There’s a ton of evidence to directly support that claim, as well as the more general: exercise makes animals smarter (their brains work better) and more effective at navigating their environments (their bodies work better).

What about specific, practical evidence of this revelation?  Actually, why should it be considered a ‘revolution’?  It’s pretty clear that the mind and body work together.  Until very recently, we relied almost entirely upon our physical prowess for survival in the wild.

Here’s a really easy example from my life:  I fall down a lot less and am generally able to perform both delicate and more brutish placement of objects now than I was before I started training.  In English: I’m better at moving and manipulating objects in space than I was before I started lifting weights.  My numbers in the five main barbell lifts plus dumbbell and kettlebell variations, really every single movement I do now is stronger, and the process of moving these weights has both physically and mentally prepared me to more carefully move (objects) through space.

So lifting heavy shit makes me stronger and more coordinated, both because my body is better capable of holding and moving things, and that my mind goes through a sort of checklist (shoulders tight, thumb over the bar, valsalva, sit back . . . bend over while standing on your left foot, twist your torso over the dryer corner, use the wooden spoon to bat those treats back toward the front).

That last example is a good one, cos it shows that although I’m certain that weight training has been instrumental in this progress, I also realize that by using good form (read: the appropriate amount of full ROM work, which can vary greatly depending on experience) and the mobility work I do every workout has kept me basically injury free (although two of the callouses on my left hand tore off during a record rack pull today).

Then again, my martial arts instructor was impressed with my ability to consistently roll out of throws and fall practice where I appeared to be in major neck-injury-risk territory.  I probably owe that to all the hours I spent in the back yard and my basement wrestling with friends.  But I played literally thousands of hours of basketball in college, and there’s definitely a difference over the past couple of years.  I have studied weight training and nutrition far more than I ever listened to my coaches as a kid, so that probably has something to do with it too.  In effect, weight training has taught me to slow down, organize and prioritize my plan for action, and achieve the goal by adding confidence to my physical performance on par with my intellect.  I sound like a frickin douche bag if you read that wrong, but I hope you understand that I’m a work in progress and this is just a little something I want to pass along to the readers: recognize that the step-by-step processes in weight training can boost your ability in pretty much every single thing you go to do.

I apologize for not updating this past week, but I have been busy transitioning InnerLevel.net to its new home here at HOPEisSTRENGTH.com

I will try to get a quality post up later this week, but for now, enjoy this footage of me learning to use the giant cambered bar at my new gym:

Not only do I know how to safely increase my strength and lean mass, but I’ve been noticing more and more benefits in my entire life that seem to have sprung directly from my dealings with the iron.  If you need a few more reasons why you should get into the gym three or more times a week, I compiled a list of nine:

1. Weight training improves your quality of life.  As I mentioned above, there are tons of reasons why you need to get in the weight room regularly, but in general, you’re going to notice that your life is just *better*.  From your improved physique to the ease of your daily activities, the added strength and muscle will do wonders for every aspect of your life.
2. Weight training builds muscle.  Whether you want to look good, be better at sports, avoid injuries or just get stronger for the hell of it, lifting will help it all.  Consider a boxer, sprinter or Olympic lifter.  These athletes have among the most beautiful and functional bodies imaginable.  Since we’ve evolved to select our partners for traits that indicate health and potential for successful breeding, there’s no coincidence that healthier = sexier.  Then again, maybe you’re a monk.  Even so, there’s no better way to concentrate than locking out the last reps of a limit-weight set of squats.
3. Weight training strengthens bones and joints.  You didn’t think that it was all about big round muscle bellies, did you?  Lifting with good form loads the bones and joints in a way that makes the bones denser and protects the joints by strengthening bones, tendons, and the muscles around them.  I know plenty of people who work desk jobs that had nagging discomfort . . . *had*, because once they got into the satisfying habit of training with good form, their imbalances and injuries disappeared.
4. Weight training burns fat and makes you leaner and more attractive.  This one’s simple: muscle burns fat.  Your body stores fat for energy because a long time ago, we didn’t always have regular meals.  Now that we can eat whenever and whatever we want, this adaptation has helped some people put themselves at risk for a ton of different disorders.  The key to losing excess body fat is to build muscle.  Muscle uses fat for energy, and the more you have, the more fat you burn, even while resting!  Add to this that exercising burns calories and weight training will make you a fat melting machine!
5. Weight training builds confidence.  Not only are you going to be leaner and more attractive than ever before, but once you start to succeed by meeting and surpassing your goals, you start to feel more confident than ever before.  The mental aspects of training are often overlooked, but there’s little doubt that someone who can get through a 20-rep set of squats will be able to deal with life’s stressors a little more easily.
6. Weight training builds a pattern of success.  Once you commit to training regularly and eating to fuel your workouts, you’ll find that it’s easier to get stuff done in your daily life.  The things that used to seem so hard will now be easier, because you have a mindset to get stuff done.
7. Weight training builds cardiovascular fitness.  If you thought lifting weights was only good for brute strength, think again.  Lifting increases your total work capacity, which makes it easier to perform endurance exercises.  Consider this: if your one rep max squat is 315lbs., it’s far easier for you to do a set of 10 with 135 than if your 1RM is 155.  As with the increased reps, something like running is just a series of sub-maximal efforts.  Now, it’s not accurate to say that squatting in the 1-3 rep range will make you a marathon champion, and I’m not trying to say that.  Anyone who says that ONLY lifting weights is sufficient to train for the IronMan is lying to you.  However, it’s absolutely true that the body is better prepared for enduring long bouts of exertion when strength levels are improved.
8. Weight training improves flexibility and mobility.  When you use the full range of motion of barbell and dumbbell exercises (plus kettlebells and tons of other implements, but don’t even get me started on machines – MACHINES SUCK!) – when you use the full range of motion, you’re building strength and mobility.  Not only will you be strong through that entire range of motion, but you’ll be able to bend into positions that carry over into sports and all kinds of daily activities.
9. Weight training is extremely versatile.  Depending on how you tailor your nutritional intake, you can use your lifting regimen to build muscle, burn fat, get stronger, get leaner, or a combination of these.  Stay tuned to HOPEisSTRENGTH and we’ll show you how to meet these goals!

It should be clear to you now that weight training can help you achieve a wide variety of goals, plus equip you with the confidence to make them into reality.