Remember your first time in the gym?

kai

kai

Soldato
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Thought I would start a thread about your first experience and hopefully educate a few of the newer members as I know I suffered from taking my ego into the gym with me. Be nice to see what everyone’s first experience was like..

What made you join the gym?

For me day one I was never going to go any longer than 6 weeks, it was for an upcoming holiday - (how little did i know) I contacted a friend who had trained for years to ask could I attend with him. He is still my training partner near enough 3 years later

What was your first workout like?

No other word but embarrassing we decided to start me out on chest. I could not even bench 8kg dumbbells on incline, so we moved on to see if I could do one single pushup – FAIL!!!

I always remember going back to the change rooms with the most weird feeling ever where I could not bend my arms or take my t-shirt off, my body had never experienced anything like that before!

What sort of weight was you lifting?

No I know all of you won’t have walked in strapped up and squatted 200kg but I bet you thought you would be able to within a few weeks if not on your first session! As above for me I had to start with 2kg pretty much for everything.
 
Soldato
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What made you join the gym?

Trained in the gym in the marines, but when in civvy street, there was a gym in our dojo, so joined that....to improve on what i had i guess, but i didn't really know what i was doing tbh.

What was your first workout like?

Lol, probably very pathetic. I remember that i could just about only bench press the olympic bar (no weights)...and that's it! :rolleyes: Yet i could drop and do 60 pressup off the bat! Just difference exercise i guess


What sort of weight was you lifting?

A measley amount, but like people you gain strnegth very quickly in the beginning. Conversely for some lifts i'm nowhere near as strong as i used to be, but others i am stronger.
 
Soldato
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What made you join a gym?

For me I always wanted to join a gym but for many years I found it was easier to make up excuses. Another factor was work and having a young daughter it just wasn't fair for me to go to the gym after 5 and leave my wife to sort out our daughter. Anyway things changed, I finish work at 4, my daughter is now 4 and doesn't go to bed till 7 and so there is time for me to go to the gym and spend a little time with my daughter before bed. Also my wife is a child minder so the last kids don't leave till gone 6 so going to the gym means I don't come home to a houseful of kids :D.

What was your first workout like?

So the start of 2011 I went on a diet and started doing exercise at home, pushups situps etc all at home, I was looking in to routines etc and getting advice from LiE about what's best to do as a beginner. March 2011 comes around and LiE has set me up with GordyR's routine for beginners. First day in the gym is legs, 30kg squats went pretty well, then a couple of other exercise and then it was on to dumbbell lunges. 8kg per hand and 3 sets of 8 reps per leg. Well after the second set I was feeling light headed but rocked on with the third set. Needless to say I spent 10 mins laying on the floor post set, nearly passing out.

Well I didn't stay down for long just got on with it and have barely missed a session since :).

What sort of weight were you lifting?

Starting weights for my big lifts were:
Squat 30kg
Deadlift 45kg
Bench press 30kg

1 year on and currently as follows:
Squat 130kgx4
Deadlift 150kgx1
Bench 85kgx5

Best bits of advice I can offer for a beginner are:
Don't forget your diet, don't forget your legs, and leave your ego at the door because you arnt gonna get ripped or shift big numbers on your first session!
 
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Caporegime
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Cornwall
What made you join the gym?

Mate said I was a fag and would never bench more than him. I told him I'd bench more than him by Christmas then **** his mum up the *** on Boxing Day :o

What was your first workout like?

Lots of machine work.

What sort of weight was you lifting?

Chest Press 45 x 5
Leg Press 100 x 10
Calve Raises 90 x 10
Tricep Pushdown 50 x 10
 
Caporegime
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....
What made you join the gym?

The RAF, joined up before to get my running up to speed.

What was your first workout like?

Lots of machine work before I joined up. Went with a mate just over a year ago to start using real weights. Was shocking I was in agony. Stopped training with him after I started getting the bug for him as I started going more than him, he used his phone a lot and started printing off "Get big arms in 30 days routines" So I started SS, reckon I'm prob not too far off his weights now but he has been going for countless years.

What sort of weight was you lifting?

I remember trying to do 40kg on deadlift, wow couldn't lift it and when I did my lower back the next day felt like some one had kicked it. 40kg on bench and I had to be aided at that too! :(
 
Soldato
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What made you join the gym?

