Sometimes you have to leave it all out on the field

Fast Friday

Alpenglow

Pure Power & Strength

I started with no athletic background. No structure. Just showing up and copying whatever looked right.

In high school I cut from 265 to 170 in one summer.
I proved I could suffer, but I didn’t learn how to train.

For years after, I chased the lie.
The perfect program.
The perfect exercise.
The idea that being “smart” meant avoiding heavy weight.

It sounded intelligent.
It kept me average.

The shift came when I learned effort comes before belief.
Confidence isn’t mindset. It’s competence stacked over time.

I became a specialist.
I picked lifts and patterns and attacked them.
Heavy enough to demand respect.
Light enough to repeat.

Touching heavy weight changed everything.
No hype. No ego. Just calm exposure to force so I actually knew my capacity instead of guessing it.

Then I added athleticism.
Walking before running.
Running before sprinting.
Jumping, throwing, twisting, changing direction.
Treating movement like a skill, not conditioning punishment.

That’s when strength started to transfer.
I got more durable. More coordinated. Harder to break.

The villain is obvious now.
The “perfect” program no one can repeat year after year.
The gym where no one is switched on.

You don’t need to be a competitor to train like this.
A small dose of athleticism makes you stronger, more mobile, and more resilient as you age.

Adherence is the entry point.
Effort is the multiplier.
Athleticism is the edge.

That’s how you go from weak to someone who actually knows what they’re capable of.

Stats: 
Relative Effort 🤩 : 19 
❤️ Avg: 115 bpm ❤️ Max: 164 bpm ⚡️AVG:  ⚡️/kg:  Climbing Ratio 🚵 :  Elevation Max ⛰️: 0 ft

Automated with strautomator.com

Top Sports

Ariel W. Long

Pure Power & Strength

3 Photos

Sign up to see the comments.

Sign up to view more activities from Ariel W. Long

Sometimes you have to leave it all out on the field

Fast Friday

Alpenglow

Pure Power & Strength

Z2

Want to see more?

The #1 app for runners and cyclists

Sign Up for Free. Track your progress and reach goals. Join 100 million active people on Strava.

See More from Ariel W.