The Smartest Man in the World!
by Thom Van Vleck
Recently I was talking to someone about lifting and why it’s a great idea to lift weights. They seemed to struggle with the idea of lifting unless they were going to be the best at it. Otherwise, why not find something else to do! I enjoy weightlifting but in case you didn’t notice….I’ve yet to be the strongest man in the world. I’ve also noticed that many people won’t enter an athletic meet unless they have a chance to win. I think there’s a problem with that attitude.
Here’s my thought. Nobody would say, “Well, if I can’t be the smartest in the world (or even that given day) then why bother ever learning anything….I’ll just stay stupid”. The first thing you need to do when you start a lifting program is to do it for yourself. Make yourself stronger. Irregardless of who else is stronger. Sometimes surprising things can happen.
I worked for 2 years and finally one day I was ready to attempt a 225lb squat. TWO YEARS of HARD WORK led up to this moment. I was 16 years old and weighed about 175lbs. Some of you will know that I had to overcome two broken legs and a broken hip so I started not even being able to squat my bodyweight. I had a couple buddies over to spot me. To be honest, I had them come over to witness this and so I could show off a little. Well, when I got done and racked the weight triumphantly one of my buddies…who had never done a squat with weights…said, “Hey, can I give that a try”. Long story short, he squatted it with ease and threw on a couple of tens and did three reps before telling me that my lift was good, too. Needless to say, I questioned my effort. But I shouldn’t have. I had went from a kid they thought might never walk again to squatting 225lbs. I also want to point out I eventually did 600…..and that other guy never touched a weight again as far as I know!
While it’s good to have a little perspective, the guy you should always be concerned most about it the guy in the mirror. Making that person you see in the mirror better is more important than what anyone else can do. There’s always going to be someone stronger than you and smarter than you. I just work on myself and let the chips fall where they may. That’s been a tough lesson for me, but one that has led to my greatest gains.