Why Do Men Lift

[quote]Dedicated wrote:
PGJ wrote:
Among the usual reasons, I have had this weird feeling since high school that some day in my future I will be in a life-or-death situation that will require me to fight to survive. I guess it’s like a phobia of getting my ass kicked or murdered. Being bigger and stronger than normal, in my opinion is a deterent. Dabbling in boxing and martial arts combined with physical strength is a security blanket.

Plus I want to look good lekkid.

What’s lekkid? Oh, and carry a 44. Mag in case that situation comes up. :wink:

D[/quote]

Lekkid is like looking so good nekkid that women’s panties just fly off at the site of you. I intend to look “lekkid” by next spring break.

Can’t answer for all men, but my reasons are-

Keeps me in tune with my body.

Keeps me from going nuts. Sometimes I just have to put the blather and bullshit on a shelf for a while, clear my head, and push some weight.

Nothing else there, just me and some weight.

I have a hard time understanding and relating to the cosmetic aspects of lifting. I find it hard to give a crap what some girl thinks when I’ll be dead in a few seconds if I don’t get a few hundred lbs. off of my chest.

For me it’s an internal challenge.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Dedicated wrote:
PGJ wrote:
Among the usual reasons, I have had this weird feeling since high school that some day in my future I will be in a life-or-death situation that will require me to fight to survive. I guess it’s like a phobia of getting my ass kicked or murdered. Being bigger and stronger than normal, in my opinion is a deterent. Dabbling in boxing and martial arts combined with physical strength is a security blanket.

Plus I want to look good lekkid.

What’s lekkid? Oh, and carry a 44. Mag in case that situation comes up. :wink:

D

Lekkid is like looking so good nekkid that women’s panties just fly off at the site of you. I intend to look “lekkid” by next spring break.[/quote]

Ah, now I see. I to aspire to “look” lekkid!

D

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Dedicated wrote:
PGJ wrote:
Among the usual reasons, I have had this weird feeling since high school that some day in my future I will be in a life-or-death situation that will require me to fight to survive. I guess it’s like a phobia of getting my ass kicked or murdered. Being bigger and stronger than normal, in my opinion is a deterent. Dabbling in boxing and martial arts combined with physical strength is a security blanket.

Plus I want to look good lekkid.

What’s lekkid? Oh, and carry a 44. Mag in case that situation comes up. :wink:

D

Lekkid is like looking so good nekkid that women’s panties just fly off at the site of you. I intend to look “lekkid” by next spring break.[/quote]

How good do you have to look so that womens panties fly off in your surrounding area?

[quote]Dedicated wrote:
PGJ wrote:
Among the usual reasons, I have had this weird feeling since high school that some day in my future I will be in a life-or-death situation that will require me to fight to survive. I guess it’s like a phobia of getting my ass kicked or murdered. Being bigger and stronger than normal, in my opinion is a deterent. Dabbling in boxing and martial arts combined with physical strength is a security blanket.

Plus I want to look good lekkid.

What’s lekkid? Oh, and carry a 44. Mag in case that situation comes up. :wink:

D[/quote]

You don’t know? I bet you are a virgin.

Crap, get in a hurry and screw up a word and look what happens. Gotta have thick skin around here.

To be the best I can can be.

As someone said above there is a transition that happens, or at least I’ve heard it happen several times.

1 - Guy(usually a little younger) starts to lift weights in hopes of attracting women.

2 - Guy likes lifting weights

3 - Guy starts to see improvement. Guy likes improvement

4 - Guy continues lifting, but now he does it to better himself, to test himself. To be the best he can be.

Hmmm…why do I lift. Well it cetainly wasn’t to get laid. I’m just not that shallow. I think it was to make me into more than I was. Get bigger, get stronger. Impress myself. Never being the best in other sports, I found that lifting was not only fun, but something I excelled at.

I liked pushing myself during workouts and the challenge of moving the weight up. It seems there isn’t a ceiling of accomplishment. The more you push yourself, the better you get. You are your limit. That’s why I lift.

