4XLT

Today’s Weigh-In: 304.4 pounds
Next Goal: 295 pounds
Days to Go: 19
Pounds to Go: 9.4

I went to the gym for weight training for the first time since March last night. It was a mixed bag, but I have to admit the whole time, my internal monologue was going solely along the lines of “Eff yeah, muthaeffas! I’m back! Graaaaaaaarrgg!”

I started out with power cleans, then moved to seated plate machine rows and standing military presses with the barbell. The shoulder presses were particularly brutal, and I only finished three of my last set. The pull down plate machine went well enough, even though my last set was really sloppy.

But by the time I hit the chest press (horizontal press), the wheels fell off – I think because the military press (vertical press) worked me over so much. I was shedding plates left and right just trying to get some semblance of an actual set count going. I went from 80, to 70, to finally just 45 pounds on each side and still struggled even then.

After that, I went and recouped with a bicep routine and then with some dumbbell swings. The swings were interesting as I’ve usually done a 3×15 rotation (5 with both hands, 5 with the left, and 5 with the right), but this time I’m going to go with the rest of my routine and try a 4×6 double handed format. Trouble is, I spent all four sets increasing weights, and I’ll have to do the same this weekend.

All in all, I was pretty pleased to be back. I’m going to take today off and give my body a chance to rest from three days of work, and then hit the gym Saturday for lifting again. Sunday, I’m getting my body fat measured for the first time in about a year and then going to do cardio.

New to the Gym?

But being back weight training at the gym (and planning on being consistent and dedicated again) for the first time in a few months definitely reminded me of how daunting the whole proposition seemed when i weighed 440 pounds and was just beginning the weight loss fight.

Some of you reading this might be there yourselves, so let me offer you some encouragement.

No One Really Cares That You’re There

Being well over four bills, I remember being so nervous that not only would I stick out like a sore thumb, but people who notice and point, laugh, or generally make fun of me. I know that Tony at The Anti-Jared has a story along these lines of his first time on the treadmill, but I think that is an extremely rare occurrence!

The thing I’ve come to realize about the gym, especially up on the weight floor, is that unless you’re a hot girl in tight/skimpy workout clothes (just keeping it real), no one really cares that you’re there except for you! Of course we’re self-conscious about our size, but all you can do is divert 100% of your energy onto the task at hand – cardio or weight training – and the reasons you’re there. Worrying about what other people are thinking will only distract you and wear down the results you could be seeing.

It’s Better to Underplan than Overplan

If you’re like me (a painfully textbook ENFP personality type), then it’s easy to get so excited about something – in this case working out/weight training/getting healthy – that you spend too much time coming up with a giant plan for world domination and total life reinvention that you fail to actually carry through with doing what you want to do!

Too often, we can spend our time worrying about exactly what exercises to do and all that, that we fail to get the most out of our time at the gym or fail to even go to the gym because we’re so tentative about what to do. Much like diets, I’m convinced that most plans will work if you stick to it and work hard enough at it. That’s not to say that some plans don’t work better than others! I’m pretty convinced on the value of high intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio and total body weight training in how I’m losing weight, but whatever your plan is, go hard at it!

If You Won’t Eat Right, Don’t Bother Going to the Gym

I have the above written in big red letters on my fridge because it’s so true.More than anything, losing weight happens as a result of what you eat. Your exercise habits only hinder or help that. If you exercise smartly (see above), then your weight loss will be helped a lot!

But just because you’ve gone and had a massive weight training session or blasted through a CrossFit routine in record time, doesn’t mean you get to have four or five beers that night for no good reason (although I fully support planned splurges and cheat meals). Eat smart, work hard, and enjoy your splurges when you earn then. But if you’re still going to chomp down on that fried chicken or super-sized fries, then you’re just going to be spinning your wheels at the gym. And why waste so much effort?

So what about you? That’s my question for those of you who have spent some time at the gym, living a healthy life, and working hard? What helpful tips or suggestions do you have to those who are daunted by the prospect of exercise and the gym?