Workout Inspiration
by Sam on Jan.20, 2009, under Workout Secrets
Congratulations for staying motivated to follow this series of workout videos (12 so far!). We hope these clips have been a great resource for you to use to prepare you for the gym if you’re a little rusty, to tone you up before you go out at night or to use while you’re travelling.
Now we’ve gotten some emails that you guys want us to step it up a notch. So we’re going to do just that!
Over the next few weeks we’re going to tell you the story on how Kalev and I got the idea of this project and how we want to help you get ripped. There’ll be several emails, so be prepared, but we hope each email will have at least one nugget of workout wisdom you could use now and forever!
So how did this all start? Well, I (Sam) went through high school quite intimidated with playing sports. You see my dad wasn’t around all the time and although I was able to pick up some sports here and there I just didn’t feel like one of those super athletic, coordinated jocks that would excel in any sport he played.
It wasn’t until I was 16 when I had enough, and checked myself into YMCA to pump some weights at their local gym. This was in the early 90’s so rusty dumbbells which would give you metal splinters was pretty common (damn those hurt!).
I’ll be honest, like you may have felt when you first walked into a gym, I was pretty intimidated with the bigger guys whose veins were bursting out of their skin on every rep! Watching my physique in the mirror paled in comparison to what other guys saw in their reflection!
That part made it very discouraging. I felt good after working out but every time I went back I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror and the results were good but not spectacular.
Here’s the kicker! Are you paying attention? Everything, and I mean everything changed one day when I met an older brother of one of my good friends at the gym. He asked me how my workouts were going and I sadly, but honestly said, “good but I don’t know if I can maintain the motivation to keep coming back to the gym consistently”.
You know what he said? He told me to put everything out of my mind and take this on as a personal challenge. Don’t think about any of the other bigger guys and what they’re doing. Make each workout a challenge for yourself to do better than yesterday.
This one simple statement, this one moment, changed me for life.
So next time you’re feeling lack of motivation or unhappy with the results you are getting, just clear your head and think of this statement. Take this to heart and try and go just a little heavier or bust out one more rep every day. It’s incredibly powerful and will keep you attacking each day so you can come to say “I am in the best shape of my life!”
Do you think this will help you? Have you had any other moments which you’ve felt completely inspired by someone to get you training harder? Please leave your story below:
January 20th, 2009 on 11:42 am
Wow, thank you for sharing that! I feel truly inspired. Somehow along the way I’ve kind of lost my interest in working out but I think this will really help!
THANKS!
January 20th, 2009 on 11:44 am
I agree with JohnnyM. Very cool finding out the story of how this has come about.
I’ve always trained by looking at other motivated guys in they gym and using their energy to push me through. I like this idea much better though!
Keep it coming…
January 20th, 2009 on 12:00 pm
You guys are really dedicated…leaving me quite inspired to make this a year of change. Thank you for that.
January 20th, 2009 on 5:26 pm
thanks…..it is really inspiring
January 20th, 2009 on 7:22 pm
Yeah, basically I get into my own mental realm; The room could be filled with seasoned athletes and trainers, but it’s still all me.
January 20th, 2009 on 7:41 pm
Thanks for sharing… but i always workout in my house, so no comperative pressure…haha…
Anywhere, this post really inspire me to continue my workout…
January 21st, 2009 on 11:50 am
Nice work Sammy! Its funny that you were the one that kind of got me really inspired to train with more ambition and dedication and set goals for myself! You said that it was your friends brother and others in the gym that you looked up to. At that time it was you that I was looking up to and comparing myself with and you keep raising the bar and making me push myself harder! Nice work my friend!
January 21st, 2009 on 4:17 pm
That makes me really happy to hear that buddy! I hope this web site can do the same thing for a lot of other guys!
January 22nd, 2009 on 6:47 pm
My friend and I are 17 year olds and we go to the gym every other day. I personally do kickboxing so im fairly well built. He plays rugby and has been working out for a longer period then me. I constantly push myself to stay close to his level, and his advancement in weights and cardio is a motivation for me. If it was not for him, I dont think I would have kept up the dedication to keep working out.
January 22nd, 2009 on 7:27 pm
Thanks for your reply Rem. You’re right on with your motivation. Having a workout partner is a great way to stay motivated and pumped to push yourself to the next level at the gym! Hopefully after a few years you will get on a flow where you enjoy it so much it won’t matter whether you have your friend with you or not. Keep it up!
January 24th, 2009 on 12:33 pm
Thanks guys,
Your tips have been a great boost to the amount of effort I put into my workouts. I feel great when I workout but since I have not really known which types of “at-home” exercises worked which muscle groups my interest to workout had been quite random and inconsistent in the past. But, now thanks to your assistance and shared knowledge I now feel more inclined to keep a more consistent exercise schedule and more confident that my workouts will produce positive results. The confidence you help provide through your simple and effective advice keeps me motivated and determined to stay with my workouts.
January 26th, 2009 on 4:08 pm
That’s great Ramirez! There is no longer an excuse to skip a workout… you don’t need a big gym with expensive weights to get ripped