whats your motivation to hitt the gym, i mean what really drives you to get ya ass up and out to the gym.

mines puerly the fact that i enjoy the gym. and like to keep in shape

what bout you guys n girls?


:p fosse :p

There are a million reasons I can come up with. Here's just a few:

1. Just look around you when you go out in public.

2. Go visit a Cancer ward in a hospital. Those people don't have the luxury of being able to stay fit and healthy. You're healthy, so why are you throwing away that luxury?

3. You brush your teeth so you don't get cavities. You should exercise so you don't get a heart attack (and eat right).

4. It makes me feel great, gives me an energy boost, and I like being in the locker room, shirtless, knowing that I can flex in the mirror and see my 6 pack.

5. If you were meant to be a couch potato all day long, your ass would be square. ;)

6. Your clothing choice will be better

7. Having the discipline to do this one thing, could lead to discipline in doing other things in life.

Um... at this point it is habit. If I don't roll out of bed and DO my workout, my whole day feels off. I hate that. I also want prime health and fitness... but at 5am, when I am up before my stupid rooster even, well... it's just habit. I don't think I even wake up until 2 hours AFTER I have finished working out... if then....

If you were meant to be a couch potato all day long, your ass would be square. ;)

Or flat, maybe? I like that one.

Reason No. 1 would have to be self-gratification. That is my all-encompassing way of saying that I have many reasons, most of them tend to lean towards being self-serving or otherwise selfish in nature. Vanity, to some degree, too. Something I thought I'd never associate with myself, but now I really can't deny that. Not many heterosexual males can say "it's not vanity" then go home that night and shave his legs. :lol: Since I count myself among that crowd at this point, I must confess to having become somewhat vain as is maintaining a more extreme fitness level as I aspire to achieve in the very near future.

I think forward-thinking can be squeezed in there somehow, too. I'd like to be a useful, active, spry member of society until I disperse the energy that is my being back to the Universe for use elsewhere.

But it's also become a way to stand out. I prize individuality above all else, and being fit is something most people can't/won't/don't invest time in for whatever wafer-thin reason they can conjure (so long as it isn't physically taxing to them!). This country's short sightedness is inversely proportional to its ever-expanding waste size, and I don't wish to be counted among them ever again.

~R

A few main things for me:

1) I want to age gracefully. I was in the hospital the other day (not for me) and believe me when I say that you don't want to be in there at 50 years old getting cardiac surgery. You will flog yourself for not having taken care of your body. Prevention is better than curing. I don't like to make decisions I know I'll regret, and if I abuse myself like most people do, I will regret it. I'll get old and be in the hospital and have nobody but myself to blame for it.

2) I hate looking in the mirror and being disgusted at myself. Who doesn't? I really mean it though, so I do something about it.

3) Being a bit of a dick at times I feel myself superior to most people in a lot of areas, and being critical of my life and taking charge of it is one of them. With that attitude it would be inconsistent to not workout. This is the same as jtchen22's first point. The world is a competition. In your job or socially or anywhere, you need to rise above the competition and invariably a person who's trim and looks fit will have an edge. Really I'm a bit disgusted at people who do nothing for themselves and eat whatever pleases them, so why would I let myself join their ranks?

So, as you can see, part of my motivation is simply fear at becoming what I don't like, which is an owner of a body that most people are owners of. It's hardly a positive motivator but for me it works well.

Look at successful people and you'll see they take care of themselves. Time is never an excuse. 2/3 of America is overweight. 1/3 is obese. Now see the numbers for industry magnates and CEOs of successful, growing companies. The numbers will be a small fraction of those in the general public. The real achievers almost always agree that living healthy is a necessity, so I use them as my model.But it's also become a way to stand out. I prize individuality above all else, and being fit is something most people can't/won't/don't invest time in for whatever wafer-thin reason they can conjure (so long as it isn't physically taxing to them!). This country's short sightedness is inversely proportional to its ever-expanding waste size, and I don't wish to be counted among them ever again. And here we have a concise more articulate explanation, but it mirrors my thoughts to the letter.

Various reasons over the years.

I workout in the morning and when I miss a workout, I can totally tell. It really gets my day going.

I have heart problems on both sides of my family. I kind of like living.

Guys under 10% BF with visible abs are in the minority. I want to be in that club. Can't get there without exercising.

oh yeah, and chicks dig muscles :D

Jason

nice reply all offyou, i especialy like the part about u brush ur teeth so u dnt get cavaitys,so we exercise not to get a heart attack.


f :p osse :p

I am addicted to strength.

Going from this:

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/1.jpg

to this:

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/152.jpg

Going from this:

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/1.jpg

to this:

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/152.jpg

Don't you mean from that to THIS: http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/847.jpg

:tu:

Nice one Andrew ... That is what I was going to say :)

I like the slightly bulkier John better than the thin John....both however were substantial improvements over the before picture.

In terms of motivation, a few things motivate me:

1) Health -- keeping my HDL numbers high, and LDL numbers as low as possible. That is what initially got me back into the gym after a 10-year haitus.

2) Strength improvements -- I am naturally pretty competitive, especially with myself :) ....so, I expect to improve with each trip to the gym. I love the strength gains associated with weight training, and they serve as a primary motivator for me to continue pushing myself.

