What did you call me?

"You're just a Weekend Warrior."

That's not very nice sounding is it?  Let's look at the phrase, weekend warrior.  Everyone wants to be a warrior, but put weekend in front of it and instantly it sounds like a negative.

Ponder this: powerlifting meets, body building contests, strongman events, olympic weightlifting, all of these happen the majority of the time on the weekends.  Would you call a competitive powerlifter a weekend warrior?  Only if you wanted your head chewed off.

Lets back up a bit first.

Im at the gym 5-6 days a week.  I don't eat crappy foods, I don't drink alcohol, I get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, I don't party and I don't skip meals.  I could go on and on and I'm not even as extreme as some!  I wouldn't call myself a powerlifter or a body builder , I'm simply a guy who loves lifting, wants to be big, strong, and healthy.  I do what I love and I love what I do.  For me, what you see as a sacrifice is just payment towards my goals.

I'm not a weekend warrior.  Not because I think it's a negative phrase, instead I feel it's a postive phrase.  However it's reserved for those warriors that compete on the weekends: Body builders, powerlifters, olympic lifters, tough triathletes , or anyone else that gets out there on the weekends and gives it their all.

What do you call me you ask?  Porter to many, Ron to others or to some "hey guy".  Enthusiast isn't the right word either, I feel enthusiasts are those that just sit around talking about something and never "doing".  Sure, you might go to the gym five days a week on a perfect week, but what about when someone wants to go out for dinner or you don't feel good?  Suddenly you've only gone in two days a week.

There's nothing wrong with someone that uses the gym as a tool so they can eat out and not feel guilty.  They are still probably better off than those that don't make it to the gym.  They aren't weekend warriors though.

You can't simply label everything.  I know why I train.  Notice I said train.  I don't workout, I train for a specific goal and purpose.  Every session has a reason and builds upon the others.  At the end of the day, I don't care what you call me.  I'm in this for me and me alone.

Are you going to let someone else's label affect you?  I sure wont.  Get out there and do your thing, don't worry about what you're called.