55 Awesome Things About Working Out
March 4, 2011 by Admin: Joe Hashey, CSCS
Filed under Featured, Strength Training
Last week I was burnt out. 100% burnt out. I had to sit down with my family and discuss the future of my projects, including the gym and writing free articles/videos here on Synergy.
Everything was on the table…and I flipped over to one of my favorite websites for a boost - ted.com. If you haven’t heard of the site, it is outstanding. It doesn’t have anything at all to do with strength training directly, but it contains speeches from some the biggest innovators and leaders in the world.
I’ve listend to hours of speeches from focusing sound like light to creating game systems on top of social networking.
Two days ago I was drifitng around the site and clicked on one called “The 3 a’s of being awesome.” It gave me the boost I was looking for and I have been cruising since. Even though this is a strength site, I wanted to share this with you.
3 a’s of Being Awesome.
It is 17 minutes, but let me summarize the 3 a’s. Authenticity, awareness, and attitude. I reached out to the Synergy VIP newsletter and my facebook friends to ask them what is awesome about training. Here’s a list with my input added.
107 Awesome Things About Training
1. The first time someone strong says “good job.”
2. Tight sleeves from training…not wearing an XS shirt.
3. Opening a jar with ease.
4. First 225 bench press.
5. When someone else helps you unload your deadlift bar.
6. Always finding something new to accomplish
7. Getting a heavy dead lift
8. Seeing someone else get a big lift.
9. Watching hardwork pay off.
10. Having to lean toward the doors when you and a buddy are in a normal car.
11. Walking into a commercial gym and having everyone wonder what you are doing when you squat.
12. Protein shakes.
13. Carb loading…
14. …and “Dirty bulking”
15. DOMS <= sometimes!
16. Learning something new every week.
17. Nightly pose downs in the mirror…yeah you do it too!
This is how my pose down looks…in my mind
18. Black and blue muffin top marks from flexing your belly during a squat
19. The first time you lift enough to get light headed
20. The pump.
21. Knowing what a curl…er I mean squat rack is for.
22. Becoming the proud owner of a new vein popping out.
23. Seeing the value in a good sweat.
24. The fact you are always better when you leave than when you got there. – Chris
25. the fact that youre part of the minority who gives enough of a shit to take positive action to prolong your life expectancy/quality etc. – Jennifer
26. The rush from owning a lift. The boost you get from breaking a PR. – Kris
27. The high. – Chase
28. The hate you have for the weights right after you just smashed a pr. That feeling of nausea you get when you are working so hard that the pyruvate is barely able to keep up and it changes the ph of your blood. – Kenny
29. the aggression, stress relief. Yasaf
30. The feeling you get when you break another PR. Yasaf
31. Endorphins. Yasaf
32. DOMs a few days later and the feeling that you earned it. Yasaf
33. …general well being. Yasaf
34. but to me the greatest is when i DL. that quiet zen moment- just you and a lump of inert metal and the knowledge that you will lift it through sheer concentration and will power – and it’s all you. just perfect. Yasaf
35. Pushing your body to it’s limits and at the same time releasing your physical potensial. Martin
36. Knowing that your opponent is doing what you’re doing. Darragh
37. Seeing yourself make improvements over time. Christopher
38. Getting STRONG! The feelings, both physical and mental, that come with crushing goals and in the process making yourself and those around you better. Aaron
39. The way the blood rushes to your muscles and for a little while (I admired my legs and arm in the shower after last nights workout.) they are pumped up and swollen. 
Michael
40. The fact that you can leave your problems/issues at the door. You can block them out and work on REAL physical/mental(or internal)problems rather than the bullshit modern life throws at you! Also ,knowing that you have something great to look forward to each time you train rather than the people you deal with on a daily basis! e.g., Stupid complaints like: My food is 10mins late, Your driver forgot my pepsi! Stupid clueless people don’t know what they are living for!! Sorry to rant!!! Ken.
