My road to being transformed

[Jace]

Hi, Guys.

I have a huge problem and need some help through it. And your honesty is really what I am wanting to hear.

I'm currently working on becoming a bodybuilder. I've wanted it all my life. And I'm tired of dreaming about things and never taking that step to achieve it. So when I turned 35 this past February, I decided that I want to do at least 1 bodybuilding show before I turn 40. So far I've lost 33lbs.

So, I have a trainer (which he is also a licensed nutritionist) and we're working on a meal and exercise program.

My problem.

I can't seem to stay motivated. I start to doubt myself and that shit really fucks up your mind. Ya know, years I've been doing this and it really just frustrates me. And I had to ask, since a lot of you have amazing bodies (in my opinion) and seem to push yourself to become a better you.

How do you stay motivated? How do you filter out that bullshit so that you can concentrate on your workouts?

Thanks in advance,

Jace

[DaBigGuy1]

Originally Posted by Jace

Hi, Guys.

I have a huge problem and need some help through it. And your honesty is really what I am wanting to hear.

I'm currently working on becoming a bodybuilder. I've wanted it all my life. And I'm tired of dreaming about things and never taking that step to achieve it. So when I turned 35 this past February, I decided that I want to do at least 1 bodybuilding show before I turn 40. So far I've lost 33lbs.

So, I have a trainer (which he is also a licensed nutritionist) and we're working on a meal and exercise program.

My problem.

I can't seem to stay motivated. I start to doubt myself and that shit really fucks up your mind. Ya know, years I've been doing this and it really just frustrates me. And I had to ask, since a lot of you have amazing bodies (in my opinion) and seem to push yourself to become a better you.

How do you stay motivated? How do you filter out that bullshit so that you can concentrate on your workouts?

Thanks in advance,

Jace

And I gotta tell you, something I heard many many years ago... it is a story I told once before so excuse me if you or anyone has heard it...

Many years ago I was listening to a talk show where they had a panel of very successfull people onstage and they were having a question and answer period as to what motivated them or how did they get their start. On the panel was this highly successful restauranteur.

A woman in the audience raised her hand and asked for the restauranteur and had told him how she also dreamed of being in the restaurant business and how could she get started in the business. The restauranteur then told her that the first thing that she would need to do is to get a job in a restaurant, whether it would be waiting tables, doing the books or cleaning just so she could get the "feel" of how a restaurant operates. The woman then tells him "well, I can't do that because I have a carpool to run, a house to take care of, my husband," etc etc. It was then that the restauranteur simply replied to her "then you must not want it bad enough...you REALLY GOT TO WANT IT BAD!". If you really wanted it bad enough you would make things happen and then other things would fall into place.

I will never forget that exchange because it set the tone for me for many many years. When it comes to my workout or my daily regimen I come first and foremost because no one is going to take care of me like ME! I did want it bad enough and made it so that I surrounded mysself with supportive others, and if they were not, they were not around very long! My focus has been to workout, even when the body was ready but the mind said "no". The body ALWAYS wins! Meals and workouts were made and kept...period! This was my quest, for me! And I use every motivational tool in the book.

One of my primary reasons for wanting to build my body was that I did not want to look back years from now and say "I wish I could have" "I wish I would have" "back then".... done it back then when I was younger", you know the drill. No regrets.

Now I have never competed, but my main competition has always been me and to get out of that 119 pound skinny body that I had in my late 20's. Now as I turn 50 next month, I am over twice the size and couldn't feel better about myself. I probably could compete, but, hey, we'll see. And believe it or not, I still want to gain!

In the meantime, I hope that story helps to ignite that passion, and just remember..."YOU GOT TO WANT IT BAD ENOUGH". And when you think that, everything else goes on the back burner..it can wait till you get out of the gym and after you get your meals in!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Ron III---III

htp://start.at.ronsplace

[redwolf64]

Certainly, motivation comes from within, but I wouldn't discount the people and atmosphere around you.

I've mentioned it before here, but I started lifting and eating right when I was in college. In a couple of years, I went from 235 (at 5'6") to around 155.

After college, I was able to keep the weight off pretty well. It crept up a bit and I was in and out of the gym, but it settled into an area around 180-190.

In recent years, I got in a good paying job, but it has alot of stress. It's a rather dysfunctional workplace - lots of politics, bickering, big egos and people just being self-interested and negative.

Since working there, I've found it harder and harder to keep exercising and keep up my energy level. It's emotionally and physically draining. Since I'm working every day, I didn't realize how much it was impacting me until I took a few days off and got away and noticed how different I felt.

