What drove you to lift.

[Bodyguard]

Just wondering what motivated you guys to start lifting weights. I started lifting when I was around 15, not hard, just sort of playing around. When I was 15,( i was really chubby and out of shape) I got threw in the trash can twice and everyone just laughed, the teachers did nothing. So, I started hitting the weights really hard, and now, all I do is eat, sleep, think about eating and sleeping, and train. Not to mention the positive effects it draws from the ladies.



I really want to hear from you Tom, your videos are very inspirational.

[XMadmanX]

Pretty much the same as you. Fat, out of shape, no attention from ze ladiez.

[CainMcCloud]

Made fun of for being fat 1%, girls 1%, passion for lifting 98% lol. sorry but true. I don't think I can even call myself a "lifter" yet, cause I just got started on real routines and actual diets, but so far that I know, I have been "playing" around in the gym for over a year. I am just glad I found what makes real lifters, real lifters ya know lol. A routine, I think, is 10x better then anything you just throw together.

[mr handy]

I only recently started lifting. I have always loved any type of sport. Cycling has been the one that I have really been into lately, I also golf and play racquetball regularly. This summer my Girlfriend of 5 years was in a serious car accident... a tractor trailer rear ended her and hit 2 other cars, killing one of the other drivers. My GF fractured her skull and her c5 vertebrae. We live in Florida but her family is in Boston and she went up to get surgery up there and I followed (I guess that is one plus of being unemployed) leaving my bike and main source of exercise at home. To keep from going crazy I dug the cheep weight bench and 100lb worth of weights out and set them up and started pumping. Played a little basketball with the GF's brother as well. When she had finished her main recovery and we got back to FL I hit up Craigslist and and got a bench with self spotters and a 300lb Olympic weight set for $100 and have been using that now for about 2 months. I really enjoy lifting at this point and don't plan to stop any time soon.

[joey54]

Started at age 13 for junior high football and it quickly became something I enjoyed as much as playing.

[Travis Bell]

I started at 12 just because I liked it. never quit.

I still love it. It's a great passion of mine.

[Weaves]

I started to improve strength for martial arts and other physical activities. Eventually weight lifting became one of my favorite hobbies. Although the physical appearance improvements of training and other benefits that come from that are nice, it's all for nothing unless you truly enjoy pumping iron.

[NickAus]

I boxed and played Judo when I was younger and did weights to help but ended up more interested in lifting.

When I moved to Australia I competed in Freestyle, Greco Roman, BJJ and Judo but ended up switching back to weights and then got into powerlifting 2 1/2 years ago and got hooked.

Moving big weights is what I love.

[Cards]

my girlfriend at the time who was 5'2 and 120 told me that I was skinnier than her. three years later, as Travis said it's my passion.

[jcwhackflava]

the fact that people are always suprised by how strong i am, yet im thin

and now it's time to do something about it! so i look as strong as i am...even stronger

[Off Road]

I started lifting durring rehab for a back injury. The PT got me started with lifting empty milk crates, then weighted milk crates, and finally on a few machines. I just took it to the next level because the extra strength was helping my back so much.

[slashkills]

Started at age 13 for junior high football and it quickly became something I enjoyed as much as playing.

same here. Im 15 and ive been lifting for 2 years but only 8 or so months seriously. Before that i just screwed around in the weight room.

[McLaughlin]

I've been interested in it since about 12, but never had anyone to show me the ropes or coach me in any way. Through high school we'd lift for wrestling off and on, but primarily bench & curls... (sad, I know). I never understood the crazy ***** the football players were doing... but at this point I know it was squats and deadlifts... damn.

