My story on why compound lifts saved me + Youtube

Warchortle
Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Why I'll never give up lifting regardless of my age, weight, or living situation...

I, like most of you on MFP, have tried a variety of diets and exercise regimens which have worked, not worked, or fell somewhere in between. I was active as child, but was always overweight and it only got worse until college. I was able to work out at odd hours and eat what I wanted.

I however didn't truly understand fitness nor nutrition. I spent a long time watching my calories (before MFP) and exercise knowing that lifting had to be incorporated at some point. I gradually started using machines and had neither positive nor negatives feelings towards them. I dieted down for a long time then made a CONSCIOUS decision that I hated living that lifestyle and missed being fat.

A few years later I was ready to hit the gym again. This was the same time Youtube fitness channels really started to pick up pace. I mostly watched them for entertainment, but finally started applying some of the trainer tips into MY workouts. I was finally enjoying resistance training and made a little progress at the same time.

I couldn't figure out why I kept hurting my shoulders, squats didn't feel good, my flat bench press was horrible for my body weight... etc. etc. The more I watched Youtube workout videos I began to understand how movements were suppose to feel. This last year I've really been keeping my "nose to the grindstone" with compound lifts as a main focus with accessories afterwards. I noticed that all my aches, pains, and injuries were decreasing while my strength and musculature increasing.

My body feels great even though I used to have chronic back pain and have had multiple surgeries on my knees. These functional / compound movements have trained my body to work more optimally. The reason why I injured myself before was I relied too heavily on machines and isolation movements. These muscular imbalances created problems on compound lifts leaving me prone to injury.

Watching those Youtubes made me THINK about my workouts. The culture of improving form, mobility, and little odds and ends has changed my view on lifting. You don't see this in "real life." You see people checking out each other, curling in the squat rack, and cardio bunnies that jog for days. I'm thankful for Youtube because it helped me get into and understand nutrition + provides a source of knowledge and encouragement you just won't find (or I don't find) at my gym.

You shouldn't feel like a prison to your scale. Find goals that work with your lifestyle. If you want something bad enough you'll look into it... learn, experience, adapt, and succeed.

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