Heavy metal is blasting through the stereo behind the front desk. The air is thick with desire, determination, and drive. You can smell the sweat and blood in harmony with the pleasantly pungent odor of camphor and capsaicin liniments. Beasts of men move through a cloud of chalk dust. Egos are reserved for those very few who have earned the right to brag, though they rarely do. Everyone is here for a purpose. Everyone has the same goal. Get stronger. Put more weight on the bar. Do whatever it takes to add five more pounds to that knurled steel bar. Forget what you know about strength. This is where strength breeds.

I first walked into Southside Gym 2 weeks after my 27th birthday. I had been personally invited by Vinny, a world champion bench presser who has lifted 800 lbs in competition. How could I refuse? I swallowed my ego, laced up my Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops and made the trip after work on a Friday night. Admittedly, I was nervous the first night. I have built a reputation as being a “hardcore” lifter..

Nobody likes to move. Not Richard Pryor, and definitely none of us. It's bad enough having to pack your own shit and move every few years, but to add salt to the ever-gaping wound, all of your loser friends always call you to help them move too. Here are our 5 best perks to sucking it up and sweating it out. 

5. His Sexy Wife

You're sweaty, she's giddy, and there's tons of comraderie in the room. Just because she's married to your friend and you find each other insanely attractive, that doesn't mean you're going to sleep together. It doesn't even mean you want to. It just means when you're hoisting that hamper full of her draws and she smiles at you because she knows what you're thinking, there's an unspoken connection there.