The other day, as I was waiting in between sets for my next superset I was thinking… Has it all been worth it?
Is counting your calories every single day, buying supplements to better your performance, and pushing yourself to literal unbearable pain worth it?
But then I thought about it, and I can tell you this… Every single part of this journey has been 100% worth it.
The journey of the gym bro has without a doubt, changed my life in a way that can never be undone… and in a good way too… allow me to explain.
“You’re Literally Perfect”
I’ve heard this numerous times, from guys AND girls… and it’s amazing because I don’t even see what they’re talking about half the time.
I just focus on how I’m going to add a certain exercise to target my upper obliques better and whatnot, so these types of comments really help you look at yourself in a different light.
“You’re literally perfect” she said as she stared deeply into my eyes while we were cuddling on the couch. I was speechless. Like, what are you supposed to say to that when it’s said so genuinely. All I could say was “Nah, far from it” and pull her closer.
But how did I get there? How did I get this beautiful girl laying on my chest, feeling my abs, and totally vibing with each other in a way that most guys only DREAM OF?
The truth is… I worked on myself. I work on myself every single day because I want to take ALL of what life has to offer, and I will never quit until I get it all, or I’m dead.
However, this journey towards perfection in bodybuilding, mental health, etc. oftentimes forces you to focus on the negatives.
Things like “Oh my shoulders are out of proportion with my arms” and whatnot, which can often leave you even more self-conscious than someone who doesn’t even work out at all!
So, is a certain level of self-consciousness worth the rewards that come with getting jacked? In my opinion… Abso-fucking-lutely.
How Being Jacked Affects Your Social Life
I remember back when I was more resembling of a skeleton rather than a living being, and it would take a LOT of effort to get a girl to like me, or to get respect from male peers.
These days though? COMPLETELY different story. These days I have girls using pick up lines on me and it’s HILARIOUS. On top of this, something about developing your strength, makes guys acknowledge and respect you more.
When I was skinny it felt like I was easily ignored by just about everyone. People would walk past and might not even know I existed unless I did something crazy (I was a bit of a problem child when I was younger). But again, these days it’s completely different…
When you get jacked, people are just DRAWN to you almost magnetically. Expect random guys to just talk to you more like “Ay wassup bro” while you’re getting groceries. Or at the gym “Ay good shit brah” and more. Guys just have more respect for you when you have taken the time to develop both inner and mental strength, which I’ll talk about next.
How Being Jacked Affects Your Mental Health
It’s no secret that exercise has been effective at helping people cure depression for a LONG time. Scientists have dubbed the good feelings you get from cardio for example, as a “runners high”, because that’s EXACTLY what it feels like. For a brief time period (like 15-30 minutes) you feel INCREDIBLE.
But what about the other benefits? How come so few people talk about the IRON DISCIPLINE you develop from consistently going to the gym and pushing yourself to the absolute limits like a goddamn Dragon Ball Z character. When you start to force yourself to consistently suffer for A PURPOSE, it sets your whole life in order. Suddenly, you see the bigger picture. You see why putting long term rewards over short term pleasures is SO much more worth it.
You evolve into a man who doesn’t make excuses. You’ve got a paper due tomorrow and it’s already midnight and you need to wake up at 6? That’s nothing compared to the time where you got 4 hours of sleep and had to go hit a grueling leg day, and you left your headphones and pre-workout at home.
“Too tired” simply doesn’t exists in your vocabulary when you get jacked. And this ends up giving you IMMENSE self respect, you carry yourself differently, and you have a confidence that with enough work you can literally do ANYTHING you set your mind to.
Lastly, you’ll understand why so many professional bodybuilders say that “the gym is their friend”. Because it’s true. I won’t lie, I’ve used the gym to get through some of the darkest times of my life. Even if everything seemed hopeless, I could still look forward to going to the gym and make progress in life. And when you’re angry? Oh my god, the two best things to do when you’re pissed is to hit the gym, or fuck in my opinion.
When you’re angry in the gym, and you channel that power to lift heavy shit, you feel like Zeus. And people can tell when you’re in this zone too, because as soon as your in it, all of a sudden everyone in the gym has their eyes on you, and will often times come up to chat you up, but you don’t care. Not in a mean way, but in a way that you are deadest on your purpose in that moment, which is to crush the next set of weights.
All of this isn’t just pseudo science either. There are numerous studies that prove how good exercises is for your mental/emotional health. [R]
How Being Jacked Affects Your Results With Girls
I understand many people get into lifting to attract girls. And there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s often how all of us start, but eventually you’ll find that you do it less and less for girls, and more for your own self satisfaction.
This doesn’t mean that girls aren’t attracted to you once you get jacked, believe me… they are. It just means you become more of the prize rather than the customer which is a FAR better situation to be in.
I recall I had just gotten out of a fitness slump and had started hitting the gym again. I decided to post a mirror pic that said “Minus 15 pounds, but still got it” or something like that. I put my phone away to go lift and when I looked at it again about half an hour later, I was shocked. There was about 20 different girls who responded IMMEDIATELY, and they all had cute little unique pick up lines.
The truth is, I could rave on and on about how girls will borderline harass you to take off your shirt, or how they gasp, and their pupils dilate when you do, as well as all the other benefits but the truth is, is that you really should experience these yourself. I realize a lot of this may come off as bragging, but I’m simply explaining to you what’s possible when you take the time to get jacked.
Again, this isn’t bro science, studies have shown that men are more attractive when they have a higher shoulder to waist ratio, or a V-cut. [R]
The World Is Yours For The Taking
When you force yourself to push past the first week or two of pain in the gym without seeing any REAL results, but still press on with faith regardless. That builds discipline. But when you start to see results from it? That builds an unstoppable confidence.
Maybe you’ll get your first bicep vein, maybe you’ll step on the scale and see your weight go up and down. Oftentimes it’s not huge, and it doesn’t have to be. It’s PROOF. Proof that you are capable of making good changes in your life. And as soon as this happens, something magical happens… your mind expands.
It expands to all the possibilities of what you can have in your life, if you’re simply willing to work for it. Getting jacked shows you how to properly establish the right routines, habits, etc. to achieve your dreams, and truth is, you can apply the same principles to getting jacked, to EVERY PART OF YOUR LIFE.
All it takes is that initial decision. That real decision that you make within yourself that it’s time for a change. From there, you make a plan. It fails, so you make a new and better plan. That one might fail, so you make an even better plan and repeat this process until you accomplish your dream physique.
This applies to whatever goals you have in life, but it starts with you, nobody will make this journey for you, all you need to do is start and keep going, no matter what, and you’ll come to realize that the world is yours for the taking.
Conclusion
I realize this is a bit of a different post than usual, but I feel that it’s important to have these more in-depth articles so that I can relate with my audience more and help to set a fire under my readers’ asses haha.
Getting jacked has been one of the most life changing events I’ve ever had, and I do not say this lightly, because it can do the same for you too. Getting jacked teaches you the principles of success that you can use to get whatever you want in your life.
Getting jacked will make you more disciplined, more attractive, more effective, more charismatic… you get the idea, you’ll work and work and work, and one day, it’ll just click.
As always I hope you guys enjoyed the article, and feel free to hit me up with any questions, comments or concerns. You can shoot me an email at matthewcarter@hardgainerbodybuilding.com or DM me on insta @realmatthewcarter.
To Your Success,
-Matthew Carter