I Lost My Strength

It’s been over two years since I joined the gym. So in an ideal world, I should have a shirtless profile picture showing off my six-pack abs. But this isn’t that world. I don’t have my abs yet. In fact, my fat composition is more or less the same from the last year. And I haven’t been able to witness significant gains in strength or flexibility either.

Well that’s mainly because one, I messed up my diet. And two, I stopped pushing my workouts further. I simply settled in for what’s comfortable, for months at length.

You know what happens when you shift back to old patterns? When you stop eating consciously, when you skip your workouts, when you do easy exercises and call it a day? Nothing. In the beginning at least. Your weight remains the same. Your shape remains the same. Your strength, stamina, flexibility, everything remains the same. But do this long enough and you will start to lose it all.

At one point, I could bench press 75kgs. That’s a lot, I thought. Then somehow, I started to lose interest. I got bored. I’d still go to the gym, but just as part of the routine. I wouldn’t enjoy, neither would I care to push myself. I’d ease myself into benching 3 sets of 40kgs.

I thought I could always go back to lifting heavier weights, so for now, just let it be. That stretched to a few months. Then one day, I tried lifting fifty and it felt super heavy. My brain couldn’t register that. 50kgs was quite effortless earlier, so why the sudden gravity pull?

No, I could lift heavier than that! I put two more plates and here it was — a sixty kilogram barbell landing on my chest, leaving me powerless and screaming for help. That wasn’t a good feeling.

Same with pull-ups and push-ups, same with leg-press, squats and deadlift, same with yoga too. I had lost my strength and flexibility.

This was three weeks ago when I started to pull myself back. I accepted the new reality and started lifting the weights that were a tiny bit heavier than what I could comfortably lift. You know, the standard gym rule.

And in just three weeks time, I am once again close my peak strength. In some cases, I’m even hitting new PRs — 58 push-ups in under a minute; elbow lever (after a year full of efforts); easy head stand for a minute and a half.

What I learned in this past month is a very simple lesson in consistency — do something long enough and you get what you deserve. Whether it’s lifting heavier and heavier weights or consistently staying under the limit, you will notice a drastic change in the long run.

So don’t be me. Keep up with your eating habits and keep testing your limits once in a while. It’ll help you retain what I lost.

I wonder how many of my readers actually exercise or care for what they eat. Let me know if you’re one of those by replying to this email or commenting on the website.

I’ll see you in the next one!
Aachman