Any man not lifting weights is wasting his potential.
Aaron Matheson - Founder Trinity Lifting Club
The earliest documentation of men lifting weights goes back to ancient Greek and Roman times. Athletes and soldiers lifted rocks and other heavy items to build muscle and condition their bodies to deal with the rigours of the time. Life was tough in ancient times. Men were hunters and warriors dependent on their physical capabilities for survival. Every single Spartan man was a soldier, trained from childhood in the art of combat. Sparta kept slaves to perform every other societal function. In ancient times physical weakness equalled death.
Fast forward some 2000 years and the western world is cursed with the highest obesity rates in history. Men are less active and getting fatter, slower, and less physically capable year on year. It is almost expected that non-athletic boys will be a bit chubby, and will spend countless hours playing video games. The average man in his twenties gains about 14 kgs (33 lbs) during the first 5 years of marriage as complacency takes hold, slightly more than his wife across the same period. It is then expected that men will gradually acquire a middle-age-spread, love handles, and beer bellies as they slide into their 40s and beyond. With no fighting or hunting to be done, our society imposes almost no penalty for male weakness. Even during our grandfather’s time, the average man was lean and taunt. He worked with his hands, even if it was just mowing the lawn. Today we have a small elite of very fit and strong men, and a huge pool of weak, obese men who struggle to lift their own body weight.
The benefits of lifting are almost too many to list – increased bone density, better posture, enhanced cognitive ability and focus, higher energy levels, higher libido, better sleep, improved cardiovascular health, boosted metabolism, and the list goes on. In his work designing workout programs, Aaron Matheson witnesses the dramatic life-changing transformation when men of all ages get serious about their physical condition and begin lifting weights. The greatest impetus for a serious change in lifestyle – divorce. “There is nothing like a loss of a safety net to bring out a man’s best.”
The average man of today competes only in the intellectual realm. However, the greatest edge is not found on the pages of a book or on a podcast, it is found by taking something heavy and lifting it, putting it back down, and then lifting it again. This simple exercise, a force that has propelled men for thousands of years, is what really separates the winners from the snapping jaws of their competitors.
Lift something heavy today.
Channel your inner Spartan.
Sharpen your edge.
Jackson Byrne