I’ve mentioned in this blog that weightlifting progress does not happen overnight. Instead, development only occurs after consistent, dedicated effort over a long period of time. Two weeks ago, I explained this was the reasoning behind me avoiding stepping on a scale every day and taking progress pictures too often; expecting progress to happen too quickly could have negative psychological implications. This being said, I’ve realized that it is important to celebrate the little successes when they do occur. Recognizing these small victories could help me enjoy the gym, stay motivated, and achieve better results overall. So, I’d like to dedicate this blog to some of the little successes I’ve had over the past week.

First and foremost, I realized at the beginning of this fitness journey that staying consistent would be my biggest challenge. Making adjustments to college life hasn’t always been easy, and at times I haven’t made room in my schedule to make it to the gym. However, recently I’ve been pleasantly surprised with my ability to overcome this obstacle and establish a more consistent gym regimen. As I’ve grown accustomed to college and become more efficient in my daily routines, my schedule almost always has an opening for the gym. Even if I can only lift for 30 minutes to an hour, I know that something is better than nothing, and every minute I spend in the gym is progress toward my journey. Recognizing that consistency is the foundation of my progress makes going to the gym each day rewarding and something to take pride in.

Another small success I’d like to celebrate this week was tying a personal best by bench pressing 135 lbs. While this may just seem like any other number, what makes 135 lbs special is that it consists of a 45 lb weight on each side of the 45 lb bar, and 45 lb is the heaviest barbell weight produced. This makes 135 lbs a milestone of sorts in weightlifting. The last time I bench pressed 135 lbs was before last basketball season, which was almost a year ago at this point. Back then, I was working out multiple times a week in preparation for the season. That time was probably my peak physical shape to this point, so the fact that I am approaching my strength from that point is an encouraging sign, and something worth celebrating.

One more area that I’ve progressed in recently is my calorie intake. One of my main goals is to put on as much weight as I can—in the form of muscle hopefully. In order to gain weight, I need to eat as much as possible. While at the beginning of my weightlifting journey I sometimes neglected this aspect of my fitness, recently I’ve been doing much better. On most days, I manage to fit in 3–4 meals, and I’ve also stumbled upon a newfound favorite spot—Fresco at Findlay Commons.

So, while overall progress may still seem slow, I figure that it’s still worthwhile to sit back and appreciate the small successes that I have had. Hopefully there is much more success to come in the future!

Richard Black