I have to keep the job for the time being with the economy and my family situation, but I intend to get out of it. I'm trying to set boundaries between work and private life and get some people in my life that are positive and supportive.

So I'd look for things and people in your life that are "dragging you down". Sometimes, you might not realize how much they're holding you back.

[Jace]

Thanks for your feedback guys. I appreciate it.

[Frankly]

One thing to realize is that you are making a full life change here. Just saying I want to be a bodybuilder and hiring a trainer is not enough. You need to realize that this is for you, to help you, to make you feel good. Once you come to that realization, going to the gym becomes more natural, workouts feel good, and you want to push yourself further.

My motivation comes from the fact that I know I feel better after I have been in the gym. I have pushed my stress into the weights, pounded out my problems in hard reps, and have improved my body in the process. Now these might be mental things that take time to get into so there are other things you can do for more instant motivation.

Music is my crutch. If there is a song you really love, can feel the rhythm, the whole song just flows through you, put it on, close your eyes and focus on the music. Get into the beat, take a deep breath and push the weight. Its amazing how powerful music is.

Also, its important to see progress. If you don't see yourself growing, you won't want to keep at it. (kinda what happens with all those New years resolution people) Don't judge your gains based on what you weigh every week, judge your gains by how you look, how you feel, and how much better your body is now than it was a month ago. Remember, this is long term, you won't see instant improvements. Take pictures of yourself on the first day of each month. Work your ass off every workout and remind yourself that the next picture is only xx days away. You work hard, eat, sleep, and keep at it, you will see the gains and that will keep you motivated.

[DaBigGuy1]

Originally Posted by Frankly

One thing to realize is that you are making a full life change here. Just saying I want to be a bodybuilder and hiring a trainer is not enough. You need to realize that this is for you, to help you, to make you feel good. Once you come to that realization, going to the gym becomes more natural, workouts feel good, and you want to push yourself further.

My motivation comes from the fact that I know I feel better after I have been in the gym. I have pushed my stress into the weights, pounded out my problems in hard reps, and have improved my body in the process. Now these might be mental things that take time to get into so there are other things you can do for more instant motivation.

Music is my crutch. If there is a song you really love, can feel the rhythm, the whole song just flows through you, put it on, close your eyes and focus on the music. Get into the beat, take a deep breath and push the weight. Its amazing how powerful music is.

Also, its important to see progress. If you don't see yourself growing, you won't want to keep at it. (kinda what happens with all those New years resolution people) Don't judge your gains based on what you weigh every week, judge your gains by how you look, how you feel, and how much better your body is now than it was a month ago. Remember, this is long term, you won't see instant improvements. Take pictures of yourself on the first day of each month. Work your ass off every workout and remind yourself that the next picture is only xx days away. You work hard, eat, sleep, and keep at it, you will see the gains and that will keep you motivated.

Very well put!

Bodybuilding/weight training, when done right is a lifestyle change, not just a hobby that you tend to one day and forget the next.....

[redwolf64]

Yes - very well put.

It's important to see you're making progress. You have to keep telling yourself that it's not going to happen over night, so you might think of ways to periodically look back on what you're doing and how far you've come.

When I was working out hard in and a few years after college, it was little things I'd notice every few months that were real motivators - having an old shirt or pair of pants that I'd run into that fit differently, comparing a recent photo with an older one, that kind of thing.

I also got into hiking, making rounds of different state parks. It was really rewarding to see how I might go hiking on one trail and, a few months later, hike the same trail and see how much easier it was.

[Bull]

I know that voice in your head all too well. I had a friend who used to call his "the weasel." In my case, it's my dad's voice, a man who could always give you twenty reasons why something was a waste of time, wouldn't work, etc. When it starts in on me, I say: "Shut the fuck up, Dad!" It really works!

Of course, anti-depressants don't hurt either; lol.

Was there someone in your life who taught you to be negative, or helped you form a pattern of self-sabotage? Think about it. If so, don't be afraid to mentally chew them out, tell them to get the hell out of your head. Even those who love us the most can really set-up some bad patterns.

Consistency is everything in bodybuilding, and learning to ignore all that negative self-talk is half the battle. "This is boring....I'm fooling myself...Maybe I'll have a better attitude if I take this week off...I really should be spending the money more wisely..." etc. etc. It never ends, but if you can isolate it, put it in a corner where it can chatter away while you get busy working toward your goal, that's the ticket.

[Jace]

Thanks for the advice guys. You have all made great points. I'll be working on my demons.

