Lifting Weights = Warrior?

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Dedicated wrote:
My idea behind it is doing something that is hard and requires effort beyond the norm. Most people choose the easy way out and are lazy and weak. To choose to get off your ass and go to the gym to battle the weights takes a warrior like mentality. In reality it’s just something to get amped up on and get the test flowing.

If it offends you sorry. Are you a former or current true warrior? (side note, I did serve in the military and have been in a street fight or two in my younger days)

D

That’s how I feel about it. If you are military, cool, you may have a reason to be upset with it. If not, you are just bitching because someone else used a term to describe their effort. How is that possibly harming someone because they consider themselves a “warrior” in the weight room? Sometimes it may take that mentality for someone to competely change their habits and the way they look. The real question is, who are you to define someone else’s battles in life and how important they are to them?

Could a cancer patient be considered going to war by fighting the disease? Would that offend you?

Some of you are full of shit.[/quote]

yeah. they wage a war on cancer. they wage war against their own obesity. i get it. i think the original question was about these people - like yourself - who’ve not acheived much athletically speaking and now want to be ‘warriors’ because they are in the gym a few nights a week.

you know, guys who pose for pictures and shit because…well…i guess i don’t know why people do that. i never have. oh, i’ve had my photo in some magazines here and there with 400-some pounds over my fucking head. but never posed. in my little brother’s tank-top. kneeling in my backyard. standing in front of my mirror. and YOU are saying someone ELSE is full of shit? oh, man.

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
The “300” thread reminded of something that has always baffled me…

Why do so many people who lift weights but never served in the military or fought (professionally or on the streets) talk about being warrior?

Do people really think that lifting weights and reading Sun Tzu qualifies them for warrior status?

I’m serious. I hear gym-goers contanstly talking about their “warrior philosophy.” It’s really annoying. Perhaps I am missing something.

Enlighten me: Why are you guys who never risked your life fighting or served in combat warriors?[/quote]

I agree with you completely. In fact, I ranted about this on another thread about a month ago when a poster was using living the “warrior” life in college.

It’s another overused term, much like Diva, that has morphed from its original meaning to the point that it loses any meaning. For example, I’m a fucking warrior on the keyboard.

DB

[quote]Professor X wrote:
That’s how I feel about it. If you are military, cool, you may have a reason to be upset with it. If not, you are just bitching because someone else used a term to describe their effort. How is that possibly harming someone because they consider themselves a “warrior” in the weight room? Sometimes it may take that mentality for someone to competely change their habits and the way they look. The real question is, who are you to define someone else’s battles in life and how important they are to them?[/quote]

Words have meaning. Using your logic, someone who is 6’, 145 pounds is “big.”

The cancer patient issue is actually a pretty easy call: Is the person literally fighting against a force that is trying to kill him or her? Yep.

In today’s society, everyone is a winner. Now EVERYONE is a warrior.

[quote]CrewPierce wrote:
Wouldn’t a real warrior not worry about such small things as fake people?

To me a true warrior is the guy who doesn’t talk much but walks the walk.

The guys in the military talking about how many people they have shot, or are waiting to “get some” are just rednecks that legally get to shoot people. The real warrior is the LRRP who tells his story only when asks and doesn’t brag about what he has done. (could be anyone for that matter, I just have a large amount of respect for the LRRP vets).[/quote]

So Dick Marcinko was not a warrior because he wrote Rogue Warrior?

[quote]Hack Wilson wrote:
yeah. they wage a war on cancer. [/quote]

My definition would be a bit broader than yours. Someone with cancer is literally fighting for his life. So I see that.

Of course, fighting against cancer is NOT analogous to “fighting against” weights or coding.

I just don’t get why people can’t be content with their place in the world. There’s no need to “martialize” weightlifting. It’s a great activity, and very demanding. But it’s not combat, and it doesn’t put a person’s life at risk.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Hack Wilson wrote:
that ain’t real.

Neither are you but we don’t see you complaining about that.[/quote]

Haha. Ouch.

Hack is an appropriate name for him.

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Professor X wrote:
That’s how I feel about it. If you are military, cool, you may have a reason to be upset with it. If not, you are just bitching because someone else used a term to describe their effort. How is that possibly harming someone because they consider themselves a “warrior” in the weight room? Sometimes it may take that mentality for someone to competely change their habits and the way they look. The real question is, who are you to define someone else’s battles in life and how important they are to them?

