Intro: I made a comment on why TRP tells people to lift weights in a previous post that many people seemed to like (113 points) and decided to make it a post. Don't let the bold titles make you believe that this post is cliche mainstream advice. They're there for formatting purposes.

Everyone is Capable

Lifting is often the first advice given here because anybody can do it, there is little to no barrier to entry. A gym membership or the cost of home weight set perhaps. Perhaps even use bags of rocks and weight them with a scale.

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TRP Focuses on What You Can Control

I won't lie to you, a good looking face is a factor in SMV, but there's not much you can do about it. You're limited with your face: get a new haircut, clean up your facial hair, wash your face, and get enough sleep. If your face is chubby, do cardio. But here at TRP, we focus on things you have immediate control over; nothing more so than your body. Everything from the neck below is under your control.

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It's measurable, visually and numerically.

  • Strength: Can you lift more lb/kg s than you did last session?
  • Physique: Look in the mirror. Are you more swole than before?

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Guaranteed Results for the Willing

If you push your limits and consume lots of protein, you will get bigger, you will get stronger. This is especially true for beginners. You will get what are called, 'newb gains'. To this day, I still have stretch marks from the very first day I went to the gym my sophomore year in high school.

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Will Boost Your Self-Esteem

It may suck at first when you can't lift much, but after hitting 185lb/84kg on the bench, 225lb/102kg on the squat, and 315lb/143kg on the deadlift, you'll look forward to it for no other reason than because it's visually appealing to see the extra plate.

It feels great knowing with every five pounds you add to the bar, you're better than you were yesterday, you're better than someone else. You'll look in the mirror during and after your workout, seeing all that pump, boosting your ego quite nicely. As a matter of fact, I often do a few bench presses and curls after my routine just to leave the gym with some pump. Feels fuckin' awesome. You'll get to the point where you know you're awesome. You know your body is attractive. You know you're better than many others.

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Generates Confidence

Being stronger gives you confidence. You won't have to fake it because subconsciously, you know you can lift a lot of weight. For every five pounds of iron you can lift, that is 5 more pounds of burden you can handle, 5 more pounds of an attacker you can fend off. It is a true sense of power. This confidence will manifest itself into everything else in your life, and other people will notice it.

  • "I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts." - Henry Rollins

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You'll Receive More Respect

All mammals know one language: size. People will respect you more. Not in the socioeconomic sense, but out of caution. People don't only refrain from bullying and violence because they won't win, but because they won't come out unscathed. Although not always an accurate indicator of strength, it's a good deterrent. Less people will attempt to push you around. People will defer to you more in social situations. People will assume you have self-respect.

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Life's Problems Vanish

During your workout, many to all problems in life become unimportant, if only for a moment. You'll be too caught up in the moment focusing on your technique and physique, setting up the next weights, visualizing your next set, or just too tired to give a fuck about anything else. After pushing yourself on 5x5 squats or going all out on the deadlifts, nothing in your day will compare

When falling asleep, it isn't clear what point you crossover into unconsciousness. Where is the divide? While deadlifting one day, I almost passed out at the top of the lift while maxxing out. I saw the 'divide'. I could feel myself asymptotically approaching it, using all my will to avoid it. It's like a room with a line on the floor and the 3d space behind it is a portal of blackness.

I didn't faint.

After taking a shower, I was in bliss. Nothing could bother me. Nothing could compare to the struggle I just experienced. There's nothing as stressful and energy taxing as repeatedly lifting over 400lbs off the floor.

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Pussy

If you're having trouble with women, I have one question for you? Do you even lift? Doust thou even hoist? Don't go around complaining that girls aren't giving you attention on TRP when you haven't even picked up the weights yet. You'd like a girl with a thigh gap, squat butt, and a slim waist, but guess what? That girl wants a man with muscles. All women prefer a man with muscles, not just bar sluts. Any girl that says otherwise either doesn't believe she can acquire such a man, or is spouting out nonsense to see what guy actually believes it. Don't ever believe in the 'dad bod'. Anyone who says women don't like those muscley guys has never had muscles. Period. It is possible your female relatives and acquaintances, a girlfriend/wife, or your current friends say lifting isn't necessary and that "you're fine just the way you are". Do not listen to gainz goblins. Shoo gainz goblin shoo!

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It's a Philosophy

Lifting is about more than pussy; it's a philosophy. It's so much more, but you have to stick with it to understand that. That link above is the essay, "The Iron and The Soul" by Henry Rollins. It's mandatory reading. If there were ever sidebar material about lifting, this would be it. I've never seen such a poetic appraisal about lifting weights. This essay oozes with RP material that we attempt to teach here: Self-Improvement, self-respect, doing things for yourself, confidence, masculinity, goal reaching and many other topics other than inter-gender dynamics that are just as important, if not more in life. Read it. Want some preselection? The essay received 490+ points when I shared it here.

  • "It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn’t want to come off the mat, it’s the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn’t teach you anything. That’s the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you."

Weightlifting Routine (Starting Point)

There are many different routines and pieces of advice across the internet, but I'm going to give you the most basic of them all that has proven results. You will progress to other routines for other muscle groups eventually, but this is a great place to start.

Strong Lifts 5x5 (This guy can squat and deadlift over 400lbs)

Stay Away From Planet Fitness

That place is for pussies. They have 'lunk' alarms that go off if you grunt. They have banned deadlifts and removed squat racks because they're 'intimidating'. Sometimes they even remove the bench press. You will get kicked out for doing these things. Go on youtube and see.

  • PF Bans the Deadlift
  • PF Removes Squat Racks
  • PF Removes Bench Press
    • Lunk Alarm: "Planet Fitness Hi Billy - The LunkTM Alarm is something we have in all of our locations nationwide, as part of who we are and what makes us different. A LunkTM is someone who grunts, drops weights or judges. This alarm goes off when someone is grunting at the gym, drops weights or is judging others/making others feel uncomfortable. At Planet Fitness, we do not cater to bodybuilders, dropping weights, or grunting. We want our members to feel comfortable in a non-intimidating atmosphere. We are about general fitness, and most of our members are in fact first time users of a gym. Thanks for your question!"

Q&A From My Last Post

1) What is a compound lift?

  • Answer: Lift that involves multiple muscle groups. Explanation, here

2) What is your diet like dr_warlock?

  • Answer: Eggs, peanut butter, rice, milk, potatoes, oatmeal, and lots of dead animals.

3) Do you do 5x5 for all lifts?

  • Answer: I do 5x5 for the compound exercises, and sets of 8 for isolation exercises (ie: curls)

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Notice: Anything else about diet, supplements, advanced techniques, go to /u/GayLubeOil. He's certified and provides free skype consultations.

Motivation

Even people who've been lifting awhile can enjoy these, especially the deadlift one.

Conclusion: Pick up the weights today.

Read more: The Deadlift and Me: One man's ritual to achieve transcendence by /u/dr_warlock

Read more: Blood Sacrifice to the Iron Gods by /u/GayLubeOil