[falseyedee]

i would also suggest keeping a work out journal, recording every rep of every set of every exercise at every weight. keeping track of your progress, or lack of it in some cases, can be very motivating.

when i was bbing, i kept a combined journal: workout and diet. so when i felt discouraged, i could review it and see that i HAD progressed. and when i didn't progress, i could see that it was that entire week of fast food that might have kept the weight on...another motivator to keep on the straight and narrow.

looking at old pix of yourself and pix of yourself as you progess helps some people...and having pix of people whose bod's you admire/aspire to available can also be motivating for some people.

and, dude, you've lost 33 pounds! that seems like it could be pretty motivating all by itself!

[Eager Muscle]

Two personal observations which I hope motivate you:


MOTIVATION #1

I was 39 and wanted it badly and dropped 60lbs and developed a burgeoning bodybuilder's physique in only 5 months.

I wanted it badly, yes, and I got it. I worked long hours and had a long commute but I made those time constraints work for me and trained early morning (lifting) and evening (swimming or yoga) and stuck to my regular feedings at my desk job, shoveling down boiled egg whites out of a tupperware and tuna out of cans. In five months supplementing with only a basic protein powder - no creatine, nuthun! - at 39 YEARS OF AGE I was built like a bodybuilder and dressed the part (see speedo pics of me at www.bigmuscle.com, profile #31703, "eager muscle"). You're only 35. Imagine what you can do!


MOTIVATION #2

Though one can take up and compete in bodybuilding even in their seventies, realistically the longer you put things off the less your body will be able to physically accomplish.

So there I was, seven months in and living the dream when I was smote with disruptive health and career issues. Now I'm almost ten years OLDER and resumed my bodybuilding training in January '09 BUT have sustained one gym related injury after another - foot fracture, shoulder and bicep tears, etc. I also can't train with the same vigor and intensity I could just several years ago. I can still pass for a kid and BADLY want to rebuild my body to match but find my motivation lagging because it's that much harder now.

Can I rebuild or even exceed that condition? Absolutely yes. But it will take longer. My podiatrist says that with a fractured foot I should lay off the treadmill and ellipticals if I want to have use of my foot when I'm eighty (yes, I plan that far ahead!) and stick to swimming so my cardio and access to cardio is more curtailed. My orthopedist says that given my shoulder and bicep I have to avoid heavy overhead movements and heavy curls. Obviously, while you can build a great body with light weights I'll never get the development I could get lifting heavy.

So there you go, Jace - want it BAD and keep at it NOW because TOMORROW comes sooner than you think. I hope I pushed all of the right buttons. And as for all you other grizzled, injured gym rats, I could use some feedback and motivation as well - please pm me so I don't wind up hijacking this thread, thanks!

[Jace]

Update on my progress. I was 370lbs when I decided to do this. I am now 329. I have a long way to go, but I'm getting there one step at a time. I thank you all for your support...if I can figure out how to post photos, I will.

[mewletter]

Nahhh... Just post the LINKS to your pics. I'm sure your progress will be going fine.

As for me, though I'm getting leaner, my weight still get stuck in 135lbs range. Still working my way to get in 150lb zone while still lean and massive.

[Stoneman]

I'm probably gonna get scolded for this or whatever, but sometimes, when I'm really discouraged in the gym (often) I think about whoever I have a crush on at the time, and I tell myself I'm doing it for them.

Which is a little fucked up I admit, but hey, it works for me.

[viamanmax]

Originally Posted by Stoneman

I'm probably gonna get scolded for this or whatever, but sometimes, when I'm really discouraged in the gym (often) I think about whoever I have a crush on at the time, and I tell myself I'm doing it for them.

Which is a little fucked up I admit, but hey, it works for me.

I would say that that isn't really fucked up.

[Stoneman]

Well thanks Viamanmax.

[Lifter73]

Originally Posted by Stoneman

I'm probably gonna get scolded for this or whatever, but sometimes, when I'm really discouraged in the gym (often) I think about whoever I have a crush on at the time, and I tell myself I'm doing it for them.

Which is a little fucked up I admit, but hey, it works for me.

Considered yourself scolded! (shaking finger and saying "Do it for YOU!!") You'll have TONS of crushes, but only one YOU!

D

[inflated]

Originally Posted by Stoneman

I'm probably gonna get scolded for this or whatever, but sometimes, when I'm really discouraged in the gym (often) I think about whoever I have a crush on at the time, and I tell myself I'm doing it for them.

Which is a little fucked up I admit, but hey, it works for me.

I lift because I love it, but my wife loves the results even more than I do, so I am motivated by her. I do it for myself, but even more I do it for her--which in turn is doing for myself.