Words have meaning. Using your logic, someone who is 6’, 145 pounds is “big.”

The cancer patient issue is actually a pretty easy call: Is the person literally fighting against a force that is trying to kill him or her? Yep.

In today’s society, everyone is a winner. Now EVERYONE is a warrior.[/quote]

You seem to have missed the point. For me, getting my degree was no easy task. I could very easily say I “fought” to get it. It isn’t up toi you to decide how important my personal battles are. It isn’t your place to make that distinction for anyone but yourself.

Orion, your post was deep and right on topic.

I wouldn’t call myself a warrior, but I have seen Platoon so many times it gave me post traumatic stress disorder.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Professor X wrote:
That’s how I feel about it. If you are military, cool, you may have a reason to be upset with it. If not, you are just bitching because someone else used a term to describe their effort. How is that possibly harming someone because they consider themselves a “warrior” in the weight room? Sometimes it may take that mentality for someone to competely change their habits and the way they look. The real question is, who are you to define someone else’s battles in life and how important they are to them?

Words have meaning. Using your logic, someone who is 6’, 145 pounds is “big.”

The cancer patient issue is actually a pretty easy call: Is the person literally fighting against a force that is trying to kill him or her? Yep.

In today’s society, everyone is a winner. Now EVERYONE is a warrior.

You seem to have missed the point. For me, getting my degree was no easy task. I could very easily say I “fought” to get it. It isn’t up toi you to decide how important my personal battles are. It isn’t your place to make that distinction for anyone but yourself.

Orion, your post was deep and right on topic.[/quote]

i’ve been in fights. literally. does that mean that i’m a WARRIOR?

you ‘fought’ for your degree. i can see why you would have to. but…jesus. is EVERYTHING about you?

[quote]Professor X wrote:
You seem to have missed the point. For me, getting my degree was no easy task. I could very easily say I “fought” to get it. It isn’t up toi you to decide how important my personal battles are. It isn’t your place to make that distinction for anyone but yourself.
[/quote]

I also have a professional degree. Yes, it was hard. Yes, there were many challenges to overcome.

But it was not combat. The stakes were much lower. Failure did not mean death.

Sure, if people want to go around calling themselves warriors or whatever, cool. But it doesn’t mean the label actually applies.

So… Is a person who is 6’, 135-lbs “ripped” or “shredded”? I’m willing to bet you’d say no. Why then should “warrior” have such a flexible meaning?

Military doesn’t always equal WARRIOR, shit bird! I know a lot of people that went into the military because it equaled a steady pay check and benefits. OPEN your eyes this war is bull shit and we are losing!

A warrior is someone that stands up for what they believe in and will fight for it. Doesn’t always have to be a military thing. If you wanna find warriors in the military look amongst the grunts!

P.S.You aren’t a true Marine until you get your first NJP!

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Hack Wilson wrote:
yeah. they wage a war on cancer.

My definition would be a bit broader than yours. Someone with cancer is literally fighting for his life. So I see that.

Of course, fighting against cancer is NOT analogous to “fighting against” weights or coding.

I just don’t get why people can’t be content with their place in the world. There’s no need to “martialize” weightlifting. It’s a great activity, and very demanding. But it’s not combat, and it doesn’t put a person’s life at risk.[/quote]

If putting ones life at risk is what makes someone a warrior, then I would like to say that not all military personel are warriors, and a lot of people that are not military personel are warriors.

Logging and mining are very dangerous.
Working on military computers at cheyenne mountain in Colorado Springs is not.

This post was in no way meant to mean disrespect towards military personel, I just thought that I would point out that warriorhood and the risk to life are not neccessarily always coordinated.

While I still respectfully hold to my previous opinion, I am wondering what some of you would say to this: If a warrior can only be a soldier or someone fighting under the threat of death, what are they when the threat is removed? For example, a soldier who survives a war to come home to live the happy lazy suburb life.

So far, by what I’ve read, you’d say they weren’t warriors. They might have been at one point, but no longer. Which also makes me question how a soldier who is part of the war machine is defined when they never face any real threat. Are they warriors?

I mean, until they’re under fire from a recognized enemy of the state, there have likely been more than a few civilians who have faced and overcome similar or larger hardships than their own.

Interesting.

