I wrote earlier about five strength training movements and claimed they would make you a healthier, happier, and more productive person. I was asked, “why?” This is a fair question, and I should have known better than to throw out a claim without properly articulating the benefits. I don’t expect anyone to buy my software just because I say it is great. I’ll apply the same principle to my strength training claim.
Let me tell you my story. A year ago, I’d come home from the office every day and lie flat on floor in my living room. It was the only way to relieve the pain in my lower back Then I started strength training. I learned and trained the five basic movements, press, squat, deadlift, clean and jerk, and snatch. Within six months, my back pain was gone.
It turns out that I was just weak. I wasn’t strong enough to hold myself up behind a desk all day. I know I was weak not just because my pain disappeared but because my strength gains have been dramatic. I can now deadlift twice my bodyweight, a level that is one hundred pounds more than my first attempt at a maximum deadlift. The key metric is not how much I can lift now, it is how little I could lift when I started. You might say “well you’re just pathetic.” But here’s the thing, I had just finished qualifying for and running the Boston Marathon. I thought I was “in shape.” Which along a single dimension of fitness is true, however, aerobic fitness is not enough.
Another word of caution here, DO NOT go to your gym to find out what your max deadlift is today. It takes months of training and learning proper technique before you should even attempt a max lift.
These movements work because they are functional. Think of each one of the movements in terms of everyday life. A press is putting a box of photos on the top closet shelf. The deadlift is lifting your couch. The clean and jerk is picking up a bag of mulch. Weakness, not age or anything else is the reason that you are sore for a month after spending the weekend cleaning your garage. Get strong.