Recently during a conversation about the rampant popularity
of CrossFit (if you’re not familiar visit http://crossfit.com/)
someone asked me, “why she would ever need to be that strong?”
As a strength coach and athlete the question caught me off
guard. I live my life driven by a
desire and passion to get stronger. The concept of strength is woven deeply
into my value system, my approach to training clients, and my daily life.
“Because it’s why we train, you can always get stronger…” I
managed to respond unconvincingly.
Her question has got me thinking a lot. Thinking about what
strength means, why we strive for it and
how strength training is a deeply personal way to understand and feel good in
your body. It is also a very emotional process.
First let’s look at the practical physical reasons why
strength training is a good idea:
- The more lean mass you have on your body, the longer you’ll live. AND the less likely you are to contract: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, arthritis etc.
- Strength is recognized as a main predictor of lifespan (see above)
- Strength training provides a shot of the hormones that will boost your resting metabolic rate, meaning your body becomes a more efficient machine and you get to eat more.
- Strength training not only builds muscle, but also strengthens bones and connective tissue and wards off inflammation that is linked to greater disease risk such as autoimmune disease and diabetes.
It’s clear there are very tangible benefits to strength
training, but what other aspects of our lives might be improved by hitting the
gym?
I’m interested in talking about the intangible benefits of
our workouts.
The barbell has taught me a lot of lessons: the importance
of humility, how to safely push my limits, how to celebrate my progress. Most importantly, challenging my body
has taught me to understand how my physical and emotional states are deeply
intertwined.
Emotion and the weight room may seem opposed at first, but
when we begin to explore the relationship between strength and feeling good, an
obvious connection takes shape.
Training is a healing process. Yes, you can strengthen that pesky VMO muscle and alleviate
your chronic knee pain, but strength training is also a deeply personal,
emotional tool for healing more than just your body.
It’s not about punishment and it’s not about pain. Yes it
will be hard, yes you will sweat. Yes you will occasionally want to yell expletives
and curse the bar for refusing to move how you want. But ultimately, you will
find the strength inside. Not just the final push of a deep heavy squat that leaves
you smiling like a maniac, but deep internal strength that is rarely accessed
in daily life.
