Monkey Blog

In a good way or not I’m not sure…..

What would you say are three of the most important things that have helped you succeed in the gym?  Whether it be losing weight, getting swole, etc.  I’d be interested to see what people would list for this.  These would be my top three:

1. Consistency - I never, ever skip workouts unless I’m sick.  (Haven’t had any injuries to deal with luckily.)  I always feel proud of myself for going to the gym and working on hard on those few days where I don’t feel like going.  When I get beat up at work and think I’m too tired to go to the gym it always turns out that I’m not.
2. Results - I spent so many years wondering what it would be like to be in great shape but unable to make myself take real action to find out.  Once I finally started working out and I started seeing results I got really hooked.  When I look back at the pics that I first started noticing results in I laugh because it was only a little change.  But little change after little change eventually becomes a big change.
3. Enjoyment - This was the most surprising for me.  I expected that lifting would be hard as hell and torturous, but I was willing to endure it to make the changes that I wanted.  I found that it was harder (way harder) than I thought it would be but surprisingly (after a while) I found that I really enjoy it.  I went to the gym tonight and I’m already itching to do arms on Saturday.

I realized something pretty significant the other day.  I don’t hate leg day anymore!  What the heck?   How did that happen?  Not that long ago I would have rather been smothered in honey and hog-tied next to a fire ant nest than do legs.  (Mmmmm, honey!)  It’s not an exaggeration to say I loathed doing legs.  When I’m done working my upper body it feels amazing.  Not only does a pump make you feel great but you look so much bigger!  I’ve heard people describe the pump as an endless carrot on a stick.  You see yourself with a pump and want that size but when you get it you don’t stop getting bigger when you’re pumped up.

It’s totally different when I’m working legs.  The exercises are far from enjoyable and I don’t feel good or bigger when I leave the gym.  As an added bonus you get to hobble out of the gym with as much grace as a peg-legged pirate!  Blech! (Or should I say “Arrrr Matey!!!”?)

I started to find that I was dreading leg day every time it would approach.  As I was actually doing legs I spent the whole time flooded with negative thoughts.  “This sucks.”  “I hate this.”  “When is this going to be over?”  Not only was it affecting my performance but it was making leg workouts seem like they were taking FOREVER.

I tried an experiment a few weeks ago.  Every time I felt a negative thought bubble to the surface when I was doing legs I would stop it dead in its tracks.  Don’t think about it.  Just shut the frak up and do your work.  I was surprised that this simple change immediately helped in that legs days didn’t seem like they were seven hours long anymore.  I was even more surprised weeks later when I found myself thinking “Hey, I really don’t mind that I’m going to do legs today.”  It was as if a giant weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m nowhere close to saying that I like leg day.  I can safely say that I tolerate it.  For me that’s a big deal!  Instead of whining about it like a big baby now I look at leg day as a character builder.  It’s hard work, it sucks, and the vast majority of the general population wouldn’t want anything to do with it.  Yet week after week I do it and now I do it without complaining.  At least tonight is International Chest Day.  Now that’s fun!