impact of strength training

[msingh]

Just curious to know how becoming stronger has affected your life. Has it made you better at your chosen sport? Is that difference a relative one or an absolute one. Are you simply just better than you used to be -- or are you now much better than your competitors?

1) Better at chose sport?

2) Has it made you more useful around the house?

3) General athletic ability: Can you jump higher? Run faster? Hit harder?

4) Any other impact on your life?

[pbjorge12]

1) I now have a backhandspring and backtuck at 180lbs after struggling for over a year at 140lbs.
2) I can now toss a girl into my hands and press her straight up into the air.
3) I'm immensely more confident in myself, body, and decisions.

Those are a few I can think of. The first 2 made me better at my chosen sport/activity - Male cheerleading (a bit like olympic lifting with girls).

The third one is what I'm most grateful for and what will have by far the most useful carryover for my life. Barbell training turned me into a man (well I'm 20 lbs short still...). Before I was a pussy, and now I'm not. For that I'm forever grateful.

Plus barbell training just makes shit easier.

[Paul Stagg]

1) Better at chose sport?

My chosen sport it powerlifting, so, yeah.

2) Has it made you more useful around the house?

Probably, but it had no effect on my laziness.

3) General athletic ability: Can you jump higher? Run faster? Hit harder?

dunno.

4) Any other impact on your life?

Being bigger and stronger than most people can change the way people react to you, both positively and negatively, but mostly positively. I think I'm healthier than I would otherwise be.

[stronger]

I've had to endure half a year of not lifting before, I felt awful, was restless and could feel my body wasting away. I never want to feel that way again.

I don't play a sport, but intend to do some Weightlifting, so obviously it has helped.

If I ever need to move something heavy or grip something, I'm better off. Most of all I enjoy looking at a piece of paper and knowing my squat will be 5lbs heavier each week if I do it right. The continual progress is very fun.

[Euclid]

1) Better at chose sport?

I only play slow pitch softball, but this past season I hit 13 home runs in 8 games. Before this year I had never hit a single one.

2) Has it made you more useful around the house?

Well, my ex-girlfriend moved out a while back, so if weightlifting caused that then I'd say it's been worth my time.

3) General athletic ability: Can you jump higher? Run faster? Hit harder?

As mentioned above, definitely has impacted my power in slow pitch softball. People no longer say I am slow on the base path either. I went from being laughed at while running to being told I look like a football player on the basepath.

4) Any other impact on your life?

Confidence. I'm a traveling salesman and when I am in airports I see my peers looking like weenies. Gives me a boost.

[DeepBlue]

Confidence. I'm a traveling salesman and when I am in airports I see my peers looking like weenies. Gives me a boost.

I'm in Indonesia at the moment. I see all these matchstick men around. I totally hear what you are saying, and reading it put a big grin on my face

Can't wait for 200lbs now (as long as it's muscle not fat!).

Personally I'm too early into SS to answer the questions. That said 1 month into cross fit I certainly noticed an improvement in my night time activities. Something to do with kettlebell swings maybe ;-)

[hbriem]

1) I'm better at powerlifting yes. I haven't done karate for 15 years, but I would definitely be better at that now.
2) I'm very good at moving things. Downside is, I get asked to move things for people a lot. I have to carry everything that needs carrying at work too.
3) Probably but I haven't tested it much. I ran a sprint against a fit 15 year old a couple of years ago and left him standing.
4) I get a lot of comments on how big I look, how young I look etc. I get asked for advice on how to train but no one ever follows it (except for one young kid who just deadlifted 270kg (595 lbs) at 16 in a meet. I like being strong.

[TomF]

Big help in daily life - makes the heavy jobs in renovating a house or landscaping a yard no big deal.

Excavated 12" of soil under a new flagstone patio, filled it with gravel, and laid natural stone on top (many weighed over #100). No big deal.

Double-dug (i.e. down 2 spades' depth in the ground) a new flower garden that is 20' X 65'. No big deal.

Last year, broke up part of an old concrete driveway, and used the chunks to build a retaining wall. No big deal.

My chosen sport ... haven't got one. But my kids' rowing, karate, and gymnastics have each improved markedly in direct proportion to their squats, DLs, and presses.

[August West]

1) Better at chose sport?

2) Has it made you more useful around the house?

3) General athletic ability: Can you jump higher? Run faster? Hit harder?

4) Any other impact on your life?

1) Yes, I'm better prepared to survive a zombie attack when it comes.

2) Yes, I can carry my wife and daughter to safety as we battle the zombies.

3) I can lift much heavier weights. I don't run anymore, but just a month ago I did a mile in 6:20 with plenty left in the tank, which is plenty fast enough to escape zombie ambushes.

4) I just walk around confidently humble like always, but now with knowledge that when a zombie attack comes I am equipped to respond like a ferocious badass. Goals include a 200 lb+ press so I can pick zombies up over my head and hurl them with great force.

[coldfire]

3) I can lift much heavier weights. I don't run anymore, but just a month ago I did a mile in 6:20 with plenty left in the tank, which is plenty fast enough to escape zombie ambushes.

What's wrong with you? Running away is not 70sbig thinking!