Here I go

[Curiosity]

I'm a 21 year old college student and I've always wanted to be muscular, but my low self-esteem and self-confidence deterred me from the gym because I felt so much smaller than the other guys. I've worked out a few times off and on, never with much intensity, so I never saw the results i wanted.

Anyway, I just joined the site a few weeks ago and I feel like this will be a great place to get support and encouragement, so I'm gonna go for it! I just moved into my new apartment by campus and we have a free gym for tenants. I went to check it out today, and it's pretty nice, albeit a little small. Two treadmills, two elliptical machines, one stationary bike, a rack of dumbbells from 5-50 lbs, and a combo tower with three stations for chest, back, and leg exercises.

I haven't put together an set workout routine or schedule yet, so today was more about getting started and testing what strength I've retained since the last time I was in the gym (about 8 months ago, with a half-hearted go at P90X in the interim). However, I wasn't really able to tell because the weights on the tower were numbered 1-20 as opposed to having the actual weights listed on them, so i might have gone a little light.

The stats I have for you now:

Height: 5'10"
Weight: 155 lbs
Waist: 32-33"

I'll try to take measurements of all the muscles this week so i can fill you guys in on the rest. Stay tuned!

[Muscled6ft3]

Don't let the low self-esteem, etc, hinder you man. Sounds like you've found a good situation to get started (less intimidation, etc). I know it's tough walking into a gym and starting to work out. I always try to encourage new guys who are just getting started. One way to take your mind away from something that is preventing you from getting started is to work with a personal trainer for a little while. He will keep you focused and (if he's a decent trainer) will help you learn good form and get started. In a few weeks that initial intimidation will be gone, you'll have some new friends who want to see you succeed, and it will all be good. I'm looking forward to hearing on your progress. Stick with it dude!

[dodoria21]

I definitely relate to the low self-esteem and feeling out of place. I've been at it for a little over 2 months now and I give a lot of credit to this site. Sharing my story and getting to know others here has really helped me get a good hold on myself and find renewed motivation. I personally don't go to a gym yet, but I most likely will as I get better. Best of luck to you as you start out your journey. You'll get a lot of great advice from people here.

[CelticMuscle]

Originally Posted by Curiosity

The stats I have for you now:

Height: 5'10"
Weight: 155 lbs
Waist: 32-33"

That's moderately encouraging for starters. BMI of 22.25 (pretty much where you should be) and an estimated bodyfat of 15.3%. That should make any trainers you decide to emply very happy indeed

[Curiosity]

Thanks for the encouragement guys! I went to the gym again today, focused on chest mostly--4 sets of dumbbell press and 3 sets of flyes. Also did 25 minutes of cardio and a couple sets of alternating front and lateral dumbbell raises followed by one set of shoulder press. I need to work on my form and my ark strength because I'm a little wobbly with some of the movements, but I know I'll get there.

I'm going to take the rest of my measurements when I get up tomorrow, so I'll fill you guys in on exactly where I'm at.

[THE BODYBUILDING GIANT]

mate u should take not that u have the confidence to go to the gym ...........
some people dont get that far so well done
remember to start slow and work it up training is not just a physical game its a mental game to mate and u must win the mental games to build a good physic keep it up mate and keep going

u will hav knock bakcs and falls but when u overcome them and u will then u will be a lot stronger physically and mentally to mate

[Curiosity]

So I took my measurements when I got up this morning, and i wish they were better lol. Then again, that's why I'm here. Anywho:

Neck: 14.5 in.
Chest: 38 in.
Right Arm: 11 in. unflexed; 12 in. flexed
Left Arm: 11 in. unflexed; 12.5 in. flexed (guess who's a lefty lol)
Waist: 33 in. around the bellybutton, not pulled tight
Right Quad: 22 in.
Left Quad: 22.5 in.
Both Calves: 15 in.

So there you have it. My arms need a lot of work and my calves are bigger around than my neck lol. I should have time to go to the gym later this afternoon or evening, so I'll probably do legs or just cardio.

I feel like the two aspects of my goal contradict each other a little bit, because I want my muscles to get big but I also want to get leaner than I am right now. We'll see how it goes. Regardless, I plan on keeping you guys in the loop. Thanks again for all the encouragement!

