The lessons we learn on the platform well extend into our daily life. It’s not just about lifting weights NO!!! We multiply the weight on the bar with the issues, problems or situations we are dealing in life. But the bar is therapy in ways better than a therapist.
Lifting as Therapy
The bar doesn’t care about you or the weight on the bar. It doesn’t care that you make or miss the lift. Nope. This is actually very therapeutic because when you lift the weight you are narrowing the moment only on you. You must perform, you must train, you must make the lift but at that moment you cannot blame anyone but yourself if the lift doesn’t go your way. In life, we like to blame others or seek out who to project responsibility for our shortcomings. When it’s just you and the bar, there is no one to blame but yourself. This is extremely therapeutic!!!! If you make the lift, it was YOU who made it happen. No one else.
If You Are Scared of The Bar You Will….
A good friend of mine whose name is Tony use to be an ex-con who served hard time. He is a weightlifter now who competes in this iron game. We were training and during a rest period between sets we were talking about how life and Weightlifting and I was telling him a moment I had when I was overcame with fear AND courage during a meet. It was my second attempt and I needed to make this lift if I wanted to win. I was sharing with Tony a conversation I had in my head where I said to myself,
“CAP!!! If you want to be the man, you need to be the man right now!!!!”
The man I want to be is the man I imagine myself living up to my greatest potential. And it was at this moment where fear and courage were at a crossroads and I needed to make a decision. The choice was clear. There was no doubt, so I chose courage. I wanted to be the man I imagine myself being. Tony said something that hit me hard. He said,
“If you fear the weight on the bar then you fear life itself!”
That moment I chose life. I chose courage. I took that lift which made me national champion for 2019.
Respectfully,
Josue Cano
Snatch, Clean and Jerk 