THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE STARTING MY FITNESS JOURNEY

josephplatt1979
Dec 18, 2021
8 min read

Updated: Jul 8, 2022

STARTING MY FITNESS JOURNEY

Hindsight is a beautifully cruel perspective and at sometime I wish I knew that back when I first starting my fitness journey. Everything is so clear now, yet you know, back at the time, I wouldn’t have listened. Even if someone told you exactly what you think is true right now. I know back when I first started training I was just stubborn. If I tell you some things that I wish I had known, back when I started training about 12 years ago, hopefully you might be able to take something from it.

I have created a list of things I would have loved to of known myself when I first started training, hopefully these things will help people when they first begin training and help them get faster or better gains to build muscle, get lean, lose weight, or just become a happier fitter version of who they want to be.

WE ALL START SOMEWHERE

Every single person in the gym started somewhere and had little experience in what to do. Some experienced gym goers still have absolutely zero clue what they’re doing still. Don’t be fooled by their loud grunts, heavy weights, bad form and bicep curls. Remember most people in the gym are probably just as self-conscious as you so don’t think you have to be like everyone in the gym. It’s very easy to feel self-conscious and vulnerable when you feel out of your depth, but don’t be afraid to be the beginner.

When I started out I wanted to do all of these advanced programs and techniques because that’s what the pro’s do and recommend. It took a while for me to get my head around the fact that as a beginner, pretty much anything that you do will work. You should keep it simple and do what brings the most benefit for least complexity

QAULITY OVER QAUNTITY

It doesn’t matter how much weight is on the bar as this is just strengthening your ego. Put that ego in the bin along with all that extra weight on the bar and take it back to basics. Your muscles do not work in pounds on the bar, they work in force of contraction. The harder a muscle contracts, the harder it is working, then the more it will grow and become stronger. When you load up too much weight on the bar, you start using other muscles to assist in lifting it, swinging it with momentum and doing reps as fast as possible. More weight gets lifted, but less tension is applied to the right muscles.

You will get better results by using less weight, slowing your reps down, having more control and focusing on the squeeze of the desired muscle as hard as possible, for as long as possible.

This goes for training frequency as well. I used to think that training six to seven days a week was what I needed to do to reach my goals. Once I learned about how detrimental overtraining is and just how important rest and recovery. Once I started focusing on these things, and slowing myself down, is when I started noticed the best changes.

TRAINING INTENSITY

Understanding intensity is a massive component in building muscle or losing weight. I use to go to the gym and move weights and when it got hard, I’d stop, rest and go again on the next set. The thing I was lacking to take me to the next level was intensity. The ability to work harder, to push the limits and get out an extra couple of reps. To get in the zone and lift a little bit heavier than you have before.

They say the set only starts when it begins to hurt and this definitely rings true. You have to push through the pain and dig deep. I now know from experience that I have to find ways to make it harder, because that is when you are making progress.

IMPACT WHEY PROTEIN

Premium whey packed with 21g of protein per serving, for the everyday protein you need from a quality source. 4.5g naturally-occurring BCAAs, Low in sugar and Several flavors to choose from. It provides your body with convenient, high-quality protein, which contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass making sure you’re getting the protein you need. With just 1.9g of fat, 1g of carbs, and at just 103 calories per serving, Impact Whey Protein is perfect for everyone, whatever your fitness goals. CLICK HERE TO BUY

NUTRITION

Nutrition and the correct nutrition is the main cog in getting in shape and you cannot out train a bad diet. When I first started training my diet was terrible and I knew next to nothing about proper nutrition and fueling my body for my goals. It wasn’t until I started focusing on my nutrition and learned about protein, carbs, fats, calories and micronutrients that I noticed positive changes to both my physique and performance. You need to view food as fuel that’s going to help you reach your goals. If you have a bad relationship with food then you’re going to need to address that first and foremost to make a change in your physique.

GENETICS

Genetics plays a role in how our bodies look and determine up to 80 percent of your weight and body shape. Some people are natural athletes and they can just look at a weight and they grow muscles. Unfortunately, that is not most of us, and we shouldn’t compare ourselves to them but this is what most of us do. No matter what our genetic make-up, we can’t let them hold us back from achieving the physique we want. Accept your genetics and who you are but do not accept an unhealthy lifestyle. It’s your responsibility to improve your diet and being more physically active will help you lose weight, regardless of your genetic makeup.

