I just did my first "real" session weight lifting tonight, and it was exhausting, soreful (not painful, just incredibly exhausting and my muscles felt like jelly), and I had sweat pouring down my face. I have a nice day of rest (meaning running) tomorrow but then it's back to the gym Wednesday, and I'm NOT looking forward to it.

So other than the gut, what kept you guys and gals motivated at the beginning to keep going to the gym and lifting weights? Perhaps I can use some of your techniques?

I just did my first "real" session weight lifting tonight, and it was exhausting, soreful (not painful, just incredibly exhausting and my muscles felt like jelly), and I had sweat pouring down my face. I have a nice day of rest (meaning running) tomorrow but then it's back to the gym Wednesday, and I'm NOT looking forward to it.

So other than the gut, what kept you guys and gals motivated at the beginning to keep going to the gym and lifting weights? Perhaps I can use some of your techniques?

I'd say get through the first coupla weeks, and then you'll have all the motivation you need. You should start noticing strength increases within the first 2-3 weeks....which, at least for someone like me, would be extremely motivating. That is the nice thing about starting weight training for the first time -- Your strength increases come really quickly.

Another thing -- You get used to it. Whenever I take a few weeks off from weight training, it seems really exhausting and taxing when I get back to it again....but, after a week or so, I adapt and am back to normal. You'll adapt too -- It will just take a few weeks. You will still feel like you've had a workout, but you won't feel totally and completely worn out from it.

I just did my first "real" session weight lifting tonight, and it was exhausting, soreful (not painful, just incredibly exhausting and my muscles felt like jelly), and I had sweat pouring down my face. I have a nice day of rest (meaning running) tomorrow but then it's back to the gym Wednesday, and I'm NOT looking forward to it.

A: Eat well between now and the next workout.

B: Drink the water you are supposed to.

C: Don't mind if you do or don't get minor soreness.

D: Trust me on this. Stick with it at least two months. If you have a good program and you stick with it for two months, you should be able to tell yourself that it's working. That is the "big sugar" in this business: when you see for yourself that you are making a difference. Then you understand that you are in control, and have some idea where that might go. That feeling is very powerful.

I don't look at it as sessions.

I look at it as a journey. Each session is a "stop-point" on the highway of fitness.

You'll get good days...you'll get bad days.

The main thing is to stick with it on a continual basis.

Make adjustments as necessary...as you go you'll pick up new information and tips and tricks.

Say goodbye to your old body...get ready to enjoy the new you..:tucool:

I went with a friend.

the only thing that kept me going was being made fun of and being called fat and not wanting to be fat anymore..

then i became addicted to it

In the beginning, I think it's excitement that kept me going. Excitement at the possibilities. I liked to think of my body as a machine at that point, and I liked thinking that everything I was doing was making me better, strong, faster. That everything includes eating the right foods, drinking water, sleeping, etc. Everything I did in between workouts was in the name of a better good. And then the progress starts, and once you start surpassing those short term goals, it just gets better and better. Progress is the key. Set goals. Who doesn't love to meet them?

Then once you get past the first few week, it becomes routine. It gets to the point where you feel bad and/or wrong without lifting.

I'd say get through the first coupla weeks, and then you'll have all the motivation you need. You should start noticing strength increases within the first 2-3 weeks....which, at least for someone like me, would be extremely motivating. That is the nice thing about starting weight training for the first time -- Your strength increases come really quickly.

Another thing -- You get used to it. Whenever I take a few weeks off from weight training, it seems really exhausting and taxing when I get back to it again....but, after a week or so, I adapt and am back to normal. You'll adapt too -- It will just take a few weeks. You will still feel like you've had a workout, but you won't feel totally and completely worn out from it.

I'm not sure strength changes will be too motivating ... unless they get pretty substantial ;). I hope I get used to it quickly.


A: Eat well between now and the next workout.

B: Drink the water you are supposed to.

