It's better to be envied than pitied...

Weightlifting is about longevity and quality of life. Looking good in a bathing suit is just a bonus.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a movement in America to discourage people from lifting heavy weights, or any weights at all. Doctors prescribe cardio for people who need more physical activity, diet books consider cardio the only form of exercise that exists, and TV shows like ‘The Biggest Loser’ strongly promote, you guessed it, cardio and more cardio. So where’s the weightlifting in all this? I’ll tell you, it’s not there because none of these so-called health experts know a thing about it.

Do you think Jillian Micheals (the “star” trainer of ‘The Biggest Loser’) has a good body? If you said yes, then I agree with you, she has succeeded in attaining what many consider a “good” physique. Is it great? No, I see flaws. For one she doesn’t really have any muscle mass, she’s just thin (the other picture is of a woman who does serious weight lifting, you’ll notice she exhibits more definition and overall “tone” than Jillian). Now, I have the eye of a personal trainer and physique specialist, so I’m going to be more critical than the average person. But, if you could, wouldn’t you rather be ‘great’? (By the way, Jillian isn't a real personal trainer, she's an actor)

If, on the other hand, you do want to look like Jillian Micheals because you think she is perfect, then go ahead and do all the silly exercises they do on her tv show, also do cardio for an hour and a half a day, or more, and you’ll also need to eat a very clean diet, and do calf raises while you’re cooking, and squats while you’re watching tv. If you’re telling yourself right now that you will never do that much work each day, then you are perhaps one of the unfortunate many in America who just chooses to instead do nothing. Exercise is just too hard and you don’t have that kind of time anyways, so why even try?

Well, as Sean Hannity likes to say, “Let not your heart be troubled”. I’m here to tell you there is a better way, and as luck would have it, it’s not that hard! It’s called weightlifting, and it can make you look better than you ever imagined, with less effort than you think. Jillian Micheals is a big supporter of cardio and more cardio, and if you read my previous article on the subject you’d know that doing nothing but cardio can lead to negative results regarding your body composition.

By far the best way to make your body stronger and more attractive is through weightlifting, and more specifically functional weightlifting. The idea behind functional weightlifting is to have a functional body(strong, flexible, agile, fast) and look good for as long as humanly possible.

I'm going to warn you, if you lift weights on a consistent basis instead of just doing cardio, people will hate you, because you'll have a lean, muscular body longer than anybody else thinks is possible...but it is possible, and fun and easier than cardio.

In the end, that’s what weightlifting is all about; longevity and quality of life, and looking better than everyone else.