[Lu]

The Kulli speaks to a friend on her phone at something like 12.30am for about an hour.
The Kulli says to this friend she would like to lift. The friend thinks 'oh cool'.
So the Kulli is happy.
The Kulli is enthusiastic and goes downstairs to mother.
Mother is asleep watching LoTR on the new 32 inch plasma screen TV. Sleeping? Waste of £600 for a TV if all you're gonna do is sleep in front of it..

Anyway. The Kulli wakes mother up and tells her she wishes to join the gym.
Mother, thinking the Kulli wishes to loose weight, enthusiastically says 'Oh yes, I'll go with you.'
The Kulli then explains to mother she wishes to do the weights more than anything else. That she wants to build muscle, not necessarily just loose body fat.
The mother still thinks this is okay.
There is a small argument about how the Kulli talks too much.
There is silence.
There is watching the ending of LoTR.

The Kulli goes to bed a very happy and enthusiastic Kulli.

So yes that's my little story. Hurrah, I have become un-shy. I knew once I let someone close to me know It'd get easier.
Anyway I called our local gym this morning, alas, no answer. So, lI'll be dragging mother there with me on Monday first thing.
I don't really want to go alone (it's that shyness thing again) but I know after a little while, I'll be able to go on my own no problem.
(The Kulli needs to grow the hell up)

I'm really happy about this. Just getting that off my mind especially to Mum has made me so much happier. It was the hardest thing to do, because my Mum is… well… very full of herself and incredibly condasending.
I was worried what she'd say.
But she's great with it.

Anyway, I don't want to have a really low amount of body fat, I just don't. I want to be buff, but not like bodybuilder buff- I want to be powerlifter buff. I know I have potential to be good at it, hell, I can already lift a lot.
But I have to remember, this is just for me.
And also, I'm going to have to sort out a plan…

But I'm really determined to do this.

[The_Pimp_NeonBlack]

To start, before any and all plans can be made, go and see your doctor to ensure that there are not any health or medical reasons that could prevent your from lifting weights or merely excising -such as heart problems, blood pressure or the kind. Also ask them for a good basic diet plan as well.
Next, visit your local gym and ask to see a personal trainer to see what option you have in training, the costs and time it would take to achieve the individual stages of your overall goal (as in: loose weight, gain strength, etc). Als ask if they have any resident powerlifters (male or female) and ask general questions about the past time to see if it is really suited to you.
Thirdly, speak of it to no one who may critise and prevent you from doing so (especially emotionally) until you are fully prepared to handle and retort their words.
That is all the advice that can be giving for now.
Best of luck to you, dear Child.
Peace
The Pimp NeonBlack

Also, this thread shall be moved to the 'training and lifting" section, where it is far more apt.

[Lu]

I suck at posting in the right section x_X
But yes, I know, I have a lot of things to do and think about…

[Amazon Lover]

Congrats, Kulli!  Considering your drawing muscle-girls and then wanting to put on some muscle yourself, I guess this would be considered "life imitating art"!  I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor!

[The_Pimp_NeonBlack]

I suck at posting in the right section x_X
But yes, I know, I have a lot of things to do and think about…

Think nothing of it, dear Child.
Merely a minor thing when compared with something so great.
What lies before is a strange, dangerous yet beautiful Path. You are brave indeed to even comtemplate treading upon it but you have many long and wonderful years ahead of you -who is so full of youth- to achieve what you wish.
Start small, become grand. That is the way of all things.
And, again, best of luck to you, my dear brave child.
Peace
The Pimp NeonBlack

[osquip]

Good work!  Getting into the gym the first time can often be the hardest step – it can be intimidating!  The next hard step will be getting in consistently.  It sounds like you have a plan, though.  And having a workout partner is a big plus (someone to bug you if you don't get in)!

Things to think about when selecting a gym –

Try to get in and look around during the time you will be going in to work out.  See if the equipment you want to use is reasonably availible (that the gym is not over crowded). Are there enough cardio machines when the gym gets crowded?

Is the equipment well maintained?  Check to see that things are clean and in general good repair.  Are the dumbells kept properly tightened, or are they loose?  Ask a few members how long it usually takes to get something fixed.

Are the changing rooms kept clean?  Toilets?  Showers?  Especially check any steam rooms, etc.  Even if you don't plan on showering at the gym, it gives you an idea of the type of maintenence they do.

Do they have a broad range of weights to choose from?  Are there enough plates around that someone can load up the leg press and not need all the 45's in the gym?  Check that there are several sets of lower-weight dumbells (you don't want just two 25 lb dumbells for the whole gym – you will always be waiting).  Its not a bad idea to check how heavy the dumbells go, also.  If they go up above 100, you can be fairly confident that the gym caters to members interested in training heavy.

Are there people in the gym with goals similar to yours (powerlifter, bodybuilder, etc)?  This can be both motivational and these can be people you can ask for pointers.

Is the gym in a safe area?  This is important to be aware of.

There are proabably some other good gym tips, but this is all I can think of at the moment.
Good luck with training!

[nsl2050]

Congratulations! You've done the most important thing, you've made a choice.

You've had some good advice from osquip, and the pimp (who is wise in many things), but I would add this:

Every time that you go to the gym, remember that you could have been sat asleep in front of LoTR. However bad you feel, and however frustrated you get at your progress or things that went wrong in your workout, remember that whatever you did was more than you would have achieved by being asleep in front of LoTR. (BTW, I'm not having a go at your mother, I was just using the example at hand).

The next thing to remember is that you're at the gym for you. Try not to get caught up in what you think other people are thinking abut you. For instance, I know an otherwise confident young woman who steadfastly refuses to touch free weights because no other women at her gym do, and she's bothered by the attention. It's mostly in her own mind, as most of the people there are just going about their own workouts, but she's let it become a problem.

One final suggestion, try not to get too hung up on results. If you constantly check yourself out, then you'll find that your weight goes up and down, you have stronger and weaker days (sometimes longer than a day), and muscle size and shape vary a fair bit. If you start to worry about these little variations, you'll lose sight of the fact that this is a long term game.

In conclusion, well done!

[Anonymous]

Congrats and becoming un-shy!!

[David]

Congratulations on starting. That's always the hardest part. And also for doing it for the right person. Yourself.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations on starting. That's always the hardest part. And also for doing it for the right person. Yourself.

I second that. YOU are the most important person, YOUR opinion is the most important, and YOUR encouragement is the most beneficial.

No matter what anyone says, as long as you believe that, they will never, ever take it away from you or make you believe otherwise.

[Author]

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