Why I Started Lifting Weights
When I was a teenager, I played soccer at a fairly high level. Never high enough to be scouted by colleges, but my team ranked in the top 20 in the state. Unfortunately, I was a late bloomer and lean. I started with some basic free weights in the basement, an over-the-door pull-up bar that you've seen countless times, and a desire to not be the scrawniest guy on the team anymore. If I'm being really honest, it was also for the girls - anyone who tells you they never did it for anyone else is lying. From about ages 16 to 25, weight training went from a way to get better at soccer and look good to a passion and a way of life. Lifting weights was no longer about playing soccer - my cleats had long been hung up - or as a way to get girls - I was in a relationship with the girl who would become my wife. Lifting weights was a celebration of my body's physical abilities and a way to push myself mentally.
It all comes down to two things: wanting to look good and wanting to feel good. I could start listing hormones and how they are affected by exercise (cortisol goes down, serotonin and dopamine go up), and the effects of exercise on brain function, self-esteem, focus, mental health, sleep, and insomnia, but it will always go back to wanting to feel good or look good.
In late 2018, I finally took the plunge to leave corporate America and make fitness my career. I had already been writing workout plans for friends and family for years, so I figured I could make it my full-time job. The next four years were a whirlwind of getting certified, starting at an amazing gym in DC, Mint, learning to adapt to COVID, and then starting my own virtual training business. For me personally, fitness is no longer about athletic performance or a purely aesthetic endeavor. I figured there would still be a fair amount of people wanting all the normal desires that come with working out ("I want to tone up/slim down/bulk up/lose XX on the scale"), and I was okay with being a part of that process. I was surprised when I realized that, for me, the most rewarding moments were not when a client went from using the 10lb dumbbells to the 15s, or when they lost 3lbs right before their vacation. The best moments were when a client told me they could pour water from their pitcher with one hand instead of two, they were able to being the groceries in on one trip instead of three, or they could get down on the ground and wrestle with the kids without fear of throwing out their back. Fitness has been about helping my clients live their lives every day and trying to help them live a little easier. I have helped clients who have been injured, pregnant, immobile, or unhappy with how they couldn’t do something and worked with their circumstances to try to help them.
I always try to keep an open mind when I hear someone say they don't enjoy working out or haven't found a style that works for them. Whether it's classic weight lifting, CrossFit, yoga, rock climbing, cycling, martial arts, or something else, there's bound to be a form of exercise that suits their interests and goals. Denying oneself the opportunity to move is denying oneself the chance to feel and look good, and that's not something I wish on anybody.
