One notion I have thought about lately as I dig myself out of injury was the concept many people place on how sport is so good for you. Now, I am gonna be a bit negative, but I think these thoughts can't just be my own. I feel at times we over saturate ourselves with these positive thoughts surrounding our sport.
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Powerlifting takes from you whether you accept it or not. It takes your body. It takes your time. It takes your mind. It takes your energy. It takes space, sometimes lots of space. I have been in the sport for a while and have done almost every role from athlete to board member and I definitely see how powerlifting has taken. It has taken resources, my body, my time, missing social events, missing family time, changing my trajectory in life completely.
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Some of those things were exceptional and I am so grateful to have found this sport as I met my wife in a weight room #W95, but others suck. Waking up every day in pain, being fat to be competitive, spending all these weekends away sucks. Sometimes it should be ok to see a sport as a task. Not every day or session or meet has to be exceptionally meaningful or some sacrifice you are making to prove something. Sometimes missing that session or meet to spend time with or on other things that bring you joy is worth it.
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You see all the time that we must sacrifice so much to win, and usually, that is the case - the best athletes live and die by the barbell and that is what makes them so great. But, what is wrong with not sacrificing everything? What is wrong with skipping that bench day to go home early and see your family? This is not a voice to be mediocre, but just a thought experiment of what you're missing during tunnel vision - and is it worth it?
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For me, there definitely were and are times where the sacrifices were worth it. Seeing your athlete excel is like nothing else and standing on podiums are pretty neat. But other times, looking back, was just wasted energy on a pursuit that just took from me. You don't always have to be full tilt all the time. Sometimes taking a month off after a meet is the best thing you can do for you and your life.
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