Falling in love with pumping iron

                     




                                           Photo by http://www.lashinda.smugmug.com/

Let me tell you about my ongoing love affair with the weight room.

To me, it is the only place – other than the cemetery – where the playing field is level.

To get results, the color of my skin doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter whether I am young or old, male or female. Political or religious affiliation is of no consequence. It doesn’t matter whether I am popular or a loner.  And money is worthless.

The only thing that matters is my effort.  How hard I work and how far I push myself – I decide. It’s my world, and I have total control. Nobody is the boss of me.

The possibility of change lives in this room. Bodies can be transformed in this room, but so can minds.

I understand that not everyone feels this way. I have talked with so many people, mostly women, who don’t feel comfortable in this room and do anything to avoid it.

There is so much equipment, but no information on how to use it. The room seems chaotic and is populated mostly by men.  And on the walls are those mirrors, reflecting your every imperfection.

You don’t have to use free weights to build muscle. Strength training machines also will do the trick.

But if you want to get over being intimidated by the weight room, you can do it with education.

Hire a fitness professional to help you navigate the weight room.  It does not have to be a long-term relationship. Instead, you can purchase two or three hour-long sessions to learn the proper techniques for core exercises and the fundamentals of strength training.

This is what I did, and it was the best money I ever spent. I purchased one hour-long session with a personal trainer to learn the best free-weight exercises for major muscle groups.

Once I mastered those exercises, I purchased another hour-long session to expand the number of exercises and my knowledge base. And I have not looked back.