

With the the very rough routines I did over the summer, I was able to make it to States. I kept learning about lifting and how to workout through the help of friends and anyone willing to help me. My performance was even better my senior year, because for me lifting was the missing ingredient (and nutrition but I won’t get into that).

After I graduated I took a 5 week road trip across the US with my brother and cousin. For those 5 weeks, we lived off junk food, gas stations, and McDonald’s. By the time summer had ended I had gained 20 lbs from April to August.

When I started college my girlfriend and I went to the beach and I just remember how self conscious I felt. So I set the new goal to get back in the gym. I thought I had the perfect plan for lifting, only to find out a few months later it was actually trash at a bodybuilding meeting.

In my second semester  of college I joined the bodybuilding team, and set the new goal of competing in a bodybuilding competition before the end of the year. I learned a lot from the team and prepared for 8 months for the competition. I had some setbacks, but I overcame them and I did my first show last November! I didn’t win, but it was an amazing experience.

After I did the show I decided that bodybuilding wasn’t for me and for some reason all I cared about was strength. So for 4 months when I walked into the gym, building strength was my “why.” A friend of mine and I held our own lifting competitions to see who was stronger often, and that kept the gym fun and motivating.

Now we are up to present day. As of today my “why” for when I walk into the gym, is to be healthy. When I say healthy I don’t mean just a healthy body composition, but to be a well rounded fitness junkie. I set the goal to compete in a “Tough Mudder” in August, which will require all components of fitness:  Muscular strength, Muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and mobility.

Another reason I have chosen this path is because I am thinking about how I want to feel when I am 40, 50, 60 years old. I don’t want to have low bone density, or cardiovascular disease, or achy joints. I now think of exercise as a long term investment for how I want to feel in the future because of everything I have learned in class.

Your “why” is going to change often, and so are your goals. But before you can do anything, you have to find out your “why” before you step in the gym otherwise what is the point?