Lifting is Hard
Many lifters are surprised that they cannot convince people to barbell train.
They attempt the selling points:
Increased muscle mass, improved bone density, better joint health, maintain a healthy body fat ratio.
Still, nine out of ten times, the answer is NO and they never touch a bar
Classic excuses are often given:
I have a herniated disc, I injured back 4 years ago, I tweaked my knee last month and on and on the excuses pile up
Seasoned lifters and coaches don't even bat an eye at these excuses. We've heard them TONS OF TIMES!
Of course your body hurts from time to time – that is a part of life and the result of actually doing things.
If you can break through the "prior injury" barrier, you'll run right into the next excuses:
My schedule is too full, I don't have time, the gym is too far away and I can't invest in a home gym ...
You can do your best to accommodate their schedules and if it's a loved one, you may even offer to build them a home gym.
Nine out of ten times, the answer is still no!
Once in a while you'll get a breakthrough. They will join you in the gym. They will listen as you show them how to squat, bench press, and deadlift.
They begin training 3x/wk, they are adding weight to the bar... THEY ARE EXCITED.
And you think to yourself, "I've done it, I've made a LIFTER!"
But still, nine times out of ten, you haven't. Why? Because lifting is hard and it gets harder every time you approach the bar. As soon as real strain begins, that "new lifter" quits and takes up pilates.
They are gone. And despite your best efforts they will not be back. Why?
Again, IT'S HARD!!
IT is the very reason that YOU, a real lifter, understand. The real lifter knows it is something MUST be done.
The real lifter understands that things that are NOT HARD are usually not worth the effort.
The real lifter understands that not wanting to do it is part of the process. And also part of the benefit.
It's not just about the weight on the bar, it's about doing hard things.
It's about going into the cold garage gym when you don't want to.
It's about lacing up shoes.
It's about that first set with an empty bar.
It's about training when you forgot your phone/belt/sleeves
It's about the exhilaration you feel after you've done something that you did not want to do, that was hard, that challenged you.
Nothing worth doing is easy.