Natural Limits:
As a young buck, when I was first introduced to strength training, and the newbie gainz that come with it, I can distinctly remember thinking to myself “this is GREAT!” All I have to do is show up, work hard, and every week I will be a little bigger, and a little stronger. In no time I will be squatting a house and pressing a truck!
For a few years, I did get stronger on what seemed to be a weekly basis, but as I got further into my 20s, it slowly started to dawn on me…there was a limit to this. The reality is that no amount of hard work, no amount of sweat, no amount of hustle can overcome mother nature, because as they say, she is a mad scientist.
We were not all intended to possess the same strength levels, and we were not all intended to get infinitely stronger and more muscular. There are some genetic freaks out there, there are lots of people who don’t ever need to strength train and will be bigger, stronger, and leaner than you. This can be frustrating, but I would be lying to you if I said it wasn’t true.
Turn on your TV on any given Sunday….most of those men playing in the NFL workout like mad men, but some of them don’t, and are physically gifted enough to possess the size, strength, and speed to play in the most physically limiting sport in the world. Now that I have left you feeling discouraged and stomped on your dreams, there is a silver lining: most people don’t maximize their genetic potential.
When the results start to slow, or stagnate even a little, they give up. After a period of time, they try again, but now they are starting over again. They will see good results for a while, but ultimately, the same process will repeat itself. Be consistent and STICK with it! Be patient and realize that, much like when trying to lose fat, sometimes there are stagnant periods when the results don’t come as quickly.
The longer you train for, the more you need to celebrate the small victories in the gym. Little, tiny improvements make seem insignificant, but they DO add up over time. Do we have a limit to our strength? Sadly, yes, we do. HOWEVER, isn’t strength training about more than that for you? Don’t you do it to feel better? Look better? Spend time with friends?
Think about all of the positive experiences that strength training has provided you, and learn to love everyday as it comes. It is funny, the people that do that, that truly understand that, also always attain the best results. Why do we train?Increased strength. Mental health. Bigger biceps. A rounder butt. To break a sweat. Athletic performance. Weight loss.
There is a myriad of reasons that one would strength train, but it all comes down to what YOU want to gain as a result of the work you put it. What is your goal and motivation? Let me know down below.
