Forget the Scale

Forget the Scale
I was watching a very popular TV reality show in which the contestants were required to weigh themselves at the end of the show to see who might get eliminated. If you're a fan of this type of TV program you can likely figure out which one I'm speaking of or you can insert your own.
The whole process, boiled down to the few pounds each contestant could shave off each week. Certainly in the beginning of any routine, especially if you've been out of the game for awhile, or if you are exceptionally overweight, I could see this being a relevant technique to track your progress.

On the other hand, in the early go, I'm not sure what difference it makes. Certainly the medical profession finds body weight to be a significant measure of overall health. This may seem like I'm stating the obvious. I mean after all, if you're not skinny, then you're fat. Am I Right?
Personally, I don't believe simple body weight really gives you the whole picture. In fact, for me, it's a frustrating oversimplified way to track progress. Furthermore, it takes the focus off of your workouts, and takes attention away from the mind-body connection. This "connection" is the real measure one needs to develop. Develop is the key word here, because this type of connection is more intuitive and subjective than the clear-cut number one gets from a scale. If all I think about is how much I weigh, in the end I'm missing the point.

Let's say for example, you did nothing but bicep curls. This is your whole workout; three days or four days a week. You make it your mission to figure out how to work your biceps so that they arrive at their maximum potential. Think only about that small muscle group. Even as you read this, you can flex your bicep and imagine how big mighty and strong this single muscle group could be. Even if right now, working your bicep is of no particular interest, could you imagine curling dumbbells until you feel that nice thick pump inside the core of each of your biceps?
Okay, now go weigh yourself.

I mean really, who cares? All I care about is how great my biceps feel. It's how good I feel that gets me juiced, not how much I weigh. Now take that concept and expanded it to your entire body. In the end, what you weigh really won't matter because you feel great and you won't really care about your weight. Your weight is merely a positive side effect of a long-term healthy lifestyle.

Here is one other quick point for you to consider about your weight. A couple years ago, I had to go to a health physical that was required by my occupation. At that time, I was really on my game when it came to pure weight lifting. I was probably as developed in muscularity, as I've ever been. I was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and jeans when the nurse asked me to hop on a scale. She had my records from the previous year, and shook her head, indicating that I needed to lose weight because my weight had gone up! Because she couldn't see my physique, it didn't even occur to her that an increase in weight was an indication of better physical conditioning, not worse.
Fred Abernathy is a long time health enthusiast with a keen interest in the benefits of health and diet methods that promote quality of life as we continue to age. You can join the forum and share your own story by visiting http://musclebuilderman.blogspot.com