What Being Fit Means to Me

So, in this blog I hope to inspire people who maybe aren’t taking their physical health seriously to consider doing so.

My Fitness Journey So Far

I was always an athletic kid, having been a triathlete and trained in tennis and karate. Now, I train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and consistently go to the gym.

But the biggest change happened over the course of a year when I started going to the gym.

I went from 70 kg to 80 kg of lean muscle at 181 cm (154 pounds to 176 pounds at 5 ’11”).

I have witnessed such an improvement in so many aspects of life that I just had to share it, hoping it inspires somebody else. 

It gives me a different level of confidence as it is a testament to my discipline.It also serves as a frame of reference in tough situations where it reminds me “If I could do that I can certainly do X.”

The unfortunate or fortunate reality is that you are respected more if you are fit. So if you have the opportunity (healthy body, extra time, money) to sign up to the gym it is a way for you to signal to others that you have characteristics like: discipline, consistency, routine, ability to delay gratification…

It is much more fun and rewarding to be heavier in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. This is a very specific benefit but it is easier to throw around others when you are bigger and stronger. The reality for men is that a street altercation can still occur so just having that in mind is a good idea. 

It is now an easy motivator to go to the gym. This is something I hear from everybody who takes the gym and working out more seriously. It is so hard to start because you can’t see any results, but when you put in some work and you start to see results, they serve as the best motivator. It is also a great reminder that everything is rented. If I stop working out all of a sudden, I will lose the progress eventually. And this is true for everything in life. 

Fewer injuries. This is so true when you are older or if you do any type of sport, but having muscle is a great way to bulletproof your body from injuries. I know from personal experience training Brazilian Jiu-jitsu that I get no injuries now as opposed to before where it happened occasionally.

Knowledge. This is something very specific for the gym, but now I know things about health and biology that I didn’t before. I know about calories and nutrition, I can approximately estimate how many calories a certain food has etc. Just knowing that allows me to make healthier food choices. I deep dived into improving my sleep and my workouts which expanded my knowledge and made my habits and life a little more healthy.

Routine. Going to the gym consistently taught me the power of routine and consistency. Knowing that everything will come eventually is a mindset I got from the gym and it is very helpful, when starting new things.

So all in all, I hope I inspired someone to start working out, because I am just so thankful to myself that I did.

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Here are some tips I wish somebody told me when I started in the gym:

Get a gym buddy, at least for the first month. This allows for somebody to push you to go consistently and if it’s somebody who is already experienced that means they can show you the correct form.

Form before weight. Especially when starting, you shouldn’t be focusing on weight. I know it might seem like people actually care how much you bench but they don’t, because everybody was a beginner once. What people do see is when newbies do exercises with such bad form it looks like they are possessed by a demon. It is also really bad for you.

Avoid things that put strain on your spine, like deadlifts, squats, or RDLs if you don’t ask somebody to show you the correct form. Here is where you can really go wrong.

Stick to the basics. Don’t change your plan every week, adding fancy exercises from Instagram. Try to get good technique on a few specific exercises. 

Ask somebody who is a little better to share their training plan and stick to it. Number one thing when starting in the gym is starting. Don’t overthink it. A shitty workout is shitty but still better than no workout. After a month of consistency watch some youtube videos and expand your fitness knowledge.

For the first month in the gym, I went with a friend of mine, who had been training for some time and knew a lot, and he showed me everything. I emphasized on form and did lower weight than I could just so that I knew I was developing correct muscle memory. 

Have fun!