C: Don't mind if you do or don't get minor soreness.

D: Trust me on this. Stick with it at least two months. If you have a good program and you stick with it for two months, you should be able to tell yourself that it's working. That is the "big sugar" in this business: when you see for yourself that you are making a difference. Then you understand that you are in control, and have some idea where that might go. That feeling is very powerful.

A - Yep, clean and on my cut. B - I'm drinking like 6 cups of water a day now, which is a HUGE increase for me. C - I do mind! They need to come out with a pill that makes soreness feel like pleasure.


I don't look at it as sessions. I look at it as a journey. Each session is a "stop-point" on the highway of fitness.

Say goodbye to your old body...get ready to enjoy the new you..:tucool:

Interesting idea. That may help for me, actually (the journey idea). I want to say shalom and good riddance to my old body, I'm just mad that it takes so much work. ;)



I went with a friend.

Yeah, I don't have friends who'd be willing to do this when I do it, and I can't really change my time.


the only thing that kept me going was being made fun of and being called fat and not wanting to be fat anymore..

then i became addicted to it

No one's called me fat ('cept my uncle). In fact, if I ever call myself fat, people tell me that I'm not, so I say, "Fine, I'm not fat, but I have fat parts." So I've decided that I have fat parts - many of them - and a fat complex where I lack social self-esteem because I'm self-conscious 'bout it.

As for my uncle, I was actually pretty mad at him because I was 4 months into losing weight last year and had lost 8 lbs. Then he comes up to me (we were visiting and hadn't seen him in well over 5 years) and said, "You should lose weight; you're too young to be as heavy as you are." #@!$ing New Yorkers (no offense ...).


In the beginning, I think it's excitement that kept me going. Excitement at the possibilities. I liked to think of my body as a machine at that point, and I liked thinking that everything I was doing was making me better, strong, faster. That everything includes eating the right foods, drinking water, sleeping, etc. Everything I did in between workouts was in the name of a better good. And then the progress starts, and once you start surpassing those short term goals, it just gets better and better. Progress is the key. Set goals. Who doesn't love to meet them?

Then once you get past the first few week, it becomes routine. It gets to the point where you feel bad and/or wrong without lifting.

Hmm. I like that idea, too, to think of it as a machine and working on making it a better machine (get rid of all the excess oil clogging up the gears :) ).

I agree with Joe. And to put another spin on it, I'll talk about physique changes. I always seem to get more motivated when I notice a minor change in my appearance here or there. It might be noticing my waist getting smaller, or noticing that my arms look better in the mirror when exercising, or noticing a vein somewhere. Not too long ago I was training and I happened to notice a vein in my shoulders where I had never seen one before. I swear I knocked out more reps on that set than usual. :)

Try to stick with it and train hard for a couple months. When you notice the changes it might provide a lot of motivation. Zen's last point is very good; just try to stick with it and get through the workouts for a couple of months and you will most likely find all of the motivation you need in your mirror.

Zen's last point is very good; just try to stick with it and get through the workouts for a couple of months and you will most likely find all of the motivation you need in your mirror.

By the way I forgot to emphasize sleep and rest too.

But as to the results? They might be in the mirror, but not necessarily, depending on the goal. Since he's in the Weights/Bulking forum as opposed to fat loss, the visual stuff might take longer. But two months of work, you will notice stuff. Lifts go up, soreness goes down, feeling goes up, you get a couple of those "feel like superman" days that you didn't have before. Other people might compliement you.

And it doesn't wear off. I've had some really good leg workouts recently, and that kicks in the motivation for me. It's not visible in the mirror, but it's visible in more iron getting lifted. A lot more. And a feeling of strength and accomplishment.

Now I don't know where you will find your reward - maybe it will be in the mirror. But if you put in a couple of serious work, you will get something for it.