I started pretty much out of a bad self image. I hated the way I looked, felt, and was that depressed kid you see in high school that’s voted most like to go “Columbine”.

I retreated to the weight room to try and do something about it, with no knowledge, no Muscle and Fiction, no idea what I was doing. I literally walked around to the machines and read the instruction cards (it was a McGym).

Later I joined a real dive, with no heat in winter, no air in summer except two floor fans. No cardio machines, four power racks and four flat pig iron benches, and the only weight machines were one leg extension and one leg curl. You know, the place you fall in love with and the owner gives you a key so he can go home and you lock up.

My workouts were terrible, overtrained copies from THE Encyclopedia. But it was a great time, and since I was a beginner, I grew just a touch.

Ultimately though, the greatest benifit that training has given me is not the outside image or the health benifits. It is the control that I started to accept for my life and the realization that I could change if I had the right knowledge and attitude. It helped me to get off my ass and realize that yes, some things just happen to you, but more often than not, your problems are a direct result of what you are doing wrong.

[quote]medevac wrote:
I started pretty much out of a bad self image. I hated the way I looked, felt, and was that depressed kid you see in high school that’s voted most like to go “Columbine”.

I retreated to the weight room to try and do something about it, with no knowledge, no Muscle and Fiction, no idea what I was doing. I literally walked around to the machines and read the instruction cards (it was a McGym).

Later I joined a real dive, with no heat in winter, no air in summer except two floor fans. No cardio machines, four power racks and four flat pig iron benches, and the only weight machines were one leg extension and one leg curl. You know, the place you fall in love with and the owner gives you a key so he can go home and you lock up.

My workouts were terrible, overtrained copies from THE Encyclopedia. But it was a great time, and since I was a beginner, I grew just a touch.

Ultimately though, the greatest benifit that training has given me is not the outside image or the health benifits. It is the control that I started to accept for my life and the realization that I could change if I had the right knowledge and attitude. It helped me to get off my ass and realize that yes, some things just happen to you, but more often than not, your problems are a direct result of what you are doing wrong.

[/quote]

Hey, good points. The Iron Game is definitely a great teacher. If you learn how to be successful in it the lessons learned transfer to other areas in your life.

D

[quote]Dedicated wrote:
medevac wrote:
I started pretty much out of a bad self image. I hated the way I looked, felt, and was that depressed kid you see in high school that’s voted most like to go “Columbine”.

I retreated to the weight room to try and do something about it, with no knowledge, no Muscle and Fiction, no idea what I was doing. I literally walked around to the machines and read the instruction cards (it was a McGym).

Later I joined a real dive, with no heat in winter, no air in summer except two floor fans. No cardio machines, four power racks and four flat pig iron benches, and the only weight machines were one leg extension and one leg curl. You know, the place you fall in love with and the owner gives you a key so he can go home and you lock up.

My workouts were terrible, overtrained copies from THE Encyclopedia. But it was a great time, and since I was a beginner, I grew just a touch.

Ultimately though, the greatest benifit that training has given me is not the outside image or the health benifits. It is the control that I started to accept for my life and the realization that I could change if I had the right knowledge and attitude. It helped me to get off my ass and realize that yes, some things just happen to you, but more often than not, your problems are a direct result of what you are doing wrong.

Hey, good points. The Iron Game is definitely a great teacher. If you learn how to be successful in it the lessons learned transfer to other areas in your life.

D[/quote]

Quoted for truth. I had little discipline in life until I became disciplined in my lifting. Now it spills over easily to diet, work, back to school, etc.

I have only one regret in my years lifting- that I didn’t start sooner.

I go to the gym to pick up on the “entry level” fat chicks! looking for the proverbial “easy lay” HA
sorry had to get that out of my system.

A gambit of reasons:

  • sports was always a part of my youth, weight lifting was a part of the curriculum.
  • Balance training for snowboarding… CO represent!
  • have a visually appealing physique
  • like ll cool J says “mamma said knock you out.”
  • gaining the feeling that you are an elite member of the “fast food population”
  • Having other peoples girlfriends stare at you is pretty cool too (although this shows that I am a sick/twisted and immoral human “I’ll be Dat!”)

