What has been the most rewarding part of your fitness journey?
So to give some background! I started training for American ninja warrior 3 months ago. I started out being able to do almost no obstacles other than the monkey bars. Well fast forward to now and I feel amazing. I can do several obstacles and I actually look and feel strong! For the first time ever I could actually see and feel how strong my core is too which is awesome! As normally it was always just a lair of fat!
Definitely self-confidence and now knowing what i am capable of when i put on consistency and right efforts into my goal.
i have yet to learn knowing when to rest.
My trick is to test my resting heart rate. Mine is normally 50 to 53. If it is 60 to to 65 I know I need to rest so it returns to normal. I don’t know if that is legit or not though.
mine is when it hurts. i know its not good. such is addiction in my case.
I feel this. Been plagued with a whole host of eating disorders for the last 8ish years. Exercise addiction was one. I finally pushed myself too hard and got so injured I couldn’t do much of anything for a year.
Be careful with yourself.
i have yet to learn knowing when to rest.
If you learn the hard way a few times I guarantee you'll figure out when to back off and rest eventually. For me it was just a matter of working out for long enough to know how to interpret what my body was trying to tell me and what would happen to me if I didn't listen.
Try to remember that rest will only help you so long as you continue to work out over the long-term. If you get stir crazy and don't want to completely rest and do nothing to work out it doesn't hurt to go easier sometimes. You need to know how to pace yourself based on how your body feels and I think that only comes with time and experience. You'll figure it out eventually.
Going from dreading workouts to looking forward to them.
Stopping by my pull-up bar to crank out a couple outside of workouts, just because it feels good.
Also, more looks from girlz. :)
Going from dreading workouts to looking forward to them.
I emphatically agree. I've never liked lifting weights. I could never last more than 1 or 2 years every time I've tried lifting. Once I gave up lifting and tried calisthenics I actually loved working out and I've been doing it to stay in shape for nearly 4 years.
It's such a joy to find something you really like doing for strength training or cardio. If you can figure that out you'll be set for the rest of your life.
This, I've gone from 21 and a half stone to 15 stone 10 pounds and I go out now and girls are constantly flirting with me. Really weird as I still consider myself a fat fuck lol. Love the fact I can actually do pull ups and chin ups now when I never could before
It’s a bit silly, but....
Back when I was doing them quite a bit, I could do box jumps at a pretty decent height...people at the gym would always stop and watch and/or complement me, and it always made me feel pretty great and motivated me to get better at my other workouts
It's a funny feedback loop. People are watching because you're working hard, and you feel like you gotta work really hard because people are watching.
I still feel intimidated in a club, nobody gives a fuck I look little bit bigger than them :D
To me, having more muscle mass fills out your frame which makes for a "masculine" look under the shirt, especially with a good weight to shoulder ratio. You can't be sure that no one gives a fuck about that :D
well I guess, thats just my experience but also I am only 5'8. I have more than wide enough back but overall I am not that big because of my height. but anyone can check my pics in the physique thread, maybe if I was fatter I would appear big enough :D and behind a bar I feel invisible cause I get ignored. not a big deal just my observation
I can order clothes and generally, they’ll probably fit and look fine. I’m not trying to hide anything now, the canvas for the clothes is... perfect really... instead of the clothes trying to hide my rolls and pudge.
I can order clothes and generally, they’ll probably fit and look fine.
I've ran in the opposite problem. Being only 5'7, I need slim fit shirts, but they're usually not tailored to someone with my shoulders and back, so they're tight as hell.
Buy a size larger and have them tailored at an alterations shop. I know it's an added cost, but if you're talking about button-up shirts it may be worth it.
It's fine, I have a few that fit me for several occasions, and I work in IT, so I'm not expected to dress nicely for my job.
Being able to take my shirt off at the beach and not having to feel shy. Being able to feel the opposite.
Oh snap this has been my goal this whole time. I'm almost there!
Ayyy same I like taking my shirt off more and more as I get better.
When I started running 2 years ago, I couldn’t go for longer than 60 seconds without having to stop. I recently ran 55 minutes without stopping.
I only started running recently after a while of not exercising. I went from only being able to run for 2 mins to like 15 in a few weeks which I count as decent progress!
Fuck yeah! That happened to me this summer and it feels incredible
this is exactly where i’m at too!! it’s amazing, and good for you for keeping up the work
Congratz, man. It's a great feeling. Honestly, the most motivating thing.
