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It’s fair to say that everyone on the planet wants to be fit and healthy. We all want to be active and athletic to an extent. Even the guys out there that claim they don’t care about their physique because they have other passions and other priorities to focus on. It’s completely natural to want to be in decent shape. In recent years, the dad bod has become a hugely popular look, but even those harbouring this gorgeous gift will think ‘I could shift a few pounds’ every now and again. And it’s okay to feel this way.
Let’s say you’re at the stage now where you want to do something about your fitness. Maybe you’ve decided that you want to change the way you look; you feel a more muscle-bound you is more attractive. Perhaps you just want to get skinnier because you fancy having more of a spring in your step as opposed to feeling a little sluggish every time you sit down. What do you do? How do you even begin to change things?
If you don’t know a thing about this stuff, it can be quite daunting – especially the idea of hitting the local gym and being amongst experienced iron pumpers. But, fortunately for you, it’s actually much simpler than you think and nowhere near as scary as your mind is telling you. Let’s talk a little more about it and also see just how basic this stuff is.
Biting The Bullet And Signing Up
The first step in changing your lifestyle. If you’re quite a timid and nervous personality, this very idea can make you go into your shell and not talk about it for the rest of the day. The butterflies are still there for the more confident guys, too. The thought of stepping into the reception area, walking up to a big, intimidating person behind the counter and asking if you can join his cult while hoping he doesn’t laugh at you.
None of that happens. They’re good, lovely people who want to help. They were little and nervous once, so they know what it’s like.
Preparing For What’s To Come
After the big build-up you gave the process of signing up, it’s time for another bit of slight angst followed by some mental preparation. Similarly to before, the intimidating thoughts you might be having about the place are based on exaggerated characters in movies – they’re not real. In terms of physical preparation, you’ll want to wear comfortable clothes that allow you to get a sweat on as well as allow you to move freely. Some people like to eat before they train and some like to go in a fasted state – you’ll find what’s best for you after a while as it’s down to personal preference.
Getting It Done
If you want to build some muscle, it’s quite simple really. The idea is to pick the weight up and then put it back down again. Sure, there a some big, compound movements that require a little more practice, but a bicep curl and a triceps pulldown will not require too much thought as long as it’s done nicely and slowly. There are dozens of exercises for the different muscles in the body and can be found online with a quick Google search! We’ve focused on trying not to worry about the others around you, and we’ll reiterate it again now: the people around you aren’t looking at you. Go ahead and smash it!
Asking For Help
If you’re struggling in any way to get to grips with what you’re doing, you can also get some advice from the personal trainers and other staff working in the facility – they’ll know what they’re talking about. You can also get help from fellow members. They’ll be happy to help. You’ll be learning along the way as well as being friendly and social, which will only enhance your experience.
Eating The Right Stuff
Whether you’re trying to lose weight or whether you’re trying to build your physique, they both have one thing in common: nutrition is ridiculously important. You can’t out-train a bad diet. The good thing about weight loss is that it’s as simple as burning off more calories than you put in your body – if you keep doing that, the pounds will drop. Want to get stronger? Eat a little more. It becomes a little more detailed as you get larger and leaner, but, to begin with, just chowing down some muscle food will help you out a lot.
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Those Darn Rest Days
As you start to become more acclimated to the gym life, you’ll probably start to overthink about how to spend the rest days. Sure, to begin with, you’ll thank the stars you don’t have to train again because the delayed onset muscle soreness will be hurting. But as you get more and more into it, you may feel that you’re missing out on some progress. Don’t worry, you won’t be. Your muscles need to rest in order to recover and grow.
Enjoying It All
Making sure you’re liking the entire journey isn’t necessary but doesn’t half help. Actually wanting to improve is enough motivation to get the job done – and with it being a hobby, this would probably be something you look forward to doing. Some people even take it a step further and want to make it their job. You never know, you could become a personal trainer yourself. A few months into it all and you could find yourself searching on Google for some college courses, OriGym PT courses, nutrition classes or something along the lines of coaching and development. A bunch of opportunities can crop up when you look into it.
Remaining Consistent
Finally, and this kind of goes without saying, but making sure that you’re routinely active and exercising regularly will keep that spring in your step and keep you motivated. Consistency is and will always be essential as you don’t want to fall off the wagon and end up back to where you were before!