I lift, or for a better term, EXERCISE, for a variety of reasons.

  1. I want to be the first male on my dads side of the family that lives past the age of 65.

  2. Its fun. Honestly, I cant think of a better way than to spend an afternoon snoboarding, rock climbing, or hittin the weights.

  3. Yup, to look good and get laid.

  4. Ive suffered with depression issues in the past, and exercising/healthy eating has been the best thing for it Ive ever did.

  5. I tend to get into physical altercations at least once every few months or so. LOL

  6. Im just plained hooked. Maybe Im an adrenalin junkie. I know for sure Im a testosterone junkie. Its the greatest drug ever IMO.

PRs!!!

Duh.

[quote]MODOK wrote:

Nowadays lifting is as essential as oxygen to my soul. Its my oldest friend who will always be there. Regardless of whether I have had a bad day or great, the old musty plates and slightly rusted bar will be there when I get home to tlift me up, test my fortitude, and humble me on occasion. Lifting has made me a better person over these years, and I can only be thankful that Providence has allowed me the health to continue to do this wonderful thing that I love so much. [/quote]

I doubt I could have said this any better!

I started because I wanted to be tough. I loved toughness from as early as I can remember. I could do 100 situps and push ups at the age of 6 I think. I did things very “wrong” for many years but loved the feeling of being stronger than other kids. I was not a bully and am not a bully. I just like to be strong.

I am now not super strong but much stronger than the average population. I’m actually starting to want to lift for more asthetic reason’s now that I’m 30, funny how I’m shifting gears a little. It is like oxygen to me, I love it, it is a huge part of who I am. I don’t understand others who say they hate training, it is a passion for me.

I started lifting because I just wanted big muscles, and I liked it. I hadn’t even noticed girls at the time. I was in fifth grade. After I figured out the girls liked buff dudes, that was just extra motivation, but it wouldn’t make any difference. I just love to exercise and be active.

Wow, i guess i was the rarity here that did it for the hot ass in the “hyper” at the university. the nice side-effect was that i went from 185 to 225lbs (at 6’4", that was a big difference). that was almost 20yrs ago and after a 8 year hiatus, i am back. unfortunately for my wife, i am up to 280 and on the road to 300. and yeah, i am to the point of “lekkid” with the only woman that matters.

I think a lot of guys lift for different reasons, but one of them is to try and impress other guys. I think they want to walk around and have other guys say damn I wish I was that big or for intimidation.

Over the last couple years talking to lots of women at work, they almost all tell me they don’t want a guy who is big or really ripped. They want someone who they can put their arms around and has some softness to them and they can get their arms around. That is why most women like Brad Pitt, Ryan Reynolds,etc they are fit and not really big.

I lift because I like doing it, makes me feel better about myself and keeps me from getting hurt while playing hockey, lacrosse, boxing, etc

I would just like to comment on the women thing- it’s my opinion that most women like Brad Pitt or Ryan Reynolds because they are famous, not just because they can get their arms around them.

Look at Tim McGraw. There’s thousands of guys from my hometown that look just like him, yet lots of women freak out over McGraw because he’s famous. Doesn’t make me want to look like him.

I saw clubbells on the Internet, and thought it looked like a pretty sweet way to a more efficient body.

I hadn’t lifted since high school gym class, 10 years earlier. I never really played a sport outside of gym class either. But I built myself a pair of clubbells out of the plastic K-Mart whiffle bats, and worked out with those every morning.

A few months later, I realized that I would need to get into real weight lifting to develop all around.

Physical development is for me just another way to “Be all that I can be”, which is what I owe creation for my existence. As well, competence and self-sufficiency have long been a driving factor in my life.

I just couldn’t stand any longer, seeing so much potential in the mirror, and doing nothing with it. So I did.

(138 at 15% to 192 at 15%, in my first one and a half years)