I started my fitness journey three months ago. For warm-up I've been running on the treadmill. I had a lousy 14-15 minute mile when I started, alternating walking and running. Now I am down to a 10 minute mile without walking. It's the greatest feeling ever, especially because I've never been fit.
I love that there are others who experience the same.
Bless you. My uncle got stage 4 lung cancer. He's such a fighter. You're amazing
The first result in google when you type in “fitness cures cancer” is a literal study from Harvard talking about exercise used in cancer treatment regiments. .........
So (and this isn’t an Edit): Fuck you you cynical, uninformed monkey.
It was absolutely a critical component, regardless of your ignorance. :)
Edit - I am genuinely sad and sorry for your narrow view on things. What a miserable way to navigate this world. Wish you all the best.
I'm honestly quite surprised you're getting downvoted. I know this sub is for people passionate about fitness, but to claim that fitness cured someone's cancer is a little extreme.
Haha anyone who reads it as being the one thing that cured it is a fool :) Frankly my amazing medical team and a drug called Rituxan was the magic combo. Exercise was a critical component, but only one tool of many in the toolbox!
Anything is possible, ask any doctor.
Read into freak accident stories. There’s one of a girl dying (I think she had some malfunctioning liver that would eventually kill her), and she fell about 20 feet onto her head and somehow lived. The following week, she noticed that her symptoms were disappearing, and then a checkup from the doctor showed that she was cured from an “incurable” disease. Truly amazing, and something we cannot understand.
Edit: To anyone downvoting me, look up Miracles from Heaven. It’s a true story.
20.0 feet ≈ 6.1 metres 1 foot ≈ 0.3m
I'm a bot. Downvote to remove.
Yeah, as a medical professional I highly doubt that actually happened.
The feeling of crushing your enemies. Seeing them driven before you...And hearing the lamentation of the women.
Reading all of these comments is truly awesome! When people call me a workout freak, I always say I do what I enjoy and I see it as a part of life not a hobby.
I see working out as a hobby, hobbies are things you enjoy in life!
Proof that I can do anything if i really devote myself to it. I've always been a lazy person that loses interest fast in anything i do. The 40lbs lost and 6-pack is just icing on the cake :)
Feeling healthy overall, the doctor did not find anything wrong when I did my annual physical exam the other month.
I was 110kg 4 years ago and I've been maintaining my weight of 80-85kgs for 2 years.
Those are definitely hard lol.. so props to u!
I hope that my post along with all of the comments inspire people to keep pushing forward! I know many times during my training I wanted to give up because it was hard and irritating when I couldn’t do something and than I know deep downside how badly I want to achieve my goal and I know next time I will do better!
Thank you for making this post. I have had more than a couple false starts with exercising for over a year now. At one point I get so fed up of myself that I forget the inspiration and motivation I had to begin with. This thread surely has a lot more inspiration than I need to begin. I hope this time I will start and never stop exercising.
I love everything about handstands
It’s one of those things that’s both confidence building and humbling. I’ve come so far, but there is still so much untapped territory.
I’ve learned so much about my body, and it looks awesome and makes me feel good.
just saying: watch your form and warm up.
i love handstands as well, but couldn't do them for the past few months because i neglected my warm up and damaged my wrist. sucks very big time. not just for handstands, but because it restricts me in basically every other exercise which involves my hands as well... don't do the same mistake i did
honestly i don't follow a set routine, but this video contains everything i do.
i usually start every workout with a 20 min jog, after that i stretch myself very thoroughly and implement the wrist warmup into it.
Applying the discipline I’ve learned to every aspect of my life. The main lessons constancy and hard work, can change your life!
definitely this.
close second is I can't fully cover-wrap my forearms with my thumb and middlefinger anymore, God was I skinny back then.
While I still have a ways to go, I've started getting unsolicited remarks from acquaintances about my weight loss, which is always a great reinforcement to keep doing what I am. I'm 30 pounds down so far, and it hasn't felt like I'm punishing or denying myself anything. Just better eating habits and consistent exercise. The change over the last 4 months has been a lot of fun for me, and I'm excited to work on the last 20.
I was a sad sack in July and looked the part. I was sedentary, miserable, and insular. Now I fit back into some clothes I had written off, feel a ton better, and am seeking out new physical activities that I never would have felt ready for before. I've picked up salsa dancing the last few weeks and it's even more motivation to get into great shape!
I had given up on myself (lower back pain made life not really worthwhile).
