Why I lift and maybe why you should start...

     It was a bit after 5:00pm and the evening rush started to come in.  Leaning on my elbows against the stationary bike, they quivered, my arms too weak to support myself upright.  My  shoe laces whipped my screamingly sore legs with each pedal, untied from an innumerable amount of calf raises, as I watched the gym floor become flooded with its after-work patrons.  They shuffled in one by one, in pairs, or in groups; some coming across familiar faces and other seeking solitude to venture solo.  Pedaling on, nobody dilly dallied, everybody was doing something.  Footsteps fell heavy in the aerobics room, cables ran smoothly across pulleys, barbells and dumbbells came crashing down to the ground, and sweat fell onto the belts of the treadmills.  Split tank tops, yoga pants, heavy hoodies, running shoes, straps, wraps, and belts; we were all equipped to go to work.  There is something deeper than the face value.

      The test wasn't good enough, my classmates and I had been shut down saying our grades were not perfect enough and would have to retake out Kanji test.  The day before was a letdown as my marketing test was not as stupendous as it was hoped.  The day before that I was trembling in my shoes proposing an argument of an essay to a leader in the field of modern Chinese history that may have been swatted down. 

But it didn't matter.

     I had 250lbs on the bar and another 200lbs in bands attached sitting my my back as I was going down for the tenth rep, and damned if it wasn't coming back up.  I had 500lbs on the floor, the bar and my palms dusted in magnesium carbonate, belt snugged, and only focused on ripping the weight off the face of the floor.  I had 280lbs in my hands over my neck, lowering the bar, and making its only objective to come back up or face otherwise.  There is only ever one focus.

     This world is full of everything from the bad luck, the accidental, the unfortunate, and the dreadful.  The small things build in the form of annoyances, turning into stress, adding to the tragedy we may call our lives and it's never ideal.

     The car you fixed came back broken down, your boss gave you shit for not making that sale, your teacher hated your thesis, your dog shit on the carpet, you package didn't get delivered on time, you woke up late and started your day off wrong, spouse is fighting with you, death in the family, missed a bill.  There's a lot in life we cannot control.

     Maybe an hour or maybe two hours there is complete control and clear objectives.  There is no failure because there is always success in even trying.  Everything is something to be proud of whether it be five more pounds to your max lift, another rep with a weight you've been working at, a faster mile run, another centimeter to your arms, that extra pound lost; there is no failure in even the smallest accomplishment regardless of me being the biggest or the baddest or not.

     It's a "lift life", a "swole life", the "fit life"; all the same.  Humans all have a desire to better themselves in one way or another and this has never let me down.  Everything I do is in my control whether it's moving a max weight, or making sure my inner traps come to meet my rear delts, it's all the same.  

     There's sweat, tears, and sometimes blood and pain, but there's is always an improvement and solitude.  There's always satisfaction in knowing that although sometimes I can't give my all, I came in and tried.  The shaking in my arms, the swelling in my legs, and the nagging shoe laces whipping against my ankles were a sign of something greater and reaffirm me of a feeling, a feeling nobody wouldn't want even if they tried to ignore it. 

  -Pq

Swoldier Starter Steps: What you need to know about getting started and motivated!

This article needed clipart in the beginning
so here's Godzilla v.s. King Kong.

One of the biggest questions I am asked surrounding fitness is "wtf how do I get started?"  For anyone who is athletically inexperienced it sucks, it's overwhelming and incredibly intimidating given the general nature of a gym.  It's full of heavy things, sweaty men, people grunting/screaming and it hurts like hell. 

Fortunately we're here to help take some time and extinguish any of the anxieties associated with this task and give a strong foundation to help get started ,practically, with your goals. 

YOU GUYS LOVE GODZILLA SO HERE HE IS AGAIN

MAKE SOME GODDAMN GOALS
Well in case you might not have guessed it it's pretty important but is the most crucial and demands caps lock and big bold foul language.  This means to take a look at where you are currently and decide where you want to be in the future.  Deciding to lose fat versus gain muscle will determine your workout routines and diets so this is important to figure out which path you will take before starting off on it.  

  
START MEASURING STUFF
Regardless of where you want to go you need to figure out where you are.  Establishing a baseline of your current body stats will help you determine where you are going and if your current plan is productive enough.  Start with the basics like a scale, body measuring tape and a body fat caliper.  This way you will know how much you weigh, how big certain body parts are (I lol'd too) and how much body fat is on your frame.

This is a scale..... just in case.

One handed
body measuring tape

Body fat caliper.

This is something you should also be checking up on periodically to see how your progress is and what changes you should be making.  Personally a month is how often I check up on things in order to make adjustments and to compensate for the more immediate causes of body composition change (like a big poop or something.) 

The cool part about these things?  You can typically get the body tape and a caliper as a FREE gift from bodybuilding.com with certain orders over a certain amount.





TAKE NOTE AND KEEP TRACK

Plus Steve Cook is there; What a hunk.

Keeping track of your statistics is the most important thing you can do as well.  While many of you might think this a plug for bodybuilding.com (maybe.....) I have to note that their Body Space is a great resource for getting your goals straight.  It's like Facebook but it allows you to update your body composition, lifting benchmarks as well as setting a goal.  There is also a mobile app as version as well that also includes workouts and videos (god this is so easy.)

Taking pictures is also a great way to keep progress in check as well and see how far you've come.  These don't have to be plastered all over the internet but use them as a tool of progress and motivation.




GETTING PUMPED TO PUMP
You know this is something you want to do but just need a bit of a push.  I say watch a few movies!  Sit on the couch after reading this and curl up with something you know gets your blood flowing.  A good action movie, maybe a romance movie with that "hot" guy you would want to impress or even some sports to keep inspired of what you would like to be like.  

Personally a favorite of mine, and many others, is the 1977 documentary classic Pumping Iron .  This is the movie that not only make names like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferigno a household name but it's the movie that put weight training and bodybuilding onto the center stage and out of the side-shows.  While the focus is on the creating of a body into a work of art this film is loaded with heartfelt moments and is often quite humorous. 


For some people the hardest part is getting into the gym.  The new year is coming up and it's prime time to make a resolution for change.  You can say that a gym discount will get you in there or "going with a friend" will help you out a bit more to be motivated but the real motivation comes from within.  If you aren't ready to take yourself there and get the job done, there is no true motivation.

Start with these simple building blocks and get going!  This is a long journey for someone trying to just get in shape or perfect and sculpt with plenty of time to changes along the way.  Just remember to not lose true sight of what you came here for.

-Pq