REST

Rest is vitally important but It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the great changes that are taking place, and you might want to work out every single chance you get. Unfortunately, this will likely result in slowed progress, burnout, illness or injury. Rest is a vital component in the process of getting fitter. Learn this now or you’ll be forced to learn it later when you’re side-lined due to fatigue or injury.

Downtime gives your body the chance to repair and grow stronger so you can perform at your best. It allows your mind to focus, boosts motivation, and it reduces your chance of injury from overuse, too. Your body will let you know when you need a rest, so listen and take note to how your feeling. If you lack motivation or are to sore or weak then that may be the reason to rest.

VEGAN PROTEIN BLEND

Completely free from dairy, this all-natural blend is packed with essential amino acids and over 21g protein per serving for people training on a plant-based diet. With pea protein isolate and brown rice protein, Vegan blend is a high-protein shake created to help achieve your fitness goals. Created from only plant-based sources, it’s a convenient way to get quality protein into your diet, helping you grow and maintain important muscle whether looking to gain size or tone-up. CLICK HERE TO BUY

MOTIVATION TO TRAIN

You won’t always be motivated and there will be days that you don’t want to train or do anything, but this is a normal thing for anyone. Inspiration comes and goes, even for the most fit individuals, and that’s completely OK. Realize that you can’t expect motivation to carry you through this journey. You need to trust the process and know results will eventually come. In fact, your ability to keep putting one foot in front of the other during this time is what will make you stronger mentally—just as your workouts make you stronger physically. You need to listen to your body and it may be telling you that you need more rest and that is the reason for the lack of motivation. Training should be enjoyable and helping you reach your goals but sometimes we lack that little push a drive to get the gym and this happens to all of us as some point.

PROGRESS AND RESULTS

Progress won’t be linear and you will need to understand that you’ll progress much faster at certain times than others. So, don’t give up the fight as this is just natural. Just as things seem to slow, you need to trust that they’ll pick up again. Learn the difference between slow progress and stagnation. If it’s been a month or longer without any results then don’t keep doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different result. If after a month you aren’t seeing progress, then it isn’t coming. You will need to change your routine through may be more reps or different exercises. Try slowing the negatives or adding another set. Our results never just go up up up, we hit plateau and have to re think of your routine. When you have a gym life then the turtle almost always wins the race so you are in no rush. Training should be for the rest of your life.

WORK ALL MUSCLES

Great structures are built on strong foundations and you must focus your effort on the supporting muscles when building muscle. Benching big weights and flexing in the mirror might have sex-appeal, but a big bench depends on strong lats and a great physique is built back to front.

If you spend all of your time working on the muscles that you can’t see in the mirror, doing pull ups, rows, deadlifts and glute bridges – you will have a killer physique and be very strong. If you spend all of your time doing bench and biceps you will have scrawny shoulders, terrible posture and no legs. You’ll be pretty weak and quickly become injured. Foundations support everything so spend equal time training your back and legs and you will have a much better physique, while being much stronger and more functional.

ENJOYMENT

Training should never feel like punishment and it should be something you enjoy. If people admit that they didn't find training to be enjoyable like they used to. Usually, it’s from someone who’s been training for several years and was initially obsessed with training. They’ve trained hard, made good progress, and had times where all they could think about was the next time they could go to the gym. They inevitably hit a spot where the excitement and enjoyment feel like it has all but disappeared. Maybe progress has stalled for a while. Maybe life stress has made it difficult to get out of bed, let alone go to the gym. Maybe priorities changed, and the time that used to be allotted to the gym is filled with other things that now you consider more important. Training should be enjoyable and something you do because you LOVE your body, not because you hate it. This is probably the number one thing I would tell my younger self if I had the choice.

HYDRATION

An average human body consists of 60% water. This is enough reason for a person to start working on his or her water intake. But for someone who works out, water is important because it helps with muscle protein synthesis, which means water helps you build muscle. Good hydration means getting the right amount of water before, during, and after exercise. If you're not hydrated, your body can't perform at its highest level. Water also regulates your body temperature and lubricates your joints, It helps transport nutrients to give you energy and keep you healthy.

Cardio isn’t enough

Cardio helps you lose weight, but don’t expect to see the results you want just by doing cardio. Strength training also matters, so combining cardio and weights, you can build the perfect plan for losing weight and getting fit. If you do cardio then it should be on a separate day to weight training or come at the end of your weight training work. About 20 to 30 minutes cardio should be enough to get the benefits of cardio.