Gene Bernshtam is a real estate development professional who has been a CEO of various companies. Outside his professional career, he spends his time collecting cars, traveling, scuba diving, and weightlifting. He maintains a strong work ethic, but never forgets about his health and fitness.
Gene Bernshtam stays on top of his game by weightlifting—a sport that challenges and improves one’s athleticism, emotional health, and mental strength. Olympic weightlifting helps reduce stress levels, as people who regularly train experience a significant decrease in their cortisol levels.
Compared to long-distance runners who don’t include weightlifting in their program, weightlifters have healthier muscles and joints as they age, according to a study conducted by the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Individuals who do weightlifting can build up muscles around their joints, protecting them later in life. In addition, weight training has been known to promote bone density.
Athletes whose primary sport is not weightlifting use the sport as cross-training. Weightlifting enhances an athlete’s explosive power. Any kind of weights program improves one’s performance, particularly in areas where high-load speed and strength are needed. Mastering the moves in weightlifting can be a challenge as these require control and skill. A person’s first few sessions with the iron won’t necessarily make them a pro in the snatch and clean and jerk. It takes months to years of practice to get the right movement, and a ton of patience to stay on track. These lifts require flexibility, coordination, and complete focus.
For a dedicated real estate professional like Gene Bernshtam, having a productive day means getting a restful sleep the night before. Regular weight training is a safe, healthy, and inexpensive way to improve a person’s sleep quality. People can get sidetracked by injuries. Fortunately for those who practice proper form and dedicate a part of their day to weightlift training, injuries can be kept at bay. Athletes who—for three years—included weight training in their fitness program have become more resilient than athletes who only started lifting. Weightlifting is not reserved for individuals who have athleticism in their bones. A sport for everyone, Olympic weightlifting attracts everyone, regardless of their weight and size. With much dedication and discipline, anyone who desires to pursue the sport can do so. Gene Bernshtam believes that the sport is a mix of patience and instant gratification, as small daily wins come from days and months perfecting the lifts.