As Americans, we are among the privileged elite who enjoy ultimate freedom…or so they say. Despite the remarkable independence we enjoy, in this modern society we constantly find ways to imprison ourselves. To quote one of my favorite bands, Radiohead: “you do it to yourself, and that’s what really hurts.” Indeed, we chain ourselves to thoughts like “I have to go to work,” “I have to excercise,” “I have to eat right…” and so on. It’s almost as if we are given a wondrous gift, and as soon as we’ve unwrapped it, we say “Great, now I have to use this.” Yes! Life is a wonderful gift and can be full of vitality and youthful fascination if only we let go of our confining associations and open our senses to the “now.”

This kind of freedom can and should be applied to all facets of life, but herein I hope to further investigate its usefullness with regards to strength training. This leads me to a question that deserves a well thought out answer: why should we be strong?

Well, why should we? Sometimes we just want to throw our arms up and say “why the heck should I be strong anyway?” Todays society requires little strength of us. Gone are the days of having to use our able bodies to hunt and gather, or even to manually farm the fields. In fact, so few tasks are accomplished manually anymore that the thought of using your hands to create something is little more than a novelty. So I ask again, why should we be strong?

The simple answer is this: because it is how we were meant to be. Knowledge is worth fighting for. We gain knowledge throughout our lives that enriches us, teaches us how to laugh, and to love, and to notice the powerful yet small moments in life. Not unlike knowledge, we must seek physical strength in our lives because it enriches us and teaches us about our own capable bodies. It makes us able to  reach a certain glorious potential.

I’ll be the first to admit, today’s society makes it very hard to be strong. Today’s society makes it very difficult to eat healthy, to communicate effectively (LOL, j/k, text messages are like totally awesome OMG) to be safe, to be brave, to feel wealthy, to feel happy. But you know what? That is today’s fight. Our ancestors had to fight every day for their meals, but they survived. Our fight is different, but worth winning all the same, and the commitment to ones self to be strong and vital, is to command respect and be a powerful human being capable of great things, including the utmost happiness.

Some people here will object. “I’m not that kind of person” you might say “that’s not me.” Many will launch into stereotypes claiming “I’m not a gym rat and I don’t want to be one,” or ” I don’t want to be one of those people that’s always in a track suit talking about heart rate and carbs.” Perhaps you are a woman who is afraid of “bulking up.” Many of you will simply say “I don’t need to be fit to be happy.” While I admit that being strong is a way of life, I don’t think it has to detract from the innate “you” and the unique life that each of us has crafted for ourselves. I would posit here that strength is part of being human. It is like standing upright, or communicating through language. These are among the many things that make us uniquely human, and able to excel. I believe strength should be placed among them as something that any human should possess regardless of what you do, where you live, who you love, etc. Let me offer myself as an example. I am a musician. I am a drummer in a rock band and I feel confident saying that my passion for music defines me. When you think of musicians, you certainly don’t immediately drum up images of fit gym rats in muscle tee’s boucning around with dumbells in their hands talking about how “I’m really feeling the pump right now after that killer super set.” No. Quite the opposite I imagine. You probably think of stringy, thin rockers who wear black and smoke cigarettes for 2 out of 3 meals. Well the truth is, I am neither of those stereotypes. I am a musician, yes. But I find myself more able to be the best musician I can possibly be, if I am strong. Being strong in body makes you strong in mind and makes it more easily possible for you to be the best business person, the best mom, the best friend, the best baker, the best teacher, etc. Simply put, it allows you to more easily access your full potential for real freedom.

This is part 1 of this post. Please check back soon to see part 2 which will include thoughts from the brilliant and strong George Hackenschmidt, whose thoughts on why we should be strong will inspire you. In the meantime please check out the incredible book and blog by Marty Gallagher, whose thoughts on this subject are enlightening.

I also urge you to comment with any thoughts you may have about why we should be strong, or the difficulties you’ve faced in becoming strong.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes of all time, again, from a band I love called Ours:

God only wants you to dream.

-Clint

PS. After mentioning my band, I feel like I MUST make a shameless self promotion! Here is the link to check us out:

www.myspace.com/thebfilmextras