Not being a diabetic scooter-driving hambeast is nowhere in the same realm of the strength training Elurin does. The people you're describing could solve/prevent a lot of their problems with a healthy dose cardio that he hates. Please don't confuse exercise for health reasons, which I totally support, and exercise for cosmetic reasons. Note, cardio and strength can fall in both categories depending on context.
I felt sorry for guys packed into gyms trying to look like how Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger said they should.
No, you're absolutely correct. I take it a lot more seriously than other people, and I think your comments from before about what I put myself through demonstrates that. I'd say a lot of my dedication is diet related, however. The bulk of the time I spend to obtain my ideal is spent eating. Like I said to Jysin, it doesn't take a lot of time in the gym to do it (although, his situation is different since I didn't realize he was in the Middle East). I go 4 days a week, around an hour per day, although that's slowly sneaking up to 90 minutes (and that's mostly trying to get in as much as I can before I cut and lose strength). But even so, that's only 4-6 hours PER WEEK that I actually spend in the gym.
My "rehabilitation" weeks are something most people who lift should do. They're normally called deload weeks, and it's to give your body (and mostly nervous system) a chance to rest. I
havehad lots of injuries in the past, but to be honest, I've been pretty well off this past year. I've had nagging injuries, but for the most part nothing that's kept me out of the gym for very long. And none since the summer. I think a lot of it was poor form, or going harder than I should have. Now that I have a better understanding of my body, these types of injuries should be less common for me.
Last bit about me. If we're being honest, I'd say that my current attitude is based on my teenage years. As I said before, I was always a small guy. I was 130-135 pounds (at 5'10") from 20-25. I'd imagine in high school I was even smaller. So I've probably got some fucked up viewpoints from growing up about being the small guy. I remember being in Iraq at 20 (and 22-24) and having people come up to me and ask if my mom knew I was there (and keep in mind I was married for my last 2 deployments). That shit eventually has to warp your sense of yourself. So I'd say it's probably from that where I decided to change myself. And now, while I look like I lift more than 95% of the population, I still feel small. Who knows if my body dysmorphic issues ever really go away.
Anyway, for you, Crossfit might be the answer. It provides a good community to motivate you to go every week. It's also quick on the achievement of gains. It'll get you looking decent, but it's not enough for someone like me. I posted a link in the Crossfit thread that kind of details the postives and negatives of Crossfit. As long as you don't push yourself to injury (or allow the coaches to), it's a very good program to get into (although, expensive). And if you decide you want more, it's a very good platform to get into regular lifting.
CrossFit: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