By the way I forgot to emphasize sleep and rest too.
Of course. :tucool:

But as to the results? They might be in the mirror, but not necessarily, depending on the goal. Since he's in the Weights/Bulking forum as opposed to fat loss, the visual stuff might take longer.
Well if he's bulking he might notice bigger muscles... :D

Well if he's bulking he might notice bigger muscles... :D

I think when you bulk, the hypertrophy takes longer than things like strength increase.

Since it seems like there's a tad of debate on this, I wanted to make it clear that at the moment I'm cutting, not bulking. I posted in the "Weight/Strength Training and Bulking" forum because I considered it weight/strength training that was going along with my cutting and so it seemed to fit better here than in the "Fat Loss / Cutting" forum.

Since it seems like there's a tad of debate on this, I wanted to make it clear that at the moment I'm cutting, not bulking. I posted in the "Weight/Strength Training and Bulking" forum because I considered it weight/strength training that was going along with my cutting and so it seemed to fit better here than in the "Fat Loss / Cutting" forum.
There's no debate, we're just messing around. :)

It might be noticing my waist getting smaller, or noticing that my arms look better in the mirror when exercising, or noticing a vein somewhere. Not too long ago I was training and I happened to notice a vein in my shoulders where I had never seen one before. I swear I knocked out more reps on that set than usual. :)

This for me has been a recent and new thing. While doing some barbell or dumbbell curls over in the free weight section of the gym (with the mirrors) I have been noticing that. I think they refer to it as the "pump"? Whatever it is, it's very cool and a new motivator for me. I will say that I have been using the mirror to concentrate on form, and seeing a nicer reflection of myself is a great secondary benefit.

Stick with it, keep it going. At my age, I figure I owe it to myself to pay my dues. I didn't really start this when I should have (back in my early 20s) but I still feel I have time left to acheive my lifelong dreams. (I realize too that many older guys probably look back at me and think I'm young, but when you start staring 40 in the face, you get motivated).

And a big thanks to all the JSF members, they are as much as source of motivation as anything.

I think the novelty of just learning how to do all of those exercises kept me motivated in the very beginning. I also really liked feeling all of my worked muscles pumped up at the end of a session, even if I couldn't lift my arms or had to hold onto a rail when climbing steps. Then after just 3-4 weeks I could actually see visual progress to go along with the "I think my muscles feel firmer!" internal progress.

Yes, the soreness sucks, but it goes away after the first week or two. I always think of my old drill sergeant barking, "Pain is just weakness leaving your body" in moments of extreme DOMS. :lol:

Now I just like lifting heavier weights than almost all of the other women at the gym because it makes me feel like a total badass. :tu:

Having been fat all my life I stumbled across jsf 6 months ago. I was so excited to see a place that would teach me how ~ step by step ~ to get the body I'd always dreamed of, how could I not pursue that body with all I was worth?

From the start for me it's been this - "If I just keep doing what I'm doing, that body will be mine". And it will be! It's just a matter of time, now.

And now I love sweating. I love feeling my blood flowing. I love feeling vigorous, alive, healthy, and able. I love the confidence. I have to stop myself from overtraining because I enjoy it so much! And with all my other work, my diet has recently become much more under my control.

Track your progress, note your achievements, push through setbacks and celebrate your victories, because that which is not celebrated is forgotten.

Take measurements every month. Chest, waist, arms flexed, thigh, calves. You'll probably notice changes on the tape before you notice them in the mirror (my experience anyway).

Take photos every month.

If you're not seeing any weight change after 3 weeks (and you intend to gain/shed weight), adjust your calories. Sometimes you have to be brutal with this. A lot of your diet is in your head - you may think you're eating a lot/little when in fact you may not be. Just weigh yourself at the same time once a week and use common sense.

Keep a photo somewhere of the physique you'd like to achieve. Look at it when you really don't feel like going to the gym.

Learn to love the aches! They'll never be as intense as when you first start working out (I miss them :cry:). They'll die down as you settle into a routine until you change things up next. Remember, pain is weakness leaving the body :bb::lol: