When you see a great looking athlete or a powerful lifter,
most automatically assume he’s been that way all his life when in reality he
looked completely different and didn't always seem to have the strength or
genetics to be that great looking. We all started at someplace in our lives
when we began training. Some started at a young age; others began when they’re
much older. I for one was never the muscle guy or someone that believed one day
could rip phonebooks and bend tough steel, I was once very skinny as a preteen
and also the fat kid when I was a teenager and didn't have much muscle to show
for.
To most who
have rarely if ever trained, it feels discouraging sometimes seeing people who
can do things rather easily and yet you can’t even fathom being able to do
them. The thing to do is to create building blocks. Learn to find an exercise
or fitness program that you can do that gets you on the path to becoming fit
and healthy/strong. It doesn't take a genius to realize that if you’re at the
starting gate, you need to build yourself up and keep it consistent, challenge
yourself every so often to keep things interesting and fresh. Starting out
isn't always fun but that shouldn't stop you from becoming one mighty human
being.
One of the
first things I learned after I learned how to walk again when I began my own
rehab was start little. There was no way in hell I could do 100 Push-ups or 100
Squats and hold a bridge to save my life at first. I had to build up and work
brick by brick. It’s like building a house, you start with little things that
lay the foundation and you progress to heavier things and put them in certain
places that keep the house up an held; same thing with exercise, you do little
things that turn into big gains later on.
People in
the fitness world tell you, you should be able to do this or that exercise by
this time and if you haven’t then you’re not doing it right. Go at your own
pace, your body isn't meant for someone else’s pace and the timing you do is what
incorporates your body and mind to do. Progression is another look at starting
with the little things and work up to the bigger ones later. I would've never
thought I’d be able to do Handstand Push-ups at my size (I was 230 lbs. when I
started) so to build up I had to learn how to hold a Handstand, then dip down a
bit for an isometric hold, then do quarter reps, then half reps, be fore I knew
it I was doing more 20 reps touching my head to the floor and back up with
locked arms. It took me nearly 5 weeks to do that, but I went at my own pace.
This is just an example of what you can do in other exercises and/or programs.
Build up and have fun with it, we all started somewhere but it’s up to us how
far we want to go.
