Most weekends I’m out at Max Power with whoever is crazy willing (or crazy stupid) enough to endure one of Mike and Nick’s workouts under the summer sun. Mostly, the crazy seems to involve testosterone, so it’s usually me and a group of guys.

This is what I’ve learned from training with the big boys:

• Guys like to burp. They will, in fact, burp a lot when training hard and pushing themselves. Learn to accept this, as burping is much more preferable to alternatives.

• Guys don’t care if you’re sweaty and gross while training. Mainly because they’re probably sweatier and grosser, so it’s okay to leave the makeup at home, ladies. Though not the deodorant – c’mon, that’s just common courtesy.

• It’s okay to push yourself. Though it’s really tempting to just sit back (or sprawl, depending on how wiped you are) to take the easy way out and use the excuse that you’re a girl. But guys – even after they’ve puked, even if they’ve aggravated an old injury or broken a state powerlifting record the day before – will keep pushing through and do another set.

I was talking to a friend the other day about working out. He’s been trying to bulk up recently, and he mentioned that his training partner was always looking for a “quick fix” – the next program or miracle supplement that will transform him into, I don’t know, who do guys want to look like nowadays? Wolverine? Daniel Craig? Blade (circa the first movie)?

I guess he’s looking for whatever extra little bit of edge will put him over the top and make his biceps ripple more. My friend was a little more philosophical about it. “You work out and you eat more. How much easier could it get than that?” And he’s right.

So why, when the formula for success is relatively simple and easy to follow, do we look for an easy way out like a supplement? You want to build muscle, all you have to do is lift weights and eat more calories. You want to lose weight, you burn more calories than you consume.

Because you can!

I know that’s a glib answer and probably not what you’re looking for. You probably want some answer like weight lifting has been shown to increase bone density and help prevent osteoporosis. Or some reassurance that you won’t bulk up (or that you will). Or that on any given day you might have to lift a heavy box or piece of furniture in real life. And yes, those things are all true.

But the real reason you should lift heavy weights is because you can. Because that’s what they’re there for. Because life is about improving and getting better and learning how to do more and be more. Because pushing yourself makes you feel alive.

Because you want more out of life.

Countless reps in the gym have translated to a quicker first step, more energy, and more endurance on the tennis court. But I won’t be winning Wimbledon any time soon. I can get to the ball all day long but I still occasionally overrun it.

When you’re lifting, you’re probably more worried about getting the weight up than you are in controlling its descent on the way down. Or if you’re doing a box jump, you’re thinking about exploding upwards and getting on the box (and not whacking your shins) instead of how you’re going to land. But focusing solely on the positive (concentric) contraction of a movement without regard to what happens during the negative (eccentric) in the gym means you’ll end up doing what I did on the tennis court. You’ll overshoot your target and miss the shot.

Being stronger or faster doesn’t mean very much if you can’t control your newfound strength or speed. This video of Chicago Bull Luol Deng working out illustrates the importance of body control (around the 7:15 mark). In my gym, we use sports-specific movements and full body exercises to increase body awareness and coordination between the upper and lower body.

It’s like the old coaches’ adage: you play like you practice. If you only practice half the movement, you’ll only be able to perform at half your potential.