Pumping iron, lifting weights. Whatever you call it, it’s no secret there is a cult-like group of people who take weightlifting and working out seriously. So much so that the yearbook committee felt the need to add a superlative, “Most likely to be in the gym.”

The influence for this sudden shift to better oneself physically can be traced back to a few key people. It’s hard to talk about lifting culture without talking about Bodybuilder and Youtuber Sam Sulek. For the past year or so, Sam has been religiously uploading progress videos to Youtube that not only document his size and muscle increase over the past year, but also give advice to novice and even experienced lifters on everything about lifting. In just a year’s time he has gained a massive following, including a large population of students from LFHS. 

“I just thought it would be a fun thing to do to release emotions, and now it’s become a habit,” said Sage Sherman, a senior, who after just two years of lifting can leg press an impressive 500 pounds. 

But why? While lifting weights and going to the gym has always been a great way to both relieve stress and build muscle, why is it that there seems to be a sudden increase of interest in lifting weights and self improvement as a whole?

Bronson Kuever, an avid lifter who can put up an impressive 315 pounds on the bench press, had an answer. 

“If you see someone around you that is looking better, feeling better, and overall doing better as a person, you’re going to want to have the same results. I think that people around LFHS have shown what working out can do to you, and have popularized it. In turn, it’s gotten people into the gym and taught them discipline both physically and mentally.”