"Why I Like Lifting Weights"

It's hard to believe that the 2008 Summer Olympics are now over. It seemed like forever we heard about the Bejing Games, and the impact certain athletes were going to have. And in a flash, they were gone.

Some pretty amazing things happened at these Games. Michael Phelps wowed the world as he won 8 gold medals, Usain Bolt bolt became the fastest man in the world with his 9.69 second 100m dash, and the "Redeem Team" lived up to their name, winning the gold medal, bringing the USA back to the "head of the pack" in the world of basketball.

As I watched the Games - and I watched as much of it as I could - I was reminded of something that I learned long ago, and that though I hadn't forgotten, had sort of...not remembered.

What was it? Why exactly I love to lift weights.

As much as I loved watching the Olympics, I also went through bouts of insane aggrevation. Why? Because of stupid judging.

The gymnastics was front and center of this fiasco. All you had to do was listen to any of the announcers (either at the event itself or in the studio) to realize how goofed up it really was.

This is possible because gymnastics is a subjective sport. An athlete goes out, performs, and then instead of letting his/her performance be the determinant of his/her placing, it's how some judge decides to interpret - and in turn score - that performance that determines placing.

That's one of the main reasons why I was drawn to lifting weights, and continue to be. There is no subjectivity in lifting weights. Either you lift the weight, or you don't. There are no politics. No subjective interpretation. No differing of opinion.

All there is, is the weight. Want to know who the strongest is? Load the weight on the bar. Can you lift it? Good, then you go on. You can't? Sorry, but you don't make the cut. Can you do more reps than the guy next to you? Congratulations - you're the winner. Having an 'off" day and can't make your lifts? Oh well - better luck next time.

Weights don't know your social standing or what country you're from. They don't know your reputation, nor do they care. They don't know what you're supposed to be able to do, and they don't know how hard you did or didn't work. They don't have opinions of you, your team, your coach, or your country. They can't give you the benefit of the doubt, and won't turn a blind eye if you screw up. Weights aren't there to be your friend, and they're not there to be your enemy.

Weights are just there to be lifted. And either you do, or you don't.

The sad thing, is that even something as simple as lifting weights can be tarnished. You have judges to determine whether or not a lift is "good" or not. You have special suits that increase the amount of weight that can be lifted. You have contests that by their very nature, place competitors of a certain size out of the running (ever see a short guy do well at lifting Atlas Stones - no, and you're not gonna, irregardless of how strong he is). Then there is the issue of drugs.

All that aside (and though it sounds like a lot, it's paltry compared to what's found in most sports) - it still comes down to whether or not you can make the lift.

I say, make it simple. No special equipment, no special rules, no crap. Show up in a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and a belt. Pick a few basic lifts. Make sure proper range of motion is done for each. If it's a deadlift, make sure the athlete picks up the damn weight and stands up all the way. Want to do squats? Place a bench under their ass and make sure they touch it. How about the Clean & Jerk? Who cares of the guy slightly presses the bar instead of doing a full jerk? He got it overhead, right? (Besides, that's usually harder anyway!)

Make it simple. Make it pure. Make it objective.

You'll have no crap to deal with. You'll get stronger/better, if for no other reason, then you have to just to keep up. And at the end of the day, if you win, or if you lose, the only person that is accountable is yourself.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.