I think the concept of ‘warrior spirit’ is a good one. It helps people refine themselves. But for anyone to claim the title is silly and it only invites hostility. After all, a warrior should be at war, right? Maybe the phrasing should be changed from “I’m a warrior!” to “I’m compelled by the warrior spirit!” :wink: haha

[quote]Hack Wilson wrote:
Professor X wrote:
CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Professor X wrote:
That’s how I feel about it. If you are military, cool, you may have a reason to be upset with it. If not, you are just bitching because someone else used a term to describe their effort. How is that possibly harming someone because they consider themselves a “warrior” in the weight room? Sometimes it may take that mentality for someone to competely change their habits and the way they look. The real question is, who are you to define someone else’s battles in life and how important they are to them?

Words have meaning. Using your logic, someone who is 6’, 145 pounds is “big.”

The cancer patient issue is actually a pretty easy call: Is the person literally fighting against a force that is trying to kill him or her? Yep.

In today’s society, everyone is a winner. Now EVERYONE is a warrior.

You seem to have missed the point. For me, getting my degree was no easy task. I could very easily say I “fought” to get it. It isn’t up toi you to decide how important my personal battles are. It isn’t your place to make that distinction for anyone but yourself.

Orion, your post was deep and right on topic.

i’ve been in fights. literally. does that mean that i’m a WARRIOR?

you ‘fought’ for your degree. i can see why you would have to. but…jesus. is EVERYTHING about you?[/quote]

No, everything is clearly about YOU…and your 150k a year salary…with the gardener…and the almost-pro-ball career. I wouldn’t dare take your place. You are worth too much to all of us.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Professor X wrote:
That’s how I feel about it. If you are military, cool, you may have a reason to be upset with it. If not, you are just bitching because someone else used a term to describe their effort. How is that possibly harming someone because they consider themselves a “warrior” in the weight room? Sometimes it may take that mentality for someone to competely change their habits and the way they look. The real question is, who are you to define someone else’s battles in life and how important they are to them?

Words have meaning. Using your logic, someone who is 6’, 145 pounds is “big.”

The cancer patient issue is actually a pretty easy call: Is the person literally fighting against a force that is trying to kill him or her? Yep.

In today’s society, everyone is a winner. Now EVERYONE is a warrior.

You seem to have missed the point. For me, getting my degree was no easy task. I could very easily say I “fought” to get it. It isn’t up toi you to decide how important my personal battles are. It isn’t your place to make that distinction for anyone but yourself.

Orion, your post was deep and right on topic.[/quote]

Orion, that was a good post. To relate this topic back to the gym and our effort and results, I believe having the right mind set, to me a “warrior mentality”, is key to success.

In any physical endeavor to push yourself to a level that will stimulate results requires a tough mental frame of mind. Whether it’s running or biking a marathon, developing a physique to be admired, squatting or deadlifting a new word record, you must have discipline and fortitude beyond your average human.

The first time I ever threw 500 pounds on my back I won’t hesitate to admit it scared me. Scared me to think this weight could crush me and if I did something wrong it could hold disastrous consequences that could cripple me.

I worked my way up to that point and had to take stock of my ability and finally just gosh damn get under that bar and do it. I am again after some years working to get back to that point.

So, if someone thinks it’s foolish of me to get amped up and think of myself as a warrior in a battle with the weights that’s their prerogative however, it won’t sway me one ounce from doing it. Many who can’t channel that kind of mental state are not surprisingly the ones who usually don’t make much progress in this game.

D

[quote]Hack Wilson wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Dedicated wrote:
My idea behind it is doing something that is hard and requires effort beyond the norm. Most people choose the easy way out and are lazy and weak. To choose to get off your ass and go to the gym to battle the weights takes a warrior like mentality. In reality it’s just something to get amped up on and get the test flowing.

If it offends you sorry. Are you a former or current true warrior? (side note, I did serve in the military and have been in a street fight or two in my younger days)

D

That’s how I feel about it. If you are military, cool, you may have a reason to be upset with it. If not, you are just bitching because someone else used a term to describe their effort. How is that possibly harming someone because they consider themselves a “warrior” in the weight room? Sometimes it may take that mentality for someone to competely change their habits and the way they look. The real question is, who are you to define someone else’s battles in life and how important they are to them?

Could a cancer patient be considered going to war by fighting the disease? Would that offend you?

