Gym & Life Gains
How much do you even lift bro?
Looking back, had it not been for my sporting endeavours and obsession with watching tennis/cricket/football (okay all sports) then I’m not sure when I would have started at a gym.
I believe, by playing such sports, once you reach a certain age you instinctively decide to join a gym.
So at 15 years old, I entered my first gym, David Lloyds (s/o Pops for the membership) whilst looking around thinking daym this equipment is pristine. I could get use to this.
Whilst, the middle age guy looks over at a skinny kid thinking shouldn’t you be in school still.
Standing face to face with the bench press was kind of daunting. I remember putting too much weight on, and not clipping the sides. My form slipped and the weights fell of on the right side, which was awkward and further emphasised the middle aged man’s thoughts around the fact that perhaps I should still be in school.
After that moment of madness, I went to some of the more basic machines - those which required minimal set-up.
For the first few months of my gym experience, I was predominantly doing isolation exercises, which targeted a specific muscle group. Cable and weighted machines were the preference.
Post that gym experience, I remember talking to my friends, trying to get them to join a gym with me.
A vivid memory I have is getting a bus to Holland & Barrett with my friend to buy protein powder, sneaking it home away from the watchful eyes of my parents and to avoid any questioning. Going into the garage and swigging half mixed protein powder and water.
Similar consistency to the protein power
Imagine pouring water into a mug, giving it a slight mix and chugging it.
It was a grim experience.
As my parents are both doctors, they inherently thought what is this you’re consuming.
In all honesty I didn’t do that much research, apart from the fact I knew bodybuilders were taking it.
So, why not try it?
Fast forward a few years and by the time I was 18 - I had swapped the isolation exercises for compound ones. Deadlifts, bench press and squats. The core lifts to gain overall muscle. Between 18-21 (university) I probably gained the most muscle and developed habits which stuck with me until today.
I had a concept at the time (which I do not follow always) - 2 days off in a row is allowed, but on the third day I had to go, no matter what. Understandably, when all you have is lecturers in a day, that ethos is pretty simple to follow.
However, in actual fact, applying that in my everyday life around other aspects has worked wonders.
Whether that be reading, playing sports or learning a new hobby. It’s not always easy to stick to something on a daily basis - life gets in the way. Applying it in a way where two days is allowed to be missed, but on the third day you pick back up. Keeps accountability and discipline at the forefront. Not letting yourself slip too far off the right track will pay dividends in the future.
