That’s a very good question. One of the main reasons why so many people fail when it comes to hitting the gym / working out, is that they, most likely, are not crystal clear on the multiple benefits that working out has, and didn't really consider what it takes.
Now, I’m not a doctor, but I bet you heard that exercise is good for you and that you should not neglect working out / doing some sort of physical exercises, at least a couple of times a week; the health benefits are considerable and, this alone, should probably be enough to motivate you to start right away and, most importantly, be consistent about it. I mean, after all, it is your health we’re talking about, right?
But, hell, as an iconic character once said,
It’s not enough, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be reading this post.
I won’t speak in general terms so I’ll stick to the sport I’ve been doing for the past 9-ish years - bodybuilding a.k.a working out a.k.a iron-pumping a.k.a embracing your inner gym rat … there’s one in all of us, you just gotta search for it 😀
Here’s the thing, first and foremost, in order to start doing something, YOU must really want to do that thing; that’s right, YOU - not your peers telling you what to do, or your social media idols or whomever; YOU must decide!
That being said, the reasons why you should start working out should also be YOUR reasons. All things that stick with us, resonate on a level or another with something that makes us who we are.
So … you might be saying “Thanks for nothing … click-bait and 3 minutes of my life wasted - you bastard!”
Hold on tiger … or she-tiger 😀I’ll tell you what worked for me and the challenges that people usually face, and how to overcome them. However, after you’re done reading this, you should look in the mirror and have a real talk with yourself … No, that doesn’t mean you're insane, it’s called … well, spending quality time with yourself 😀
Working out takes quite a lot in order to be consistent - as all great things in life, first, it requires time. Yeah, no-brainer, right? But here’s where most people mess up: they budget one or two hours and they don’t do a lot of research when it comes to picking the right gym.
Most of the time, people choose to go to a gym that’s recommended by some friend or co-worker. If it takes you an hour to get to the gym, an hour on the way back, well, now you’re at least an hour over your initial budget. Now, factor in that your workout may take an hour and a half or two hours, because the gym is crowded as hell at the time you arrive. In a worst-case scenario that’s 4 hours.
Well, that’s …
Yeah, I couldn't agree more - and that’s why some people stop after a few weeks. Can’t blame those people - for me, in general, it takes about 90 minutes to workout + the commute to and from the gym.
Now what can you do better? Here’s a tip when you want to pick a gym. Go there at least three times, on different days of the week, and see how bad the traffic is and how crowded the gym gets at the hours you want to work out.
Same thing goes for a gym that’s right next to you but is small and crowded as hell. I mean, if it takes 15 minutes to get a bench press set in, might want to reconsider.
The point is to save as much time as possible on the road and be able to train without major interruptions / having to wait and wait … and wait some more in order to finish your dips or curls.
The second most common reason why people quit is because they rely on someone else instead of themselves - what do I mean by that? Well, for example, a lot of people decide to start going to the gym with a friend. Now, when said friend starts to cancel for w/e reason, out goes your motivation and you quit.
Want another example? No? Fine, here’s another one:
“I stopped going to the gym because I felt insecure and even saw some guys looking at me, shaking their heads in disapproval.”
Generally, nobody give a flying f*ck about what you are doing in the gym. While there are jerks in this world, in the gym, nobody will laugh at you because you are overweight or if you are skinny and your arms shake while benching just the bar. And if they do - F*ck them! This is your journey and yours alone!
There is a small caveat here, and that is, if your technique is bad and there’s a big chance of an injury - in this case, yeah … someone might look at you and shake their head. Is this reason for you to quit? No. It’s true that mastering the technique is your number 1 priority, however, when trying something new, we are bound to make some mistakes. Learn from them and get better.
Third reason why so many people quit is having unrealistic expectations. I’ll detail this in a future post, but the main point is that people initially think that working out is easy. It is NOT. (well, not if you want to do it for a long time 😀)
It causes discomfort.
It causes you to feel pain (I was sore for about 2 months when I started to hit the gym).
It requires discipline.
It requires focus, commitment and sheer will
Now I want you to pay close attention.
YOU NEED TO MASTER THESE THINGS IN LIFE!
Being able to experience and practice all of these things in the gym is a big bonus! If you’re not disciplined, but are serious about working out, you’ll soon find that you are learning discipline along the way. Same goes for being focused; when learning how to properly do an exercise, you will focus to master every single rep of a set.
Making a habit of hitting the gym has great value for your body but also for your mind and it helps you build both physical strength and character strength. Iron reveals very quickly if you’re a b*tch or not. 😀
It takes courage and skill to lift some extra weight, to do an extra set, in other words, to push your boundaries.
So … should you start working out? YES! It doesn’t matter what age you are, it doesn’t matter if you're a guy or a gal, it is something that will help you grow and improve on so many levels.
Be aware that it’s not an easy ride …
In part 2 I’ll tell you about my reasons for starting to work out and some reasons that, in general, don’t quite cut it.
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