What made you start strength training?

[AlexPowell]

What made you start strength training?

I didn't know anything about training when I first started. I got a gym membership and after milling around on machines for a month, realised that it was boring and decided to do overhead pressing and deadlifting. I picked these because they just seemed the most manly and awesome

After a few weeks I had started just trying to go as heavy as possible on these lifts. I was doing behind the neck push presses with 70kg and deadlifting 160kg at a body weight of around 60kg lol. This absolutely huge guy approached me and said something I'll never forget. "Lifting for one or two reps is good for strength, but if you want to get RIIIIIIIIIIIPPED you need to go lighter and for more reps, do you know how to use a smith machine?"

You can hear in your head how he said "ripped" lmao. I tried his bench press drop set in the smith machine, decided that was boring and if I liked training for strength then I'd just train for strength instead. I found a video of me training at this time

[video=youtube;sgliZ84nSdQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgliZ84nSdQ[/video]

 

[Hyde]

I got into the gym in college because I had gained the freshman 15 (more like 20-25lbs in my case) and was encouraged to join a couple classmates in getting an easy health credit by attending the school’s gym x days per week. I had never been in athletics and had zero exercise knowledge.

Before long I was dropping the fat as I got a little more sensible with diet, and even just screwing around in the gym my muscles were beginning to shape and tighten - I actually had a bicep! This was a natural progression over time until I got into full body lifting eventually and discovered that I really enjoyed lifting heavy, and progressing things like a 5x5. More important than the physical changes, I was tangibly getting stronger.

I have always wanted to be big and strong since I was little, but never really thought it was something I was capable of. When the results started coming, I started to believe.

 

[dds]

HS football and wrestling....plus seeing The Kaz on WSM at 16yrs old

 

[Hyde]

HS football and wrestling....plus seeing The Kaz on WSM at 16yrs old

If you ever get to meet him...he’s exactly like he was when he announced for WSM. He is actually really interesting to talk to, a great storyteller.

He’s still beefy AF; his arms are still world class.

 

[Humble]

I started lifting because I wanted to be a football star in high school and beyond. Became a co-captain and all-conference in high school. Just missed conference MVP AND “All-State” honors. Ended up being an average Division III college player on a great team. Three of my teammates got NFL tryouts. Not me, LOL! Too slow and injury prone. My 40 yard dash was 5.0 seconds, 4.9 with the wind at my back.

Had a great high school and college football career. Would love to be a strength coach for a high school football team when I retire.

 

[kisaj]

My dad. I was skateboarding professionally in my teens in the early 90s and skinny as can be- 6' 155lbs. I wanted to start going on demo tours and my dad said they'd only support it if I could properly defend myself. So he got me into the iron and boxing. I packed on 30lbs and grasped basic boxing concepts very quickly and fell in love with strength training. Feeling powerful and all of the attention I was getting from the ladies made it addictive. It fed my ego and became part of my life. 44 now and I've never stopped.

 

[swimfan65]

25 years ago, i was tall 6'6 and skinny. I decided i wanted to be big and strong. Now im about 330 and have been training fairly consistently all of those years. I lift heavy every day that i train...and i love it.

 

[Borashi]

I do it to feel better mentally. The physical aspect is an added bonus.

 

[thePath]

Campus cop said I could skip p.e. if I lifted with him.

 

[dds]

If you ever get to meet him...he’s exactly like he was when he announced for WSM. He is actually really interesting to talk to, a great storyteller.

He’s still beefy AF; his arms are still world class.

I wish I could get the chance to ever meet him....I'd ask him for a huge hug...he is def the one that got me to from skinny fat to strong fat

 

[Hyde]

I wish I could get the chance to ever meet him....I'd ask him for a huge hug...he is def the one that got me to from skinny fat to strong fat

Go to the Arnold in Columbus Ohio, or a Giants Live show (he has been at the North American one in Indiana last 2 years).

 

[StoneMountain]

I got into the gym when I was in high school. Wanted to look and feel better and was successful at that after I lost 50+ pounds. After that, it became an obsession.
I didn’t start training for strength until I joined the Marine Corps and started training with some of the guys at my unit, both who were competitive Powerlifters.