Reasons why weightlifting should be a second sport:
- You can not get enough volume just doing weightlifting to build general athleticism and a decent work capacity. Wresting, Gymnastics, Soccer, Swimming, and Skateboarding are all good options. Football and baseball tend to cause more problems than physical benefits, but they are better than nothing (just my opinion).
- Most people don’t really see how strong they can get until about 27. If you specialized in weightlifting from youth until 27, you would see a high burnout rate. If it’s treated as a complement to other sports, it is more sustainable.
- Team Building. Weightlifting is an individual sport with a team aspect. The nature of weightlifting makes it a little hard to build a teamwork mentality. Other sports like football, soccer, and basketball tend to do this on their own. Someone who is a Team Player, will make training and competition so much better!
If you are wondering why you need team players in weightlifting i’ll give you some examples.
- Team USA athlete chooses to go to an international competition where they know they will pop hot for PED’s. The consequences of this choice at worst puts the rest of the country at risk for not being able to compete internationally. At best it causes Team USA to loose points that would lead to a Team Title.
- Training with someone who is a team player is night and day! The encouragement, the camaraderie, and even just the company make the hard days of training more bearable. It also makes the better days of training better!
- Competing with a team player is also a huge positive. If someone is actually in the stands cheering for you when you lift, that is a big positive.
What other benefits do you get from playing other sports before weightlifting?