I’ve been lifting weights for a long time. It’s been an on and off activity but I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager.
Have I become a stronger person? No.
Do I have a bigger, more good-looking physique? No.
I am fat and diabetic. I’m have a body that is nowhere close to any athlete or one that would resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger’s.
Was all the weightlifting then worth it? To many people who don’t exercise, probably not. But for me personally, yes it was. This is because I feel good about myself after every time I do it.
I may not have met the vision I originally had in terms of a well-built body but I have to come like doing the exercises for the pump it gives me to get through the day.
I lift weights as an exercise, not as a mission to become a Mister Universe or a superhero with superior strength. As an exercise, it’s part of a lifestyle to promote my health. It keeps my mind and body in shape, even if it doesn’t bring me any nearer to what people may call the ideal type.
Weight-lifting is a no-pain no-gain sport. Routine after routine, I add a little more weight to make the exercise more challenging than the first. It is not a leisure activity or just something I do to fool myself into thinking I’m working out to look fit.
It is not without some risks and setbacks. I have incurred injuries and I’ve had to suspend lifting weights sometimes for weeks due to strained muscles.
But I have achieved milestones I never thought I’d reach. For example, I never realised that at 58 years old, I could squat with a barbell weighing close to 200 lbs.
I didn’t gain without pain, never mind what some experts say otherwise.
The pain is part of the investment. The benefits may not turn out what I’d thought they’d be but I’m glad for the gains.
Ellery's Essays 