I have been a follower of T-Nation since the beginning, I even have the original poster hanging in my workout room. While I am not a beginner to the strength world, my prolonged inactivity has caused me to re-evaluate my position and to classify myself as one.
My problem is that after a prolonged period away from the fitness/workout field, I feel a loss of motivation and a deep sense of rut that are keeping me from getting started. The shame of it all is that I have the time and means to accomplish any fitness goal (I have an excellent home gym to boot).
While I know that motivation is an internal/innate thing that other people cannot activate, I was hoping a few notes from fellow T-Nation’ers and maybe even some ‘hints’ on getting started may add fuel to my empty engine.
The same thing happened to me about ten years ago regarding meditation - I did it every day for about 4 years and then it got hard to get motivated again.
I’m hoping that sort of thing doesn’t happen with weightlifting.
look at the mirror and let all the negative emotions and anger about your current physical shape flood into you until you feel like breaking the mirror
Look at it this way. You’ve been out of the game for a while, and you’ve most likely lost muscle mass and strength, gained some fat, and lost cardio capacity. If you keep up your current lifestyle, you’re just going to get fatter and weaker, until you eventually shrivel away with old age, to weak to get out of bed to take a leak. Alternatively, you could get back to the gym, get in the best shape of your life, and put in the work to stay in shape, and not have to worry so much about needing a bedpan for the last years of your life.
I think everyone goes through motivational ruts. For me, the problem after any lay off is always how much weaker I am than I was the last time in the gym. I have found what I have to do is lay out 3 weeks of work outs on paper. Then I commit to doing all those workouts no matter what. By the end of the three weeks I can feel myself getting strong, realize how much better I feel during and after a good lift and the motivation is back!
Based on your past history, I am positive that after a few trips to the gym everything will come flooding back. Just get back in there!
[quote]cyph31 wrote:
look at the mirror and let all the negative emotions and anger about your current physical shape flood into you until you feel like breaking the mirror
that should get you started[/quote]
When I read your post, this is what came to mind. Really, if you want to work out you will. If you don’t want to workout, then give me your home gym. I’ll make use of it.
