1. Lifting increases your testosterone
As discussed in a previous issue, there are a ton of societal and environmental factors that have led to a massive dip in young men’s testosterone levels. One way to combat this is with weight training. Lifting heavy weights, especially leg exercises, significantly increases testosterone production.
2. Consistent gains require delayed gratification
In a world of instant gratification, exercise is a way for us to practice the valuable skill that is delayed gratification. Most people don’t see huge results in their first few weeks or months lifting weights. The body takes time to adapt and it doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t wake up the day after your first workout and immediately look like a professional bodybuilder. It might take 500 or more sessions to see significant progress—that’s upwards of two years. However, if you have the patience and the mental fortitude to stick with it, your results will be amazing.
3. It takes discipline to create and stick to a routine at the gym
Going hand in hand with the last point is the discipline it takes to stay consistent with your routine and diet. Nobody wants to wake up early to exercise. It takes discipline. When you aren’t seeing results it’s so easy to just skip a session. Don’t. Be disciplined. Discipline in one area of your life bleeds into other areas, making you a better person as a whole.
4. Increased bone density and reduced injury risk
Increasing your bone density might not be as sexy as some of the other reasons to lift weights on this list, but it’s definitely important as you age. Eventually we’ll grow old and I, for one, want to be active and mobile into my old age. Having strong bones is the best way to limit the risk that you break a hip or struggle to make it up stairs as you enter old age.
5. Improved confidence
Whether they admit it or not, most people care about their appearance. Fashion or physique, you undoubtedly feel more confident when you like how you look. On a recent drive to Tofino, I saw a sign for a gym that I feel summarizes this point well: it was called Look Better Naked Gym. Confidence is key, and lifting weights is a great way to feel and look more confident.