About 10 months after high school ended I joined the Navy, didn't lift there but was in great cardio shape ^_^... discharged for medical reasons and basically sat on my ass for 2 years. Got a job working for United Healthcare and one of my co-workers was hardcore into the weights, that was summer 2007. Starting maybe in November or December I started doing curls, ohp, bench and flies with a dumbell set they had at work, I'd also do pullups and dips. Basically this wasn't doing anything for me. I found this site in maybe May or June of 2008 and learned about "the big 3" and "eating like I mean it" So I went out and got a gym membership for the summer. Worked out big 3, 3 days per week all summer long and in that 3 months got about two dozen people asking me "what have you been doing" and things like that, so that was a really good feeling. My gym membership ended and I had some money in the bank so I bought a squat rack with several attachments and about 440lbs of weight to put in my garage. And that worked out okay for about a month... and then my GF at the time broke up with me and winter set in and I got really down and stopped lifting.

Over the past summer I lifted for 1-2 months (june-july) which is when I started the journal I'm currently posting in, but when july came around wedding plans started picking up, as well as plans for the move to TX (from minnesota), so I didn't get to lifting anymore really. Then when I moved down here I was excited to sign up for the gym... and I did, and have done 3 workouts here so far and don't plan on ever stopping again.

The times I've been working out have been some of the best in my life. I love the increase in energy I get from working out regularly, and the increase in my mood in general is really nice. Sorry for such a long drawn out answer, just wanted to share how I got to where I am.

[jp2]

I watched Conan as a kid and knew I wanted to lift weights when I grew up. I then took weight training in highschool whenever I could, I enjoyed it very much. It made me look and feel great; hooked ever since.

[brihead301]

I love it. It makes me happy. The feeling I feel after getting done a good training session is a very good one!

[Irish Pilot]

The fatass in the mirror is what drove me to start. Now Im obsessed and lifting is the best part of my day. Take this morning as a reference. Its a day off from work, alarm was set for 6, woke up at 5 having to hit the bathroom and was too excited to go back to bed.

Homemade protein bar, an Xtend-Green Mag shake, and out to the truck for some loud music for the drive to the gym.

God I love morning lifts.

[Runty]

Starting lifting for strength and solace. I find that times in between steady lifting when I'm injured or have just fallen out of the groove I'm never in as good state of mind. Lifting to me is sort of like therapy I guess. Sleep better, eat better, think better and feel better all around if I'm really leaving it all in the gym.

[Rip.66.]

looking in the mirror and still seeing man-boobs and a gut. Even after 2 years of training and a 350 lb bench and 500+ lb deadlift. Never Stop.

[Coqui]

Seeing just how fat I got. I suck at cardio, so weight training was the only way to go.

[Saverio]

Many years ago I had a friend who owned one of those "adult" book stores with the peep shows you'd stick the tokens in and get about a minute of porn. Anyway, one day some gay guy about twice my size tried to play grab-ass with me. It was embarassing and intimidating as hell, and I swore that I'd never let something like that happen to me again, so I joined a gym the very next day and began working out like a maniac.

Turns out I was pretty good at it and eventually I made my way to the sport of Powerlifting.

Oh and by the way, nothing like that has ever happened to me since, even though I've told every woman I know that it's perfectly fine for them to play grab-ass with me all they want.

[rbtrout]

I was always extremely skinny (fly weight) and decided to "do something about it" at the age of 12. I lifted until I was 25-26 (some time in there). Then (the excuses start) due to work and no time, I quit. About 10 years ago, after hurting my back while fly fishing, I decided that I needed to get back into shape, just to be able to fish. Several years of bb lifting with OK results, I discovered powerlifting training. I've never looked back. As others have said, it's a passion.

I've said it several times already, but I was also told that after I turned 40, I'd never be able to get much bigger or much stronger. I call BS. I've put on more size AFTER the age of 40 than I ever did before.

[Polish Hammer]

Anger

[skinny99]

Gonna sound stupid,but I wanted to hit a golf ball further! Now I would rather lift! I still play a lot of golf though.

[tnathletics2b]

Baseball, I was a pitcher. Pretty decent correlation in velocity and leg/core strength in my opinion. At least, it was for me.

[cold_steel]

Lifted a bit in high school per football, but quit for about 4 years and realized I had become a tub of lard. Now the passion is back and lifting is what I lookforward to as soon as I wake lol. I agree with alot of you, morning sessions are the best I feel so awesome throughout the day. Off days all i think about is On days lol. plus i wanna be like Tom