~8 months of gradual yoga/pilates type exercises, and I'm right again (more or less).
Now, I'd just like to encourage young people (well, all people) to keep moving.
I'm in good shape at 35 and was banging a 20 year old girl all summer
I started out not even being able to do 1 push up a year ago and now I'm in striking distance of the flag with straddle legs!
Just being able to do things that I could do 30 years ago (not as fast or as long though).
Also, people look at me differently, and treat me differently. It shouldn't be that way but it is. But the most fun experience was that time I was doing headstands while waiting for the yoga instructor and from across the room I hear a middle aged lady say "at least we have something nice to look at while we wait".
Two things:
Running up a flight of stairs because I was in a hurry and realizing I really enjoyed being able to fly from step to step instead of viewing it as an obstacle to overcome.
My first pull-up! I had just been trying to get on the pull-up bar that my labmate set up in my lab office space and do ANYTHING whenever my labmate did his sets. I didn't know whether I'd ever get there because there's an expectation that pull-ups are really hard for women. I surprised myself so much when I got there, and even now when I do them I'm filled with wonder at what my body can do. I know pull-ups aren't the flashiest bodyweight move, but they really help me feel strong!
I used to do this...now I can’t. Just reading this was motivating. Thanks!
Yes, they’re perfect. Will take me some time, but I’ll take your word for it ☺️
My new year's resolution for 2018 was to work out consistently, even if it meant starting with just 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week. I have since lost 5 kilos of fat and gained 2 kilos of muscle, and I only want to keep on going and feeling even better. I can see the visible changes in my posture, stamina and overall opinion of my outer appearance. It all contributes to the sense of confidence I constantly feel now. Who said hard work doesn't get you anywhere?
I bought some t-shirts that were too small for me with the goal of wearing them when I lost weight, recently found them again and they're massive on me, so I use them to exercise in now.
My right ankle has always given me problems. I've lost quite a bit of weight and now it doesn't give me any aches or pains at all. Always thought I'd live with this chronic pain but all I needed was a little weight off to get rid of it. Highly recommend
Fitness is like a best friend to me. I spend time with it and love. It mainly help my mental health and body image issues. It helped my anexity and my depressed moods. Also l use to get sick on purpose because I thought I was fat, but really I'm 5'7 and 141lbs. Also I was in 9th grade when happened and once in tenth. It was an on and off thing.
For me the most rewarding part of my journey through calisthenics has been my enjoyment of working out this way. I finally found something for strength training that I'll stick with long-term and actually enjoy.
I've lifted weights here and there over the years, but could never stick with it longer than 1 or 2 years each time. I'd then do nothing at all apart from cardio.
Calisthenics allows me to truly enjoy myself in the moment while I'm working out without being distracted by adjusting weight plates on dumbbells and barbells. I like calisthenics enough that I don't even listen to music when I exercise. I always needed music to get me through my workouts when I lifted weights, which I now realize was my way of distracting myself from the aspects of weight lifting that I didn't really like.
I've been doing calisthenics/bodyweight training to keep myself in shape for nearly 4 years now. I'm not super advanced or anything; to me this is just a fun, simple way of staying physically fit to keep some muscle on me and not be a weakling.
I'm not trying to get super strong or pack on a lot of muscle mass. I'm just a dude who likes working out to stay fit and it's so nice to finally really like the entire process enough to keep up with it.
having more muscle mass, I can have way more fat, eat way more and still look better. even at similar bodyfat percentage my abs lost definition but I still have veins on my biceps and shoulders :D when pumped ofc..
Just the monkey bars man! After the first 5-6 months of exercise, I was at a park hanging with some friends after a smoke session and I swung on those monkey bars like there was no tomorrow! I'm still bad at pull ups, but I could do simple movements so easily and did them for so long!
Also my physique. I'm not like most, I follow strongman and want that body type because I value function over appearance, so my core recently starting looking a little more filled in and I love it.
I started in a totally different position. I barely moved at all, got fat, didn't like not moving and being fat, and started exercising.
It's the little things that make me happy. Not sweating when i changed the tires on my car a few days ago, being able to carry all my groceries into my flat without having a heart attack, being more energetic and in a better mood overall , and not being as fat as i used to be. Still working on the not being fat part.
Confidence, health and being able to flex on my brother that I can do a wall handstand pushup and he can't 👌
Confidence, and getting toned.
