A few things that ‘surprised’ me about resistance training

Lifestyle

Feb 8

Written By Livia

My fitness regimen has been changing alongside my evolving lifestyle. As I've gotten older, life got busier and I haven't always been prioritising movement as I probably should have.

Here’s how my fitness journey evolved:

up to 18 yrs - dancing 3 times a week for 3 hours on average.Essentially a lot, lot cardio - now I look back at it, it was almost excessive, with a non-existent recovery mode. Well, young body adapts and recovers on its own. Dancing helped me stay fit, retain a good posture as well as mental health - when you dance, you completely dive into it. You simply don’t have any brainspace left to think about anything else. You pay attention to form, your own movement, choreography as well as your partner and the performance itself. It’s a unique combination of those little things that make it healthy and quite sustainable. However, I wish that someone told me I should start lifting weights as well…
18-23 yrs - as I moved out on my own to study at a university, I wanted to keep up with dancing and joined a dancing group. After a couple of months, this simply didn’t go hand in hand with school and 2 part-time jobs. If I wanted to incorporate movement, it had to fit into my schedule, not the opposite. So I occasionally went for a jog and added swimming.
23-29 yrs - workout routine was pretty much non-existent as I moved abroad. On the other hand, I always walked a lot in order to get familiar with new cities. Occasional at-home workout. Things like yoga, Jillian Michaels 30 day shred or random HIIT here and there.
29-31yrs - managed to get in two months of pilates reformer classes, which I LOVED. It’s like yoga but you get stronger far quicker. And then the pandemic hit. Gained a kg or two trying to just exist and stay sane. Semi-consistent at home workout with lighter weights.
31yrs - now - I finally got into a comfortable position of having flexibility and a gym in less than a 15 min walking distance. Working out with a PT about 2 times a week on average + on my own. Altogether, I try do to 3 workouts/week depending on my recovery/state of health.

I'm in my 4th month of a relatively regular resistance training routine - these are my insights so far:

I’ve read and studied the mechanism of gaining muscle before but it’s a completely different perspective if you’re experiencing it yourself(!) :)

exercise is addictive - in a good way. After a couple of days after workout or during holidays, I start to feel the void and need fit in a movement.
Working out regularly is actually about existing in a semi-constant pain. The muscles are sore for at least two days. On the third day, it’s usually time for the next workout. 😅
My most substantial realization - you need fuel and energy to actually perform a work out. That energy doesn’t come from your fat cells exclusively. You need fuel.
Being hungry after eating a ‘usual standard size' of meal. Increased hunger in general. Getting used to a new volume of food (proteins).
Especially when starting out - resistance training is not exclusively about weight lifting. Body weight exercises are extremely efficient too.
I knew my arms weren’t strong, but even after a couple of months, there’s still a significant discrepancy between my legs, core and upper body strength - long story short, I wouldn’t be able to work out properly without the guidance of a personal trainer.

What’s your experience with working out? Keen to hear your thoughts in the comments. :)