As some of you may know, and others may not, I have endured chronic pain for the last five plus years. After multiple doctors, months of physical therapy and going to a chiropractor, I was left virtually to fend for myself. Thus, I took up working out to get my body in better physical shape to help support my body. I know I'm a little different from most cases: most people are looking to lose weight while I was looking to gain some weight (via muscle). While I'm not a certified expert, I'm happy to say I've really transformed my body. The pain is still there but is better than it was five years ago. Thus, through my experiences I've learned a trick here or there and I thought I'd share some information I've learn over the years.
I will add tips probably once or twice a week.
Tip #1: Consistency
I know I've blogged about consistency before, and I even mentioned someone's weight loss in the process, but I think consistency is the most important component of improving in general. While other aspects play vital roles in your overall transformation, they all come second to being consistent. If you don't have the drive to stick with something it won't stick with you.
I can stress enough how important it is to develop the mentality that "I'm going to do this," whatever "this" is. You see all of these get fit programs and weight loss programs, and they all contain pros and cons; however, the one commonality they undoubtedly share is consistency. P90x helps transform your body. True. Why? It offers a variety of moves and exercises to kick you into shape. Also true. But, if you don't follow the plan, the 90 day plan, the moves and exercises won't amount to anything.
I've seen so many people who don't even participate in these intense exercise programs transform their bodies and more importantly their health. Why? They stick to it. I think what is hardest for people is that we want to see results instantly. While sometimes you will, oftentimes you won't. You have to keep on doing it and stop finding reasons not to if you want real results. Fun fact: For weight loss, you can sometimes see results relatively quickly; however, from what I've heard and read over time you don't generally see largely visible results for about eight weeks. You're body had to get used to it and really transition itself from its prior state.
Example time:
As I mentioned above, I began taking shaping and fixing my body into my own hands about two to three years ago. When I started, I was a stick. Like seriously, a perpetually stick that looked like I'd break at any given time. When I entered the weight room, my stick-ly nature was reflected through my weight lifting. I couldn't lift much. I think in my second week I foolishly thought I could lift 115 lbs in the bench press. I figured it should be easy given I was 20 years old. Let's just say I was wrong, and embarrassingly had to weight until someone noticed that the bar was slowly crushing me. I didn't give up, though. While I was embarrassed and disappointed in myself, the fact of the matter was I had never really done any lifting with any seriousness before hand. Sure I had done some weight training in high school, but as a runner we weren't required to do much.
I went to the gym everyday and worked towards improvement. Gradually, and I mean GRADUALLY I saw improvements. It took persistence, but I did it. A couple months into my working out I noticed serious gains, as in I could suddenly bunch not just 115 lbs but 135 lbs.
Change doesn't happen over night. It's a process that takes time.
The key is consistency. You want to find something that you can do everyday, or almost everyday. Don't kill yourself. If I would have kept doing the 115, I may have eventually been able to do it but I also would've run the risk of injuring myself and quitting. You want to do things correctly. Overdoing it could seriously jeopardize your overall goal. But you do have to do it. It really makes me happy to see people transform their bodies and health for the better. Those most successful understand it is a marathon, not a sprint. Each day presents the opportunity to get better. Believe, stay strong, and the results will come. I'm happy to say I can know bench over 225 lbs because I've continued to seek improvement. Not too shabby for a stick.
Tip #2: Perfect your form first
I've seen and read a lot about people working out to improve their physique. Personally, I hate having mirrors in gyms because it facilitates narcissism more than anything. People, guys especially but this relates to girls as well, are often more worried about quantity instead of quality of lifting/working out. Giving this advice may seem obvious but that's because it is: It is absolutely imperative to perfect your form before worrying about how much you do. Too many people want to curl 60 lb weights, bench press 225, or run a marathon without knowing how to correct do the exercise in its simplest form. I'm not sure if it's a lack of patience or desire to show off, or a mix and match of multiple things, but doing so can be detrimental long term. Sure, you can use your entire body to curl a 60 lb weight, but if you aren't properly performing the motion it's likely two effects will occur: 1) You won't actually be getting as strong as you thought and 2) You'll injure some part of your body.
You have to have good form or you risk long term injuries; it's logic, people. Especially in the beginning, you have to start with the basics. Over time, you can surely add weight, run longer, do more advanced yoga, etc. but in the meantime improper form affords you no clear advantages. Pretty soon that "sad individual" who can only do so much will be outperforming you because he or she took the time to learn how to do it properly. Many times, doing something at a lower quantity with correct form will result in better gains than doing something improperly with a higher quantity.
You have to give yourself a base; everyone has to start somewhere. It's like most things in life; for instance, think about school. You didn't start off learning algebra; instead, you began with simple addition, subtraction, etc. If you started with algebra, sure you may look smart and you might be able to cram it into your brain, but the chance of success is slim. Conversely, we begin with simple math to form a base that will aid us in an easier transition as we progress. Working out follows in the same vain.
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