On the exercises themselves, things like being able to do pull-ups and hang-ups comfortably, getting 6 on the Coopertest (3km in 12 min), doubling my bench press, doing dips comfortably etc.
I was an out of shape powerlifter for a long time... convincing myself that since I was super strong it was ok that I was a bit overweight and had 0 stamina. I started doing BJJ classes and realized that my strength was useless and my heart and lungs sucked. I couldnt roll for more than a minute without gasping. My discs were constantly herniated from heavy lifting as well. I decided it was time to stop and focus on BW workouts and weight loss.
The most rewarding part has been being able to hold my own in BJJ, and finally run 5Ks without dying :)
The ridiculous highs I get during a great workout and the stress relief that comes with it
Visible abs. I cried the the first time I flexed my 6 pack.
Showing up at the body weight gym on South Beach and being able to show off a bit for the tourists. ; )
Thought there were some people there that put me to shame skill-wise. Also, highly recommend going there if you are in Miami (Beach)
I used to suffer severe blackouts when I standed up too quickly because I'm too tall, I started practicing Kung Fu just to "see how it was" and here I am 2 years later, a better body shape and no more dizzy tv shutting down and numbness when I stand up!
Also flying kicks, those are great haha.
After 3 years of trial of error finally feeling like I know my body so that I can gauge what are best ways to progress, manipulate workouts and deload specific bodypart, based on inflammation so that I can avoid injury totally. And of course knowing how much my body can handle without injuring myself.
Feeling warmer in the winter from cardio and also how much easier pull ups feel compared to a few months ago when i could just about do one and then wouldnt be able to do one again til like 2 days later
Mental equalization.
I workout too feel good about myself physically, but it keeps me mentally level.
I stress less, enjoy life more and feel sane, like I can start my day after I have got a good lift or even just a good pump in.
It’s tough to beat putting some earbuds in and just forgetting about all your relationship, job, and money stresses with a nice sweat.
When after the workout you put on your shirt and it just slides over you without any ...obstacle in the way.
The outcome, every time I see a new muscle develop or a weight go up or a rep go up. That is rewarding and when people notice how hard you’ve worked just fills me with pride and confidence
the part when i was no longer super sore from each workout.
when i started, everything hurt, even from the most basic pilates exercises. it was pretty hard to keep up the motivation back then.
The extra energy. I guess it would be normal energy. I no longer need a nap after work - it's fantastic.
Seconding a lot of others: confidence. Just knowing I can do so many things that would have previously made me a little scared. Trail running, caving, lifting... Such a positive feedback loop with exercise. The more you do, the more you want to do. Then of course having people tell me how hot/fit I look is just such a mental boost. And I came from being completely unable to keep up with the group on short hikes, or getting completely winded on otherwise innocuous things.
I can finally see my dick. much better than fumbling around with some little nub under a mountain of fat, and then having to try to wipe the underside of that fat belly clean.
Having other people come to me for help with their workouts, and realizing I have the knowledge and ability to give it to them.
While I am still self-conscious, being self-reliant feels much more.. fitting to someone like me. Still, while feeling wanted is something I am not used to, it is still flattering. 😅
Also, being flexible is fun.
I’ve been strength training for the last 2 months. My boyfriend has been going with me on and off. This past week I got the courage to try and do deadlifts with 45s on each side. I didn’t perfect the form but I’m so close, I can taste it. My boyfriend is only a few pounds ahead. I know it doesn’t seem much but as a 5ft gal with no prior fitness, it feels AMAZING.
From not being able to climb a 5m long rope to being able to go up and down legless.
Looking better in my clothes. I can wear a lot more of my favorite types of clothes and still look good in it. Also, I see myself naked and think "good for you!"
Knowing I'll be in public in a bathing suit and feel confident is worth all the sweat and diet changes. Plus I feel better in my body. It's a strong little powerhouse. I'm nimble.
Honestly I just feel more like a beast as I advance. (Even if I can just do one more pull-up)
859k
Subscribers
908
Reading the FAQ
Bodyweightfitness is for redditors who like to use their own body to train, from the simple pullups, pushups, and squats to the advanced bodyweight movements like the planche, one arm chin-ups, or single leg squats. Start your fitness journey with our Recommended Routine and wiki.
Please read our official FAQ before creating new posts or use the Daily Discussion threads
Check out our /r/BWF Wiki
Try the Recommended Routine (or RR)
126,599 subscribers
10,833 subscribers
42,252 subscribers
1,126,516 subscribers
184,912 subscribers