Author Archives

And 1 I’m still scared of…

As I was working out the other day, I was thinking of the areas in the gym that used to make me nervous to try…

1. The Free Weight Station

Source here

There’s something very intimidating about the free weight station at a gym… Its not necessarily the weights itself, or the display of said weights. No, its the group of people who hang around the weights… as if they own the weights and the weights are only to be used by them. Its happened before that I’ve gotten enough bravery in my stomach and picked up my little 5lbs weights and found a bench to park it at for my sets. And then it happens, a ridiculously over-muscled man comes up and looked irritated that I have his bench. Never mind that either bench on each side of me is open and free… but no, I have the exact bench that he wants. Oh the drama. Years prior, I’d probably have gotten nervous and just stopped my workout and left. Oh, but not now… I pay to use these weights too buddy, and I’m not going to be intimidated to get my workout in. Boo-Yah! I’ve come to realize that the gym is such a funny place, a resemblance of “high school” even. You know, those snotty kids that think you’re at “their table”. Oh the drama. At any rate, I’m no longer scared of the free weight station due the people around me. I’m there to get my workout done and that’s all that matters to me!

2. The Stairmaster

Ok, so first off, this thing is huge. I remember my first thought when I saw it “um, how do you get up there?… without falling?” The first time I ever attempted the stairmaster, I was 18, very overweight (and very much so aware of my size), my friend and I went to the gym for our normal treadmill workout. My friend thought it’d be a great idea to try the stairmaster this time. I hesitated, but I agreed to go along with it. What a nightmare that was… I guess when I started it I some how put it on a high speed and pretty much went flying off the machine. Embarrassed and feeling like a fool, I vowed never to get on that evil machine again. Well… years later, it was time to conquer the stairmaster. Once I got over the fear of being embarrassed again and learned how to work the machine properly, I found that it was a challenging yet rewarding cardio exercise. I enjoy adding this baby bad to my cardio routines.

And now a fear I haven’t quite faced….

3. The Gym Pool 

I mean really… I have no idea where to begin… what to do… when to go, what to wear (bathing suit, duh… but what type?!). Ya know, so much to wonder about and yet I want to take up swimming laps… maybe I need a swimming buddy? Any gym swimmers out there? What tips do you have for a newbie?

There you have it people… those are my 2 things I used to be scared of a 1 that I still kinda sorta am scared of.

What about you? Have you ever been intimidated by something at the gym? What was it?