[Curiosity]

I started an actual routine yesterday after chatting with several supportive members and taking some advice from geo07. I'm going to spend a couple months focusing on the big three, doing a few low-mid rep sets of bench press, deadlifts, and squats. The squats will get substituted with lunges when I can't get one of the squat racks. This way, I can build up my strength with the big compound exercises.

Yesterday was a really good day in the gym for me. I started with bench, where I did a few sets working up to 95 lbs for 6 reps. I know that's not that much, but it's like 20 lbs more than I'v ever benched in the past, so i can tell I'm getting stronger! After that I did a few sets of leg press because I couldn't get one of the squat racks (the lunge idea came from a friend after i came back from the gym), and followed it up with a few sets of deadlifts, where a helpful guy named Cory helped me with my form. That was the first time I've ever interacted with any of the guys at the campus gym because a lot of them give off an air of intimidation, but it was nice. Made me feel like I'm actually welcome in the free weight room.

So today I'm feeling pleasantly sore and I'll be going back for more tomorrow. Might hit the apartment gym tonight for some abs and cardio too.

[GoliathCA]

Sounds like you're doing great! Whatever you do, never feel self conscious or intimidated. You're at a good age to begin and you'll make impressive gains. I regret that I hadn't done serious weight training while in college. You may want to incorporate push ups in between sets of bench press. Also make sure you get enough protein. Best wishes!

[Curiosity]

Just a quick update:

So I've been at it for a little over 2 weeks and my routine is going pretty good so far. I've been doing bench/squats/deadlifts 3x a week and I can already tell that I'm getting stronger.

As of today my bench and deadlift are up to 105, and squats are at 155. I've also been doing cardio in between strength training days with a little bit of work on the smaller muscle groups if they aren't sore.

However, I'm going to cut bench for a week or so, because I've got this pain in my right collarbone. It's been there a couple of days, nothing intense, but present and noticeable. I benched today and realized afterwards that it was a bad decision. After the gym I iced it, so hopefully that helps relieve it a little, but I'm going to forego the bench for a bit.

I looked it up to see what it might be, and the idea that I'm getting from the interwebs is that my form could be putting stress on the AC joint in my right shoulder. If that's the case, I hope I haven't done enough damage to mess it up. I'll say this though; I have mild cerebral palsy and my right arm is far weaker than my left, which I think is why I'm only having this trouble on the one side. It's possible that the weakness on that side is making the stress on the joint more than on the other side, even though I'm not using exceptionally high weight.

Anyway, that's been my day lol. If anyone has feedback on what my collarbone pain is or how to deal with it that would be great. Here's hoping this injury is minor and won't impede me from getting big.

[Curiosity]

At the beginning of this week I started training upper body again, after about a week and a half of resting my shoulder. It was feeling better by Monday, so i eased back into bench press, and it hasn't hurt again, so I'm confident that it's healed.

I had really good workouts this week and I can tell that I'm getting stronger. My maxes are increasing and my form is getting less wobbly, so I feel good about the way I'm progressing. I'm still focusing on compound exercises, although I sometimes add in a few isolation exercises when I've got the energy left.

For the most part I've gotten pretty comfortable in the campus gym, although on Wednesday I had a kind of annoying experience with one of the football players acting like he owned the place. But overall everything has been going good and I'll keep you guys updated periodically.

[gb123]

Looks like you are getting some good progress, keep up the hard work mate, you'll be a monster in no time

[Curiosity]

So, it's been a while.

I've been in and out of the gym since I started this thread, and I've talked to a few of you about it. A lot of the problem was classes getting in the way and not really knowing how to get workouts into my schedule. Over the summer I did better about going to the gym, but in August I moved to a new city for a post-grad program and that threw new wrenches into my life. All first semester, the entirety of my exercise was: 1 1-mile run, 30 pushups, and the necessary walking to get places (which did include a round-trip 5k to make it to the comic book store to buy Magic cards).

So now we're at Christmas break, and I'm home with my family for the holidays. I don't own a scale myself, so I'd had no way to know what I weighed. That was fine with me, really, until I got curious at my parents' house and discovered that I had gained 20 lbs since July. <== NOT OK.