3) Confidence -- I'm not sure why, but even in domains outside of the physical, exercising has given me more confidence to deal with people and other stressors than I had before I started working out. I don't feel as stressed anymore, and my day to day obligations feel less burdensome.

Overall, I really look forward to my time in the gym.

1) I want to age gracefully.........


I'm getting up there, and I don't want to unable to do the fun things in life when I get "there".

After years of work under very stressful conditions, I started to get headaches all the time, my back was a mess, and I wanted to sleep the moment I got home from work. I was either going 500 mph, or I was sleeping. In fact, up until about a year ago, I would frequently have 4 + beers every night to unwind after work, so I could sleep. Never had much beer on the weekend, after work...always.

I've always been the kind of person that was goal oriented; that always had a "plan of attack", and was very competitve and lived for results.

Fortunately, my wife is the opposite, and advocates the "life isn't a destination, but rather a journey; Enjoy the trip along the way".

Thanks to that fine lady, I now look to have fun along the way, and make time for family and friends. I also need to make time for me.

I want to be able to keep up with my kids when they want a pick up game of basketball with me. I want to be there for them.

Last year I made a career change, a healthy living change, and my perspective on life changed.

Life is good, and I want to living it for as long as I can.

Don't you mean from that to THIS: http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/847.jpg

:tu:
Since I'm still at his early phase (phat) I can't think that far ahead. My 6 month goal is to be Skinny John. I can't look 2 years into the future at this point...but yes, Bulky John is better. :D

I always find motivation for a particular thing, whether it's lifting or the diet or cardio, from not messing up the other two things. Like, if I see some tasty treat, I'm likely not going to eat it if I did cardio that morning because that treat would mess up the hour of cardio I had to get up at 5am to do. Similarly, if I don't do the lifting, then I've ruined all the work I put into cooking all the meat and preparing all the meals just so. To me, each one of those three aspects (diet, lifting and cardio) really fuels the others.

What motivates me? Well I think it's my own big ego who wants to look good if not great in public. Especially without my shirt on :D And also the fact that I can't rely on nutrition alone to achieve a healthy mind, body and soul ;) And last but not least, it's a habit :tu:

What motivates me? Well I think it's my own big ego who wants to look good if not great in public. Especially without my shirt on :D And also the fact that I can't rely on nutrition alone to achieve a healthy mind, body and soul ;)

Whatever he said! Though I'll keep my shirt on thank-you-very-much :D

aint it nice to wip off your shirt at the beach adn show every one how hard u worked lol :p

well untill some huge guy walks past with like 8% bf at and like 18 inch arms n a chest to die for lol

I like the slightly bulkier John better than the thin John....both however were substantial improvements over the before picture.


I bet there is a weight about 1/2 way in between the two after pictures, he could "mature" those muscles at.

But I too, at my age want to look good. Shirt off or on.

To kick someone's A$$ in a fight and not get my A$$ kicked. :mad: There is plenty of motivation in that. The ring is a lonely place if you are out of shape.

whats your motivation to hitt the gym, i mean what really drives you to get ya ass up and out to the gym.

My gf once told me that I had a nice body, but that my legs were far more muscular than my arms and chest. I have a bad back, but could never workout to fix that.
Now, I hit two birds with one stone, getting a better upper body and getting rid of my back pains.
My back ache comes and goes, but my gf is already very satisfied with my upper body, it looks as muscular as my legs now. But I'm hooked, so now I want to have functional strength (want to be able to do handstand pushups and 50+ pull ups) and look ripped. Let's hope the back ache vanishes completely before I reach that goal. :cool:

aint it nice to wip off your shirt at the beach adn show every one how hard u worked lol :p

well untill some huge guy walks past with like 8% bf at and like 18 inch arms n a chest to die for lol
Actually i'd prefer not to have 18" arms :D

My gf once told me that I had a nice body, but that my legs were far more muscular than my arms and chest. I have a bad back, but could never workout to fix that.
Now, I hit two birds with one stone, getting a better upper body and getting rid of my back pains.
My back ache comes and goes, but my gf is already very satisfied with my upper body, it looks as muscular as my legs now. But I'm hooked, so now I want to have functional strength (want to be able to do handstand pushups and 50+ pull ups) and look ripped. Let's hope the back ache vanishes completely before I reach that goal. :cool:


i know what you mean bout the back pains. have you tryed pilates exercises they are really easy to do and do absolute wonders for your back strenghten it up wonderfully.

fosse

aint it nice to wip off your shirt at the beach adn show every one how hard u worked lol :p

well untill some huge guy walks past with like 8% bf at and like 18 inch arms n a chest to die for lol
Agree with your first statement :tu: But I don't agree with the second one. I think size is a personal choice (though I wouldn't mind getting bigger :lol: ). But honestly, I prefer a long, lean and ripped look. Maybe a male model look or a swimmer's look. I'd prefer that rather than bodybuilder's look. But then again, that's just me ;)

Agree with your first statement :tu: But I don't agree with the second one. I think size is a personal choice (though I wouldn't mind getting bigger :lol: ). But honestly, I prefer a long, lean and ripped look. Maybe a male model look or a swimmer's look. I'd prefer that rather than bodybuilder's look. But then again, that's just me ;)


i think swimmers bodys look real good, i wouldnt mind looking like tht