Practice Makes Progress

It has been three months since I started with my physical trainer. In those three months, I have seen so much progress however it took me about 8 years to get to this point of being happy with my body. Yes, there are things about it I do not like, things I wish I could change, but I am confident in myself and my growth due to the progress I’ve seen in my strength training. The point of me sharing this is because progress takes time. People go to the gym workout really hard for a couple of days, look in the mirror and wonder why they don’t have big muscles or are 10 lbs thinner. If I have learned one thing it is that making exercise a part of your everyday routine, as well as a priority combined with consistency, is the only way you are going to see progress.

It doesn’t happen overnight. That sounds cliche but I remember changing my diet and trying all these different workout routines wondering why nothing was working. Now it helps that I pay someone monthly to write and monitor my program…. But something new for me is sticking with the same exercises on certain days of the week and adding weight CONSISTENTLY. The only way to see gains is to add little by little.

I am going to post my monthly routines. You will see that the weights I have started out with are different than they are now. The same goes for reps. I had trouble increasing in weight and I was compromising in form and reps. So instead of doing that… we dropped the weight and lowered the reps. You will see the differences between the months. Many exercises change but some of the major ones stay the same and those are key to look at.

Starting template
Starting Template

 

Current Template
Current Template

Over the last three months, I have seen my body transform into this program. I am getting muscle definition, my clothes are fitting differently, and I am losing weight. To see this progress gets me hooked on the process. I want to do more and lift heavier. Being held accountable by someone other than myself made me commit to the process and learn to be patient. I didn’t expect to really see results like I have but now that I know it is possible I am proud of it and want to do more.

A part of all that progress in learning more about yourself. You learn about your strengths, weaknesses, and you set goals for yourself as well as limits. Throughout some of my workouts, I was experiencing pain. Finally, after a week or two of it, I decided to skip the gym for a couple of days. If you’re addicted to something it is hard to quit it even if it is just for 48 hours. It made me feel bad about myself – not going. But I knew that if I wanted to do better I was going to have to take the time and not rush myself.

As cliche as it sounds being patient, consistent, and making your fitness a priority is the strongest recipe for success inside the gym. It has taught me so much about myself and about what is possible. I encourage anyone who is struggling to get into a fitness routine to make the commitment to yourself that you would like to reach a goal. Then come up with the ways you can reach that goal and don’t stop. Even when you’ve met it, set another one and keep pushing yourself. You will thank yourself and be proud.