I’m in the best shape of my life!
Posted on 10th Oct 2022, 12:00am
The gym itself is great. The booking system is really helpful to see whether or not it’s busy. 99 times out of 100 I can get in the weights room which is my preferred option.
The benefits are numerous.
I started in 2016 because I wanted to put on a bit of muscle and engaged Darius for 6 months to get me started. That was absolutely invaluable to teach me good technique and keep me showing up time after time. I cannot stress enough that he laid the foundations for me – without him I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Physical benefits:
I never needed to lose weight, rather I always struggled to put weight on. But I’ve definitely gained some muscle and this has made me less prone to injury whilst playing tennis and squash. Eg, I regularly used to twinge my back, but that hasn’t happened for ages touch wood. It could because I’m stronger but I think it could also be because the gym has improved my general fitness therefore my stamina on court is better so my techniques hold up for longer so I’m not doing silly lunges for the ball etc.
The other day I played 2 solid hours of singles tennis which I doubt I would have been able to do without the gym (sure, I felt it next day). People can’t believe how quick I still am around the tennis court and that’s got to be all the leg work.
I do a pretty simple combination of 4 sets of barbell curls, tricep pull downs, dumbbell chest press, dumbbell row, and squat.
Also – just love the pump after a good workout!
And I know I’m getting stronger because of how I’ve moved up the weights over time.
I genuinely feel at 51 that I’m in the best shape of my life.
Mental benefits
Several years ago I committed to doing an average of half an hours exercise every day, because I have a desk job and we know how good exercise is for stress busting.
But if I’m feeling flat or stressed I know all I need to do is go to the gym for a little mental boost.
I keep a record of when I go to the gym (in fact all my exercise, just a simple spreadsheet) so I can reflect on my achievements and it also acts as a “got to get back to the gym” prompt. Haven’t been this week as I played tennis both days on the weekend and just feeling a bit tired this week. But I’m not punishing myself, I’ll go again when I’m ready.
People struggle with motivation but I’ve now been so many times that I just tell myself just to do it because I know how good it makes me feel afterwards.
I don’t enjoy it at all – it’s incredibly hard work, I really push myself every workout, I’m not just sitting there scrolling on my phone – but I know each workout is doing me good, and I feel a sense of achievement getting through it.
Jon 2022
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