Strength training is known for having positive effects on building muscle, stimulating health benefits and improving endurance. However, it also provides opportune moments for learning valuable lessons. Many people might be surprised that the challenges that strength training introduces can foster mental growth too, but you discover a lot about yourself throughout the process.
Whether you’re training for a triathlon or picking up a new hobby, here are several common ways that strength training can have a positive impact throughout our lives:
Failure is a Friend
Often, we get frustrated or discouraged when we fail at something. Failure can generate complex feelings, but it’s a part of learning how to become more successful. If you take a step back, the challenge is often not as bad as one might think, and it allows us to reflect and analyze the situation to redefine the strategy. One thing strength training can teach someone from the get-go is that failure is a part of training. It’s normal not to be good at something when you first start.
When you start deadlifting, for instance, many people can’t lift 300 pounds straight away. It doesn’t mean it’s a failure; it simply means you don’t have the skills to do it properly yet. From here, lifters can learn how to hip hinge and root their feet. Next, they learn how to engage their lats. Following this, they might learn how to create tension through the body and drive their feet into the ground to start lifting kettlebells or barbells off the ground. It’s a process that gets easier over time and the more you practice and learn what works and what doesn’t, you will eventually build enough strength to lift 300 pounds. During this learning journey, you can learn to become more passionate with yourself and realize that learning the necessary skills is part of the training process. Embracing failure and telling us about our techniques is a great way to help us get closer to achieving our goal.
It’s Crucial to Get Outside your Comfort Zone
In life we’re faced with tough decisions. We often ask ourselves if we’re strong enough to tackle the task at hand. Then, we must decide if we need to ask for help or if we need a bit of self-growth to build endurance on our own. In any training session, these opportunities are mirrored for you. We might often be uncomfortable with asking for spotting or form techniques. As you do become comfortable with practicing, lifters start to become more confident and realize that it’s beneficial to ask for help during and outside of your training. Strength training often pushes us past our limits, but it allows us to get out of our comfort zone and make us more decisive as confidence builds.
During strength training, start by lifting light weights and slowly progress to heavier ones. This same progression can be applied to any aspect of everyday life. Start small and work your way up. Although you may struggle, it’s crucial to challenge yourself both mentally and physically.
Staying Focused and Consistent Will Get you Closer to the Goal
Becoming a star athlete doesn’t happen overnight. But when you finally see progress, you better understand the value and rewards of discipline generated through focus and consistency. The discipline you pick up during strength training can benefit other areas of your life, including your career. Like strength training, building expertise in a professional career can take a similar amount of focus and consistency. It takes small steps over time to create and build value in a business venture over time. Strength training can also help stimulate the mental clarity, stress relief and confidence that comes with training in such a challenging medium. As you push yourself, it’s common to eventually stop underestimating the rewards you’ll receive from your hard work because they’ll start to become apparent. It’s just important to remember that everything takes time and the payoff of slow growth is well worth the wait.
As you go about strength training, it’s important to maintain a positive mindset. Remember, it’s ok to be vulnerable as you learn something new because life is a learning process. Strength training is the perfect medium for anyone embracing these lessons to incorporate into their lives, as the numerous mental and health benefits can seamlessly apply into all your challenges and triumphs.
