Most men begin strength training to obtain a six-pack in hopes of increasing their chances for more sex.
Nothing shocking here, right?
That was my mentality when I first walked into my college gym. I was a bugged-eyed 165-pound freshman who immediately became enamored with the weight room.
It was love at first sight. I finally found the tool that would help me get laid more frequently and become irresistible.
While I did become more muscular and attractive, my dating life was far from the only positive aspect of strength training. Little did I know that only the tip of the iceberg was beginning to be felt from strength training. Strength training provided more than just improved strength and muscle definition.
As I reflect back from over the last decade, strength training improved my life physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
While the superficial aspects of strength training garner all the attention, that's only scratching the surface of the transformative power that lifting weights provides for men. If you're on the fence about strength training or have a narrow-minded point of view, allow me to share with you six beneficial reasons why strength training will radically transform you into a better man, leader, partner, and businessman.
1. Improved confidence and self-worth
Confidence is something that I wasn't blessed with. As a naturally shy and reserved guy who floated through life passively, strength training provided me an extra boost in self-worth.
While you won't immediately change your body after one workout nor after two weeks, your life will improve after one workout. No matter your age, weight or background--strength training immediately improves your perception of yourself and your belief of what's possible out of life.
Improving your fitness often leads to other facets of life simultaneously improving due to your new developing confidence.
This newfound confidence makes you more attractive in your dating life (after all, confidence is one of women's favorite attributes about men). Beyond dating and your self-image, strength training provides confidence in your professional life. Maybe you use to have hesitations about presenting in front of the boardroom or your posture doesn't exude confidence--strength training will solve this issue.
2. A more positive identity
Our identity drives and shapes us into who we are. Our identity encompasses our character, habits, values, and behaviors. Fledgling an identity starts with integrating the right habits into your day to establish and demonstrate your type of character.
A consistent fitness habit shows more than "I just care about how I look in the mirror" because our youth and vibrancy doesn't last forever. A consistent fitness habit most importantly shows that you value yourself and how you show up to the world.
A successful fitness habit requires consistency, discipline and a vision for the long-term, which translates positively to your personal and professional relationships.
You can talk all you want, but actions speak louder than words. Let your fitness and discipline speak for your character.
3. Fights against mental illnesses
Though the stigma is slowly wearing off, males and mental illnesses are still a taboo subject that many are afraid (me included at one point) to seek out help due to shame.
Depression and various other illnesses have the ability to cripple your life and fracture your relationships. Depression and anxiety caused me to lose my sex drive and darkened my general outlook on life, which subsequently left me in the bed for days.
Depression alone in America affects more than six million men and research has shown that the majority of those who commit suicide are suffering from mental illnesses at the time of their incident.
While exercise can't solve all cases of mental illnesses, it's a valuable tool to help combat lower grades of depression and to serve as a foundation to help stabilize moods.
Strength training provides an outlet to releasing endorphins, which create feelings of euphoria, happiness, and a much-needed distraction from everyday life..
Consistently exercising allows you to create some much needed space to start thinking clearly and increases your percentages for prolonged happiness.
4. Quality relationships
From making friends to business connections to meeting the love of your life--the gym has become a social network that caters to all your needs.
Many professionals are using the gym as new networking destinations instead of chugging away at happy hours or chatting away at golf courses.
What better way to connect with potential business partners or new friends than seeing how they conduct themselves at the gym? Their work ethic at the gym provides a barometer for their character outside the gym and for what type of work ethic to expect in the office.
Maybe while getting in shape, you're also looking for someone who is compatible and shares similar values as you do. While the gym certainly has rules and etiquette about approaching women, it's still one of the best places to meet a quality woman due to instantly establishing a common interest--personal health.
5. Improves creativity and makes you richer
One of the biggest commonalities between any successful CEO, artist, writer, or high producing employer is their commitment to exercising.
Even with this known fact, many men will comfort themselves with the "I'm too busy" excuse, but this is actually counterproductive to your overall success and well-being.
On the surface, exercise seems to steal time away from your workday, but lifting weights actually lead to increased productivity.
As we age, we naturally start to become not as sharp as our younger selves, but exercising slows down the process of aging and cognitive decline. By keeping our cognitive functions intact, we are able to remain sharp and focused on our work ahead. Strength training provides us with a much-needed energy supply throughout the day; thus leading to more effective and efficient production regardless of your craft. This boost in productivity and maintaining your cognitive abilities provides dividends to your bank account.
6. Helps with sleep and other addictive behaviors
I'm an addict as well as many other men. We each have our own little tendencies and poisons that negatively influence us.
With me, it was being financially irresponsible to mask away a lot of insecurities and emotional baggage. With others, it could be porn, drugs, alcohol, gambling, shopping, video games, or many other counterproductive behaviors.
What's a big reason for these addictions?
One of the bigger reasons is due to the spike in dopamine, in non-science terms, it's your pleasure hormone. It needs to be fed and we as humans love pleasure and will get it, no matter the method it's acquired through.
However, strength training provides a dopamine boost as well, so why not receive this hormonal boost while benefiting yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually while eliminating a harmful addiction?
Strength training increases your sex appeal, but more importantly, it's going to transform you into an improved version of yourself and that helps you become a better man for the people around you.
To learn more about Julian and how to build a world-class body, no matter how busy you are, visit''The Art of Fitness and Life'and receive your free 5-day fat loss course to start building the body you want while living the lifestyle you desire.
This article was originally published at The Good Men Project.