41. Getting stronger feels awesome… conquering new PRs, waking up knowing you have moved forward and added years to your life, I train at 5 am so… feeling energized throughout the day after a good trainin session…Franco
42. You get to know yourself and inner workings very well. Emilio
43. Your health becomes a practical part of your daily life. Emilio
44. You learn how to conquer your worst enemy, yourself. Emilio
45. Training is an opportunity to focus the mind and visualize the things you are going to dominate and own in your life. Josh
46. results! Ray
47. Training helps to obliterate self-limiting thoughts. When one realizes the power they possess their mindset changes from “I can’t” to “I will”. Michael
48. I think it’s one of the very few activities in this world that allows you go beyond your last effort almost every time you go there. At most other sports/activities ppl turn up and just do the same thing each week – tennis, squash, running, cycling, soccer, football, etc. Unless you are highly motivated to improve yourself. In the gym if you don’t increase your weight, you feel like you shouldn’t be there. Matt
49. The victory of acomplishing something that a week, month or year ago you couldn’t do. Brian.
50. whats NOT awesome about it?im not an athlete, i am not a strongman,i am not a bodybuilder,although i strive for results..i am a 33 year old father of 3 that feels good, looks good and OWN any task presented to me. as Nate Green would say-”i am my own hero”. its a lifestyle. David.
51. Busting Chops. – Pat (Facebook video of busting aaron’s chops - and him killing a big deadlift)
52. You are your own boss. Dynamic Duo
53. The Adrenaline rush that make you feel UNSTOPPABLE! Rob
54. Taking hundreds of pounds on your back and making the guys you train with look like shit. Then telling them about it. Jason
55. Going beyond your limits, beyond what you think you are capable of doing. Julia
YOUR RESPONSE NEEDED
Add to this list in the comment section and share the inspiration with your friends via email and facebook (share button in the top right of this post.
I’m holding the Exercise of the Week (awesome barbell tricep exercise) HOSTAGE until we hit 100 awesome things about strength training.
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
- Joe
PS. Sorry to my VIP’rs if this link didn’t work. Here it is again to reserve your spot: Free webinar with Elliott Hulse.
PPS. I know there are 3 more in my email – its not opening now but I will add them as soon as I can get in!
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watching your training and hardwork pay off when you are faster stronger and better than anyone on the same field as you
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Feeling crushed by the bar….and still getting the weight up.
seeing improvements no matter how small or type.
Being unbreakable when all your middle aged friends and coworkers are complaining about minor ailments.
Excellent addition guys!
Gene you are right on, an awesome thing about training is you can visually see improvement and calculate exact growth – very motivating!
Joe
having your 4 year old say that daddy is big and strong. (even though you would get that if you were a fat slob anyway)
Watching a client of mine in her 60s go through a workout that would kick most 30 year old’s butt!
Getting after it and hitting PRs with my son and daughter. Watching them hit PRs focuses me. They keep me driving for more. Hopefuly I keep driving them.
im sure everyone is aware but just as a reminder- one of my favorite articles about lifting is The Iron by Henry Rollins. If you have never read it-read it. if it has been awhile-revisit. thhis always motivates me.makes me hungry for more.here is a link…
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/henryrollins_iron.html
getting comments on having nice shoulders a day after you were just doing shoulder complexes and noticing your shoulders yourself. yes, affirmations!!
Not being the fat kid anymore! lol! …but still enjoying donuts…
Doing an effective, but unusual exercise, and having folks ask what muscles it works. Happens all the time while doing shoulder prehab work.
The look you get from other people at the gym when you finish your hard and heavy training session with sets of burpee pullups – confusion/astonishment/envy
Having all the hardwork and dedication you put in the weightroom translate to your life in giving you the determination that you can take on anything challenging in your path!
1. Doing stuff that high school or college kids won’t/can’t do.
2. Having people think you are 10 years younger (or more) than you are.
3. Getting “the look” from people 10 – 20 years younger than you are.
4. Breathing!!!!!
1. Training guys and seeing them perfect form and put more weight on the bar.
2. Zurcher Squat
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Watching your wife try just as hard as you do and her results!
Doing 15 pull-ups with added weight, and your friends using assistance bands.
training until you bleed training until you puke
Watching the bigger and younger bodybuilders in my gym look at me funny as I take ten 45lb plates and place them near the bar I am going to be using to deadlift, then later noticing them trying to hide the fact that they are staring in awe wondering how some guy who doesn’t look like he is in that great of shape is pulling way more then they can.
Playing those battle songs loud as hell and yelling as you struggle with that last rep while listening things like “brothers of metal together again, with blood in our voices we ride, we’ll fight till we win or we’ll fight until we die” (Manowar) GOOD STUFF!!