Is it better to start now or learn the basics first before jumping in? ETT talks a lot about taking the leap and trying new things, but often times, it’s wise to do your research for better initial results.
I’ve been in the gym every day for 54 days straight. I’ve seen a lot of people in there doing a lot of different exercises. A small part of me winces every time I see a teenager in there lifting a weight that’s clearly too heavy. On the one hand, it’s awesome that they’re starting their fitness journey, but on the other, it freaks me out when they lift because I fear they’ll hurt themselves.
Something like lifting weights seems simple enough – pick up weight, move it in specific way, get tired. Now having been going to the gym for years, fucking up a lot of exercises, learning techniques, and sticking with it, I realize how important it is to go into this journey well prepared. If you go in with no knowledge, you’re gonna do things incorrectly and while you may see results, you’re also more likely to get hurt.
If you’re doing an exercise and swinging the weight up and not controlling it on the way down, it’s not optimal. You incorporate way to many other muscles and tendons and put unnecessary strain on your body. You don’t want to start your journey with injuries because you’ll believe it’s not for you.
I’m a strong proponent of doing your research before you start anything. Learn a bunch about the basics of anything new through Youtube videos, blogs, tik toks, and people with experience. No one expects you to know what’s correct right from the start, so look into it.
Like I’ve said in the past, there’s a point in time when you do have to start though. You can’t go on researching and never take action. You will still fuck up when you get going, but that’s ok. You should know roughly what you’re doing wrong and be able to come up with steps to do it right. So if you do an exercise and it feels off, look it up, watch the form, lower the weight, and try again.
No one is judging you. Ok I guess I said I kinda am at the gym, but I do it out of hope that you’ll learn to not ego lift. It is ok to fail as long as you make an effort to get better. With a lot of things, you have to start from the very first stage, like the lowest weight on the stack. If that’s what you can lift with perfect form, who cares what someone else is lifting?
So if you want to start, do some research. Don’t go in blind and hope it works out perfectly because it probably won’t. It’s better to be prepared than to make a huge mistake and even potentially hurt yourself. So look shit up, watch closely, try, and reevaluate. Start on the right foot and build your way up.
October 16, 2024