When I was 15/16, I had HUGE social anxiety, was a late grower (didn't have a growth spurt until 16), this reflected in the plain clothes I'd wear, would ALWAYS wear a hat, and would make very little effort to go and see friends. Coupled with an addiction to world of warcraft, I had the lowest imaginable confidence levels.

It wasn't actually my choice, my mother drove me there wanting to give me a boost to get fit and come out of my shell a bit more. On the way there, I cried out of sheer nervousness, but did end up signing up to the gym.

At this point I was 13.5stone of lard.

What was your first workout like?

Cardio for a long long time, had no interest in weights other than sticking on a light weight on a machine and doing 3x10.

What sort of weight was you lifting?

Not even worth mentioning, I remember one point going back from a break, and struggling with 14's either side on flat bench. Yikes. I warm up with 32's these days!

In hindsight, the gym has done me no end of good, coupled with a part-time job when at college in Tesco's, saw me come out of my shell and within 2 years was a completely different person. You wouldn't recognise me now.
 
Soldato
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Kai: I still feel like the noob at the gym, as I go alone with no training partner. I think you were damn lucky to have that! I've not got the knowledge to properly have a go at free weights, and with how busy the gym usually is I don't feel comfortable experimenting, so I'm purely using machines at the moment. I'm only going once a week at the moment ontop of my basketball, and have been going for ~6 weeks, but i've already reached the limit of half of the machines, the bench press machine only goes up to 120kg and I can comfortably do 3 sets of 12 on that :| REALLY need to move to freeweights.

Really wish I knew someone locally who was into this!

So yea, i feel like this thread is me at the moment lol.
 

LiE

LiE

Caporegime
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I don't remember much, used to train with my brother. I started training because I was skinny and hated how I looked in clothes. Me and brother used to bench press a lot, never trained legs as you do ;) Glad to say I've moved on a lot since then and have bulked up a lot.

A old picture which was taken 5 years ago, and one taken on my honeymoon last year in September. 5 years seems like a long time, but for many years I didn't eat enough and was constantly working overseas.

2007-2011.png


This is me now. I'm no longer training for size, just strength.

2012-03-28153055.jpg


IMG_0006.jpg
 
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kai

kai

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one hell of a back - LiE:)

rG-Tom - get in there, start on the free weights. What is the worst that can happen. If you are shifting that sort of weight on machine, try some dumbells. Dont automatically go over to bench with 120kg loaded as that could go horribly wrong!!!
 
Man of Honour
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Falling...
Can't really remember the first time I ever went into a gym as it was over 10 years ago... Though I've only been training "properly" for the last 5-6 years.

I went to gym a few times when at school, and then when I started playing rugby properly I spent a lot more time at the gym... however if this is from a total "n00b" angle I'll have to dig deep to remember.


What made you join the gym?

I was never "skinny", but I didn't have much shape, and was never as strong as I wanted to be. I'll admit that I started off in the interests of vanity. :eek: :p

Rugby was also what made me train more at the gym. Was after more power and better recovery from the brutal game.

What was your first workout like?

First ever work out I think was undoubtedly bench press, bicep curls, and some lat pull downs.

What sort of weight were you lifting?


I think the first time I ever did bench press I think I got up to about 60kg

Squats about 60kg too :o

Though I did do an amazing 100kg deadlift.

I was able to do chins - but not a lot.
 
Soldato
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Łódź, Poland
Thought I would start a thread about your first experience and hopefully educate a few of the newer members as I know I suffered from taking my ego into the gym with me. Be nice to see what everyone’s first experience was like..

What made you join the gym?

Rocky 4.

What was your first workout like?

Upper body except back, and no legs at first.

What sort of weight was you lifting?

8kg for my arms, 20kg for the shoulders, and my form was terrible, also, i wasn't increasing the weight either, just doing like 3 sets of 15 for each.
 
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Soldato
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13 Aug 2004
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England
What made you join the gym?

My girlfriend went to a gym with her parents and so I went so it was something we could do together, plus I wanted to get stronger and fitter and naturally impress her.

What was your first workout like?

I don't remember too much of it, there was a lot on the workout the instructor gave me so I was shattered at the end and the instructors there did give me a lot of encouragement.

What sort of weight was you lifting?

Small ones.
 
Soldato
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What used to be a UK
I remember I used to train with a disabled lad who trained twice as hard because of it which ment there was no exscuses for me :D there was a lesson in that which I carry for the rest of my life.
 
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