Why Lifting Heavy Weights is Spectacular For Guys

It should be no secret to you that exercise is good for your health. From a young age we’re told that you need to be active, eat your veggies and sleep enough to grow up big and be healthy. As we grow older, most of us at least nail the sleep enough part (bedtime never felt so good), but the other two are where most guys fall a little (or a lot) short.

Now, I can harp on about the various health benefits that eating healthy and following a solid gym regimine can bring about in your life, but this post is about a slightly different topic. Yes, a healthy lifestyle will keep you living longer and have you feeling better in general, but there’s an added benefit to putting in solid effort in the gym: the physical results your body starts to show. I’m talking about “the gains” that every gym rat is after.

Let me be clear, these results are not gained from doing cardio 5 times a week, so get off of the treadmill and pick up a dumbbell, boys. Banged out a few sets of bicep curls? Right, you may continue. 

When guys start to put a real effort into training and weightlifting for the first time, testosterone levels increase, fat gets burned and muscles start to grow and expand. Your shirts start to fit a little tighter around your chest and arms and you soon find yourself needing to buy smaller fitting jeans. This is when something magical happens. You start to feel a boost in confidence and a greater comfortability in your own skin.

Don’t get me wrong, a lot of guys are happy with who they are and what they look like, who don’t feel the need to work out to be their best self and that is 100% fine. But, for those of you who feel like there’s something lacking in yourself and want to improve it, this can be a BIG helper. When you improve your physique, you start to feel more noticed. It’s no secret that a lot of women like a well-built guy. You feel more comfortable in your clothing because of the increased confidence that accompanies your new-found muscles. And as cheesy as it sounds, you feel like a badass. Like you can take on the world. Just like a superhero.

Now, the internet will be your main source of info for starting your peck-chiseling journey, but to start you off, I want to give you some advice that I’ve found most helpful along the way.

1. Muscles are made in the kitchen. Adjusting your eating habits should be the first step you take to developing your physique. This doesn’t mean eating chicken and broccoli for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It just means that you need to change up your meals to include enough protein, complex carbs and vegetables to sustain your muscle growth. Eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day will help to stave off hunger and fight the urges to stuff your face with unhealthy foods. Throw in a protein shake after working out and you’re good to go. It is hard work, but visualising the results of doing this is what helped me to push through.
2. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Set yourself up with a solid workout plan before you even set foot in the gym. Look for a program that targets your individual muscle groups separately and includes at least 2 rest days in your week. A simple internet search such as “workout routine for muscle gain” will yield a ton of helpful results that you can browse through and pick what fits your goals best. Start out with a basic plan and build a strong foundation to work from. When you feel you’ve reached a good level of fitness, you can start to experiment with different training styles to see what suits your needs best. 
3. Set realistic goals: Yes, you should aim high and envision yourself with a great physique, but you also need to be realistic about the time and effort it’s going to take to get there. Be happy with the results you get along the way. Your idea of what physique you want to have will shift as you grow and progress. As the saying goes, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.

The most important thing to do, though, is to have fun. Don’t feel the need to count calories and starve yourself of all the joys in your life. Eating healthy, nutritious foods can be really delicious. Do your homework and browse the internet for healthy meal prep ideas. You will find a ton of useful info. Also focus more on using correct form when lifting than trying to throw around heavy weights. Your muscles will thank you in the end.

Go get lifting fellas.