Wow, I haven't updated this in months!
Here are some character traits that weightlifting has instilled in me. Even if I never competed or trained to compete again, these are with me for life and part of me!
Some of these blend into others, but you get the idea.
CONFIDENCE
I think the most important thing that weightlifting has given me has been self-confidence. It would shock people that know me today, but when I was younger I didn’t have a lot of self-confidence! I hadn’t done anything to EARN it yet. I felt like I had nothing to offer the world and was too scared of failure and rejection to go beyond my comfort zone. As a result I did not do and try a lot of activities that I really wanted to. (When I started my job people thought I was a transfer from another store because I carried myself with confidence and treated everyone with respect). As a child and in my teens, I thought I was “just not athletic,” which was ridiculous. I was such an agile, explosive and quick girl. I was always running, jumping and throwing. Later in life it was just a matter of finding the right sport for me.
Weightlifting and Powerlifting are sports that I love so much that I would make almost any sacrifice for and sometimes that sacrifice is my self-comfort and emotional self-defense. Other times it is hanging out with friends or making more money. When you find your (true) passion, nothing can stand in your way.
When you lift you need confidence, confidence that you CAN MAKE THE LIFT. There where times at UCLA when the athlete lifting would seem unconfident and say something along the lines of “oh, I don’t know if I can make it” or “this is really heavy.” We would say to them “then stop don’t go and get your fucking head straight! If you don’t have 1000% confidence that you are gonna KILL it, then don’t even bother.”
PATIENCE
All Sports teach patience, as well as confidence. That’s why it is soo important that children are involved in sports in some way.
Okay, so you want to lift a certain total, right? You say you want it NOW? Well, too fucking bad. Try and push results, weights, try to do everything at once and eventually you will get hurt and then you’re in trouble. You can’t force progress; it’s a SLOOOW process. It will sneak up on you. Today my friend, who doesn’t give out bullshit compliments, said my shoulders are looking awesome. Nice!!! I hadn’t even noticed because I look at them everyday!
Weightlifting teaches so much patience. Every kilo more lifted is progress. There are no “miracles” or “surprises” with weightlifting. The fact that it’s just you and the bar and no outside circumstances is very humbling. Every success and every missed attempt (er, opportunity to learn) is yours and yours ALONE. Try. Miss. Try again. Miss. Well, what to do next? Think and try again. Step away knowing that you will be back tomorrow. Its all in due time, even if you never “make it” to the Olympics.
FOCUS
Snatch and Clean & Jerk are arguably the most explosive, dynamic and powerful movements in all sports. It all happens in under a SECOND. Focus is a MUST. Focus on keeping the right body parts tight and the right ones taunt. Focus on pushing as hard you possibly can and focus on pulling under as strong you can! Focus! Focus! Focus! You can’t have any thoughts because the movements too fast. The moment a thought enters your mind, you miss. At meets and in training people and judges are watching you. You have to ignore them, ignore their questions, and ignore their actions. You have to be selfish. You have to focus on a singular goal of improving the classic lifts and back squat/front squat. Most people FAIL because they are unable to have a singular focus. Americans especially want it all. We want to be the strongest, the most cardio conditioned, the most ripped, and THEN want to be awesome at the O-Lifts! Sorry son, not gonna happen! Unless you want to get hella hurt. Try Crossfit. Sorry my dears!
DETERMINATION
In weightlifting things don’t always go your way. In fact most of the time nothing goes “your way.” Rather you must FIND A WAY. When you have a goal, or goals that all lead to the same thing (ie, to snatch a certain weight you have to back squat a certain weight and overhead support a certain about of weight, etc, etc.), you have to stay inspired and be determined to keep training even if it seems like the goal is light years away. What makes weightlifting beautiful is also what makes it so hard to stick with. Weightlifting is a constant, never ending process. There will always and forever be someone lifting more than you. You can ALWAYS improve. You have to have a certain about of “crazy” or “stubbornness” to stick with weightlifting for any extended amount of time, but I like to call it Determination instead.
HUMILITY
Weightlifting is a very humbling sport. One day you can lift a personal best and the next day fail at the same weight horribly. There’s a centimeter margin of error. You either make the lift beautifully or fail horribly. It’s very extreme. That’s why it looks so easy when you make a lift, but when you miss it looks like you're going to dislocate everything! The extremeness of it is what makes weightlifting addicting. The rush of a perfect lift.
Weightlifting is a hard sport to stick with because there is zero monetary compensation and not any public recognition beyond our lil circle of the strength world. You do it because you think its badass, amazing and different.
Weightlifting taught me not to take anything for granted.
I can’t take any weight for granted.
I can’t take my health for granted.
I can’t take my training facility for granted.
I can’t take my friends or family for granted.
I can’t take my job or my car for granted.
It could all be taken away in a second.
Because there are literally thousands of lifters in the world much better than you it keeps you very humble. I am a good lifter for the gym people I am around wherever I go and lift at, but in the grand or even not so grand scheme of things, I am not that accomplished at all! I am a lil fish. So if someone compliments me, I take it with a grain of salt and put it in perspective in my head. Otherwise my head would explode and I would walk around thinking I am the greatest gift to the world. Which would be really lame and not very cool!
