Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyFRZ
Wouldn't call this a bragging thread at all, it's a thread about advice, and talking about fitness; that's how I see it, anyways. 
First off, I want to say congrats on getting fit. It started off sad with you losing your baby (I know that feeling, just lost my own "baby"), but now you're in a better place. Woohoo! 
Alright,question time.
I'm new to the fitness thing. I know you said what started your motivation, but what motivates you now? I think that's the part I've been lacking. I want to completely drop off soda in my life, and start working out again. I just don't know where to start. I've tried before in the past...It hasn't gone so well, obviously.
Advice for a newcomer?  |
*second to last paragraph to skip my life story*
We all know what got me into the gym but what really kept me in. I was the fat kid growing up all my life. To hide my insecurity i would try to be the class clown. I thought doing this would somehow make people change my nickname from "the fat kid" to "the class clown." At the same time i always loved loved loved sports. I could probbaly play basketball, hand ball, tetherball, dodgeball, nationball for hours on end in elementary school. Everyone always said dude, you have massive arms you workout? No i don't it was actually just fat lol. But because i was weighing at around 150lbs in 6th grade my body started building a little above average strength to keep my fat ass up lol.
At this time my friend introduced me to watching wrestling on t.v. When i was little i used to watch matches of hulk hogan with my grandma at home lol so i was a little intrigued. Than when i first tuned in i saw these massively big guys step on stage and go flying everywhere. This was unreal, it's like what you see in comics but real life. How is that possible?? Since than i always wanted a bigger body, so i did a lot of exercising and ate a lot of whatever. I honestly didn't know what i was doing. This went on for years and eventually i just "lost motivation" to get that body. All this shit isn't working!!!
Than 2010 came, my brother's camry died and we needed another car in the family. So my brother said it was my turn to get a car, so my mom got me a used 2007 rx-8 automatic. I was on top of the world, i thought i was this badass drift king!! At the same time my friend said he was going to start losing some weight. Take note this guy i knew did a lot of working out in highschool and had abnormally large arms. Probably 14.5 inches. At the time that was huge. I was like alright i played with diets before lets see who can lose the most weight. Later that month i got into a major car accident and was depressed for weeks. It was more like my drift king ego was crushed, i need to get my mind off this. I know i guess I'll try to workout again.
A few days later i bought some weights from walmart and just went on it for a month. Did bicep curls, shoulder raises, dumbbell presses 7 times a week for an hour. (still a bit stupid here but i was motivated) I was getting stronger but not bigger. I bought some of this magic formula thats supposed to get you massive. They called it whey. After a month i started slacking again and again lost interest. My friend one day came up to my and said he has a gym membership now, and back in 2010 going to the gym felt like something for obsessed freaks. But i was curious and my mom wanted to get my fatass fit and stop playing world of warcraft. So she got my a 2 year gym pass. Only if i agreed to go. I had tried a 7 day free pass prior so i was sure i wanted to go.
At first i was going for 7 days straight, bicep day, tricep day, chest day, trap day, leg day, back day, shoulder day reset. Now i'm just going to say \don't do this lol. I was a little dumb still but my friend was already benching 200 a few months in and i was just like wtf. He was like fix your damn diet and learn how to train right!!
I started reading magazines and youtube fitness gurus. He started giving and recommending supplements for me. He worked at gnc at the time. So i kept at it for awhile, it was the summer and i had no classes in college. I usually took summer and winter off. I went on for awhile cause there was nothing to do at home, i was jobless at the time.
Now to answer your question, what keeps me motivated. Because i was regularly going to the gym and finally fixing my routine and diet i noticed a lot of weight lost and a lot of nooby muscle gains. Nooby gains are the quick muscle gains you get the first year you workout for. The body is basically and empty carcass adding in all this mass that you didn't use before. I think watching and slowly noticing my body change is the biggest motivation i can ever get. Yea i might not look like that ripped ass white guy across the room but i rather not have it any other way. I made this change without anyones help. Every day i when i go to the gym, i used ear phones not because the music helps me lift but because i can block out the world. When I'm at the gym it's all me me me, and no one can take that away from me. I'll be the best of me, that i can be. Yea when you first go in your going to compare yourself to others, but if you can somehow jump over that hurtle, you will be golden. Never do it for someone, but always do it for yourself.
As for advice, never compare yourself to others. Fitness isn't a competition unless you want it to. Yea there will be guys in the gym that will try to lift the world to impress you, it might make them feel a bit better but others will know what an idiot; this guy. Like they say, leave your ego at the door. The process is slow but have patience. Hell i curl less than smaller guys, but it gives a good burn and i love the pump. A proper fitness way of living *sounds cliche lol* Is proper food, proper rest, and proper exercise. In your prime of lifting you should have all this down. But for someone starting out, i wouldn't recommend you do all this at once. It's a lot to absorb. Just start with the workout routine. Eventually fix your diet. Your diet will help you grow and give you energy in the gym. Get plenty of rest, this will give maximum growth. You grow the most out of the gym than in it. And don't forget, it's not a competition so just have fun. Most of the veteran guys there will more than likely give you advice or spot you. It's kind of like a test. Once they know your not just their to mess around they'll help you out when you need to. Gluck!!