Your fitness journey

[JDid23]

Hey guys... while i was lifting today, i thought that this would be a really cool thread to have ion EF. I'm sure that all the members would love to hear some stories about how people got involved in lifting

What is your journey? Why did you start lifting? Where are you now? What helped you get past plateaus? Why do you continue workout? What inspires you? etc etc etc

Lets hear your journey.

 

[oso0960]

What's your journey?

I got pissed in 8th grade when all the guys were able to beat me at arm wrestling. This kid said I should work out. Started going to the YMCA at 13 and worked on machines because that's all they taught me. I was scared to go over to the free weights and watched the lifters bench. I wanted to do that. I remember saying I could bench 160lbs then my friend said ok come over to my house and show me. 95lbs was on and that was basically my max...Had no idea a machine was so different from free weight. Then I was determined to master free weights. Got a bench of 135 ending of freshman year of HS.

That summer I think I found this website and learned a lot about squats/deads etc. Started doing those and making it a priority to not use the bitch pad and going ATG. Did 5x5 and loved the results so I stuck with it. I remember having the nastiest bruises on my back from 135lbs laying across my back.

By the beginning of 12th grade I remember sitting ~220lbs and being able to squat 365 atg and deadlifting 420. I was known as 'squats' lol. Bench was always shitty..I think it was like 225 tops then. Freshman year I got up to 250lbs and did most of my all-time bests (not much above senior year though..) I wasn't able to progress past that point with 5x5 so I ventured into trying westside, more 5x5 variations, HIT, etc. all of which I consistently grew weaker or didn't progress.

Here I am today 4 years after that and stronger vs body weight but still weaker than my best. I've basically been at this plateau for 4 years and always pushing myself, never missing a workout, always dropping into overreaching, etc. Hopefully I can progress with 'less is more'.

 

[die faster]

started when i was 16 after getting my ass kicked in highschool a couple times when i was 145 pounds 5'7-5'8 lol my grandma got me a bench and weight set for my bday, didnt know what i was doing, everything was bench and curls. i wanted to get stronger desperately, so i pushed myself way too hard putting everything i had into 3-5 rep maxes within my first few months of lifting. it worked fast. 158 was the biggest i got in highschool. then always hovered around 155. but i also fucked up the tendons in both my elbows and pulled something in my forearm. so had to take it easy, they still come back from time to time but nothing too serious. got out of lifting when i was working full time 10 hours a day, didnt lift for a couple of years. then got back into it last winter in my basement. got my bench up to 255 from 175. started doing squats on my bench with the bars up high. ever since then its been all about learning. started going to golds about a year ago now im about 200 pounds, only weak spot is my deadlifts, so the journeys not even close to being over for me im still learning alot and have alot of room to improve

 

[P_o_B]

started last year when i was 18.. wanted to stop blazing smoking drinking.. so i thought id workout and really liked it and got hooked
last jan i was at 118lbs now im at 175lbs , feels real good being a little big from a skinny fuck lol
i just wanna get big like ronnie coleman,, my inspiration
this is just the beginning and i feel like going to the gym is my main priortiy and one of the only progressive things i do during the day sometimes

 

[SPEKTOR-AAA]

Realized my natural gifts and abilities. Looked in the mirror and knew I wasnt taking full ownership of my body. Proceeded to call myself a little poosie asss biotch. From that day on I have been in the gym. Started at 164 now at 196. 6 years, 2 years with really pushing the big lifts.

For most peeps they dont realize how long it actually takes to build good solid muscle. I always laugh at the thought of 1 cycle miracles that people are hoping for all the time.

 

[JDid23]

nice guys..

i started going into my senior year of high school to train for soccer, then stopped for about 5 months during the season, came back, and lost basically all my gains. Then, I lifted because i simply enjoyed it... I loved the feeling of hitting a deadlift PR and having the whole gym stop what they were doing to watch me and then have half of them ask what i was doing... and some of the huge guys in the gym giving me props with ATG squats and telling me more people should squat like me was motivating. In the back of my mind, i think i lifted to look better for girls in the beginning, and then i lifted because nothing was like the feeling i got when i was in the gym plugged into my ipod. in the beginning of college, i definitely lifted for girls, so i got rid of squats/deads, barely did legs, and focused only on my upper body. Needless to say, it was hard to progress. Now, I'm lifting because i want to look good and because as i said, nothing beats the feeling of working so hard and finally meeting a goal. Lifting undoubtedly builds character.

 

[the.gladiator1987]

I was just born this way brah

haha jk. I was in 9th grade, got canned by a senior, started playing football and there was all this rave about the new prohormone "tren-xtreme". I started taking that at 17 (yea, wtf). I have been on and off prohormones since, and just have loved going to the gym. Definite confidence booster for me to be able to walk in and look good wherever you go.

I remember my friend back in the day getting on that stuff before i did, and he said he was gonna start at WR now that he was gonna be on something. I started over him BOTH ways and laughed at him while I was on the field during games under the lights