Thursday thoughts after Wednesday workout.

People always go to the gym with the best intentions but intentions are not what burns calories. Intentions don’t convert fat into energy and it doesn’t build muscle. It’s motivation, sweat and pain. And if you are not willing to put in the effort then don’t expect the results. We all know this and understand the mountains of cliché’s (No pain, No gain is the best one I hear) but sometimes the challenge is too much and people give up. Any logical person can look at going to the gym and working out as a weird and almost unnatural way of killing time.  When we do go, it is hard work and we want to see results instantly. And when we don’t see the results straight away, screw it all the sweatpants and Squiggles are coming out!

But all it takes is time and the results will come to those who put in the effort. Apply yourself and follow the rules and you will notice differences. It may not be on the scale but you can’t deny results and proof in your routine when it becomes slightly easier.  Seeing an improvement in strength gains with something small like fitting in an extra rep or going for a few extra minutes can be an incredibly powerful motivating factor to keep going.  Example is last night for me; still sore from Martial Arts training on Tuesday I decided to give Wednesday my all and get my swings done. Last week when trying to fit in 10 reps of swings, I felt like my arms were going to explode and the muscles in my chest were falling off the bone at just 6 reps.  That was the second work out of last week of this experiment and just one week later I physically felt a difference. I had gotten to the 6^th rep of swings and felt the difference as the pain of last week had not really set in. Sure, I was sore and sweaty but hadn’t reached the point in where my body felt like it was going to break. I continued to swing for another minute and then the body started to burn and my arms filled with lactic acid and mercury. But it was at the 7^th rep, not the 6^th like last week.  It may only be a small improvement of a single rep but it is an improvement and something to build on. 7 days of this experiment and I can already see one improvement in the strength of just one rep of swings. This is not cause of major celebration but instead build on it and move forward.

Motivation can be found in big things or small things. An old picture, a specific song or in my case the delayed onset of pain by just one rep. Find something that motivates you, whether it is big or small, and build upon it. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you won’t change overnight…but keep going and you will see change and feel change. It may not be big but it will be there. It’s the constant pressure that turns coal into diamonds and it will be the constant pressure and challenging of yourself in the gym that turns your life around. 

But I can always count on one scene from ‘Poolhall Junkies’ to really make me want to get something done.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzekDivpK3M
 Stick to your goals, keep working hard and you will see change. It may be small, but it is the start of something great. I thought it would be 2 weeks before I change my swing routine but now it will just be 1 week. Next week will be 7 reps with a normal weight (16kgs) and then 3 reps at either 20kgs or 24kgs depending on how I feel. Before Wednesday I didn’t see change, now I have to adapt to it.

Also, I think guys who wear really brightly coloured, famous brand gym shoes are trying to attract a mate in the same way Peacocks show off their brightly coloured, famous feathers.