Starting is the most difficult step in strength building and probably the major reason why you can’t gain weight. Humanity as a whole gravitates towards what is easy. This is nature’s way of conserving our energy and perpetuating survival in the most efficient manner possible.
10,000 years ago defaulting to easy might have been fine, but in our modern world of convenience the easy way often circumvents our well being, negating any positive aspect this instinctive approach once had. Once you’ve transcended the desire to do as little as possible life becomes considerably more fulfilling and gaining muscle mass becomes that one bit more achievable.
- Formulate a burning desire. Ask yourself: what result would make it impossible for me to give into what is easy? Let yourself think big, releasing yourself from the shackles of a purposeless existence and create a desire that will push you past any of the impending psychological resistance.
- Clarify measurable metrics. For me, my weight is the most important metric to track. Having bulging muscles is less important to me than shedding the extremely underweight look I have going on. Determine the most important metric (or metrics – but I feel just tracking one provides the greatest focus) and use a tool like Skinnyr or Daytum to monitor your progress.
- Determine the first step. What is the first thing you need to do? Write down this step, and then go do it. Avoid trying to map out the entire strength building process or bamboozling yourself with mountains of choice. Lay one brick at a time. Consider starting your strength building journey by picking up a pull up bar that locks into a door frame; that worked well for me.
- Just do something. Don’t over think the first step, or the next step, or any step really. Approach every part of the strength building process without pre-conceived notions that could inflate the difficulty of the task at hand. Ease the pressure and enjoy yourself.
- Avoid endless contemplation. As a book worm it’s tempting to read more than do. Now, education has it’s place and I never plan to sacrifice my love of the written word, but action is where progress is made, and where your focus needs to shift to. Be mindful of the fact that reading another book won’t provide you with “the secret of strength building success” or anything of that nature.
- Simplify, simplify, simplify. When I first chose to commit to muscle building all I did for about 2-3 months was pull ups. This is not a balance, or long lasting approach to fitness, but it got me on the right path. Don’t assume you have to adopt a huge, daunting routine straight away (or even ever). Break the process down to its bare essentials and extract the exercises and approaches that work for you now.
- Isolate resistance. Get out a pen and paper and write down what is holding you back from building strength. Are you unable to afford the necessary equipment? Are you embarrassed to go to a gym? Does eating enough food to gain weight seem impossible? Once resistance is identified you’re able to logically and pragmatically work past these roadblocks. There are always answers; most people simply fail to identify the questions.