Fast-forward to this semester, and I've gone to the gym every Friday, except the week that we had the play (See my post in muscle sightings). I've been going slowly, which is good. I recently got a workout partner from one of my classes, which makes it easier to do certain things like bench where I'd like a spotter and don't have to approach people I don't know to help me with less than 100 lbs. I've noticed that I haven't lost quite as much strength in certain areas as I thought I would have, which is nice. I have my bench press up to a relatively unimpressive 85 lbs, but after 7 weeks of going to the gym I think that's decent.

I don't ever want to gain 20 lbs that I know for a fact isn't muscle again. It's a terrible feeling, and I'm going to do my absolute best to stick with it this time. More updates to follow.

[dodoria21]

It's hard to fit the gym into a busy life, but it's possible, even if it takes awhile to figure it out. Sounds like your starting to figure it out. Hope you stick with it man. Good luck!

[The Magus]

It's a clich?, but success isn't about how often you fall down, it's about how many times you get back up, so stick with it. You're still young and have a lifetime ahead of you to build muscle.

[Curiosity]

Thanks guys! I managed to make it to the gym three times this week (one was just for cardio), so I feel really accomplished. Especially since I managed a set of Bosu pushups, which I've always found extremely difficult.

Did chest and legs today mostly, so I've got a day or two of swearing every time I take step coming up. It always feels great though.

[GoliathCA]

Keep at it. If you make it a habit, you'll make progress.
Best wishes!

[Curiosity]

So classes and exams are over now and I'm on summer vacation (mostly. I have one project to finish in the next two weeks, but otherwise I'm a free man)! Now that I have more time to myself and no set schedule to follow, I've made it to the gym four times this week.

I did a general upper body day on Monday, followed by legs on Tuesday, chest and biceps on Wednesday, a rest day Thursday, and back and triceps today. With the exception of leg day, I've also been doing a half hour on the elliptical every time for cardio.

The soreness feels fantastic and I feel like I'm actually in a place where I can motivate myself to workout daily. It's only the first week, but I can already feel myself getting hooked on the high of knowing I put in a good workout and my muscles will grow from it.

Here's to a summer of getting buff!

[Curiosity]

So, I hit a snag in my summer gym plans today. Turns out I don't have access to the campus gym during the summer unless I pay $75 for a membership, since I'm not taking summer courses. In the fall, when I am taking courses again, I'll have free access.

Now, I know that most gym memberships cost a lot more than $75 for three months. Maybe I've been spoiled by the free gym memberships (including summers) that I had at my undergrad and my old apartment complex, but I'm having trouble deciding whether I want to pay it. I'm living on a budget (woooo student loans.), and $75 to get into the gym wasn't factored into that budget, since I thought the gym would be free.

So now my options are:
1) Pay the $75 and keep using the campus gym as planned.
2) Search for a facility that's close and costs less than $25/mo.
3) Do body weight exercises at home and use the summer to focus on getting leaner.

Anyway, I was extremely frustrated by the fact that my free gym membership evaporated today since I'd like to keep working out over the next three months. Thoughts? Advice?

[The Magus]

I'd recommend the gym, unless you can find a cheaper membership. In the long run, you'll get better workouts, you'll be more motivated, it'll be easier to keep things going in the fall (because you'll already have a routine), you won't have to improvise any workouts, and you'll probably SAVE money: the time spent in the gym won't be spent shopping or eating take-out, you'll feel better and so won't need to "treat" yourself as often, etc.

Even if you only work out 3 times a week, at $75 you're paying less than $2 an hour.

Just my opinion, though. Whatever you decide, it's worth it to keep at it even if the situation isn't ideal. If it's bodyweight, so be it.

[Curiosity]

I think I've decided to just pay for summer use of the rec center. It'll make it a lot easier to stick to meeting my goals, and I'll be able to build more muscle than just doing body weight exercises at home.

Most of the reason I was resisting so hard was that it feels like the university is nickel and diming me. I already pay them way too much, so it felt like I was getting cheated by having to pay to use the facilities when it's on record that I'm enrolled for the fall.

[Curiosity]

Today was my first day back in the gym after that membership snafu. It felt amazing! It's still too early to say that I've made any actual gains, but I felt stronger. I think part of it is because I only took a week off and part of it is that I was focused on slow, controlled reps. Did a back workout today, so hopefully I'll be able to feel it in my lats tomorrow.

P.S. I really like the word snafu. It's fun.