Some of you are full of shit.

yeah. they wage a war on cancer. they wage war against their own obesity. i get it. i think the original question was about these people - like yourself - who’ve not acheived much athletically speaking and now want to be ‘warriors’ because they are in the gym a few nights a week.

you know, guys who pose for pictures and shit because…well…i guess i don’t know why people do that. i never have. oh, i’ve had my photo in some magazines here and there with 400-some pounds over my fucking head. but never posed. in my little brother’s tank-top. kneeling in my backyard. standing in front of my mirror. and YOU are saying someone ELSE is full of shit? oh, man.[/quote]

The funny part of hack’s post is where he says that the proffesser has not achieved much athletically. Say that part again, I love to read what stupid people type.

[quote]Plisskin wrote:
I think the concept of ‘warrior spirit’ is a good one. It helps people refine themselves. But for anyone to claim the title is silly and it only invites hostility. After all, a warrior should be at war, right? Maybe the phrasing should be changed from “I’m a warrior!” to “I’m compelled by the warrior spirit!” :wink: haha
[/quote]

I think this is a good point and recognizes an important distinction.

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Professor X wrote:
You seem to have missed the point. For me, getting my degree was no easy task. I could very easily say I “fought” to get it. It isn’t up toi you to decide how important my personal battles are. It isn’t your place to make that distinction for anyone but yourself.

I also have a professional degree. Yes, it was hard. Yes, there were many challenges to overcome.

But it was not combat. The stakes were much lower. Failure did not mean death.

Sure, if people want to go around calling themselves warriors or whatever, cool. But it doesn’t mean the label actually applies.

So… Is a person who is 6’, 135-lbs “ripped” or “shredded”? I’m willing to bet you’d say no. Why then should “warrior” have such a flexible meaning?[/quote]

Flexible meaning? You mean like, “hero” being used to describe all firefighters or policemen? I think you are making an issue here out of nothing. You expected this to only focus on weight lifters, however, many people use these terms to describe their motivation or their determination to do something.

Unless this is describing a negative acton, I think there are better things to be concerned with than whether someone works really hard and describes their “journey/fight/effort” and relates it to being a “warrior”.

Maybe YOU don’t give that much significance to these efforts, but that doesn’t mean what you believe is a standard for all of us.

[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
If putting ones life at risk is what makes someone a warrior, then I would like to say that not all military personel are warriors, and a lot of people that are not military personel are warriors.

Logging and mining are very dangerous.
Working on military computers at cheyenne mountain in Colorado Springs is not.
[/quote]

These are great counter examples that test the definition. Off the top of my head, here’s who I’d say definately are warriors:

combat soldiers
gang bangers
monguls/hell’s angels
cancer patients
police who patrol dangerous areas

Here are some "maybes::
combat athletes (pro fighters, etc.)
people who live in bad neighborhoods (where survival is a daily struggle)
police

Here are some “definately nots”:
bodybuilders
computer programmers
businessperson

I recognize, of course, that principles of war can be applied to business and other activities. But going bankrupt or missing a lift is quite a different thing from dying.

Someone mentioned the Hagakure (bushido) in a previous post.* I think it’s fair to say that all representations of the “warrior spirit” (bushido, chivalry, ninja, Jedi, whatever) are all glamorized versions of reality.

I mean, it’s probably best to separate “warrior” as soldier (read: killer) from “warrior” as an ideal. Most warrior codes had very little to do with killing and more to do with teaching killers how to act properly.

Maybe you can think about it this way. There are types of people (soldier and civilian) and codes of conduct (manly virtues/warrior code and being a pussy). A soldier who obeys the warrior code is, of course, a “warrior.” A civilian who obeys the warrior code is maybe a warrior (which is the topic of thew hole thread).

Maybe we just need to specify a new term for such a person, like “T-Man” or something. “Warrior” sounds pretty cool, though.

On a side note, I think we also need to be careful to note that being a soldier does not automatically make someone a warrior. It would be hard to argue that terrorists who kill innocent civilians on purpose are “warriors.”

Even on our side, we have the soldiers who raped and killed a 14-year old Iraqi girl and Marines who massacred civilians in Iraq and Vietnam. I’m sure there are more examples. Being willing to sacrifice their lives makes them nobler than most, but soldiers are still just men.

  • By the way, if I remember correctly, the Hagakure is not the accepted “bushido” book. I’ll be damned if I can remember the right one though! I guess I’ll have to whip out my textbooks again.