Here Are 5 Things I’ve Learned from Doing Resistance Training for Nearly 2 Decades…

By Adam Armstrong

Even though I’m only 34, I’ve been ‘working out’ for nearly 2 decades. I can still remember hitting the gym for the first time, on my 16th birthday – and instantly being hooked on the iron.

These days, even the Medical Establishment recommends people do some Strength Training at least twice a week (to build bone density and muscle).

And, with the Science now showing that steady-state long distance endurance type exercise is BAD for your HEART…

…Isn’t it about time you started taking resistance based exercise (meaning: Strength Training) seriously?

Here Are 5 Lessons I’ve Learned from Strength Training…

I hope what follows inspires you to get to the gym and lift weights more often (it’ll make you a better MAN):

#1: Persistence…

When you first go to the gym, getting STRONGER is EASY. This is because your body is being exposed to a new stimulus (resistance-based exercise). As such, for most men, it’s very easy to get stronger, and add muscle, for the first few months of training. These gains are often referred to as ‘Newbie Gains’.

Then progress slows down, and many people give up.

Or, they keep doing the same things over and over again, and simply never make any progress. This, of course, is Einstein’s definition of insanity.

So, strength training teaches persistence.

When you get ‘on a roll’ and progress happens FAST – you keep going and ride that train as hard as you can, for as long as you can.

But, even more importantly, when progress slows down, or grinds to a halt – or, you injure yourself and have to dramatically change your training for a period of time, or even take some time off – you DO NOT GIVE UP.

You don’t turn into a QUITTER.

You persist. You carry on. You find a way to reignite your progress.

This lesson can be applied to many areas of life, including running a business.

#2: How to Formulate a Plan…

When I first started training, when I was 16 years of age, I did many things in the gym that were less than optimal. Yet, I still made progress, because I was still new to training.

However, as you get stronger, you realize that you have to plan your training better, if you want to:

• Carry on getting stronger
• Avoid injuries

This ability to formulate a plan (strength training program) carries over to many areas of life. Again, business is a great example…

The bigger your business gets, the more planning you have to do to keep it growing.

#3: How to Deal with Setbacks…

Sometimes you’ll train your ass off for 3 or 4 months, and NOT get any stronger on your favorite lifts.

Sometimes you’ll injure yourself.

Sometimes other areas of your life have to take priority and you might not be able to train as hard or frequently as you’d like.

Sometimes you have young kids and they keep you up at night, and this negatively affects how hard you can train, and how well you can recover.

But, do you give up?

NOPE.

You keep going.

You deal with the setback. You figure out how to overcome it (or make the best of it).

This is another lesson the weight room taught me that can be applied to many areas of life.

#4: Delayed Gratification…

Have you ever met one of those people who never has any money, no matter how much they earn?

I’ve known plenty of people like this.

One guy in particular really sticks in my mind. He used to run his own business, in the building trade. And, he earned pretty good money.

Yet, no matter how much he earned, he never saved a penny, and come the end of the month, he’d always be moaning about being broke.

He didn’t get the idea of ‘delayed gratification’ at all.

Instead of saving, and buying a house or investing in something worthwhile, he’d go out drinking and buy everyone in the club drinks. He’d buy a wardrobe of new clothes every month. He’d go on more holidays than anybody really needs.

You get the same types in the gym…

They max out on the Bench Press every week, and all they get in return is a bum shoulder, sore elbows and a pec tear. They never get any stronger. They have no concept of delayed gratification.

The gym has taught me that sometimes you need to be willing to train your ass off for a year or more to achieve a goal. You have to be willing to NOT max out on your favorite exercise, train like a madman for months on end, and then finally SMASH a new Personal Best when you are ready. 

This takes incredible self-discipline. And patience.

And, again, it’s a lesson that carries over well to many areas of life.

For instance, when I was saving up a deposit for a house, many times I looked in my savings account and thought:

“Jesus. With that money I could buy a fancy sports car”

But, I didn’t.

Because I knew a house was way more important than a car.

And, well, you get the idea.

#5: That Health Really REALLY Matters…

At one point in time I foolishly disregarded my health and ate total CRAP in order to gain bodyweight as quickly as possible. (The more bodyweight you have, the stronger you are you see).

Anyway, this led me down a path that led to a bleeding stomach ulcer, and a total loss of vitality.

In many ways, I don’t regret doing it, because it taught me the value of health. But, it was a lesson learned the hard way – because I ended up so ill I couldn’t train for months on end!

So, the lesson here is:

Build Performance (strength) on a base of great Health. 

In the long run, that’s the only way to do it.

***

On top of all these valuable lessons that strength training can teach you, you have the more obvious benefits:

• More muscle, and a better physique
• Less body-fat (provided your nutrition is ‘on point’)
• Greater bone density (particularly important as you age, and for women)
• Increased confidence (note: I believe that strength training makes most people who do it gain confidence. However, I believe many people who do bodybuilding actually end up less confident, because they become overly critical over how they look)

Got questions?

Leave them below, and I’ll get back to you asap…