The Born Fitness Approach to Health and Fitness

I lost my ability to breathe, then suddenly panicked.

My mind kept telling me to push, but my arms would not move. I wondered if that was what the trainers meant when warning me about their extreme programs which could lead to "death by barbell".

These are the thoughts you have when you're trapped under your bench press, the cold iron pressing against your throat like a guillotine. In desperation, I gasped for air and was overcome with embarrassment.

My hero ran in one direction. Although I didn't know his name, he took the weight off my head and seized it without any introduction. I leapt up, exasperated and relieved at my Neo-like reincarnation and thanked my savior, for his incredible feat of strength. He laughed, checked I was okay, and then left me with words that I will never forget.

"Probably didn’t think you needed to have a spotter, right?

I glanced down at the bar. I sat down on one side and weighed only 10 pounds.

It was official. My 65-pound bench press found a way to embarrass me completely.

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Start from Scratch

The bench press incident, let's call it BPI for short, wasn't an isolated one. I was a freshman at college and was heading to the rec centre to train early in the morning.

It was not because of my schedule. I tried to get there when nobody was there. Let me tell you, you don't need distractions at the gym if you are looking for peace and quiet. Cemeteries are alive.

Because I was embarrassed, I wanted to be alone. I was weak. I was small and slender. I didn't know what I was doing. I knew a girl who could shoulder press twice as hard as me, so I had no choice but to plan around her visits. I was used to struggling in the gym.

Growing up, I was obese. And I'm not talking about little-boy-that-can't-shed-his-baby-weight. I was overweight. Junior high was my worst year. Boys in the locker room believed I had the largest breasts of any girl in school.

A Lesson in Failure

I would love to imagine that I found Mr. Miyagi after BPI and that everything was instantly better. This would be a disservice to real life and human nature.

Life doesn't happen in montages. (Although it would still be amazing if it did.

My approach to fitness has been a mess.

I did not take any instruction when lifting weights and didn't have the time to coach. I was a pushy person who only made it worse. I avoided all dietary oils. Then, I avoided all carbs. And to top it all, I consumed hundreds...and hundreds...and hundreds of grams of protein. I also made several of my girlfriends go through the "assof fire years." (My deepest apologies.

I believed supplements were bad and so I stopped taking them. In an effort to get bigger and more lean, I tried every legal supplement.

I bulked. I cut. I ran. I also swam. I practiced yoga. I also lifted weights, both large (eventually), and small. I did high reps and low reps. I also did Tabatas and Tae-Bo.

I have tried all types of HIIT training, low intensity cardio and kettlebell exercises. I have tried ab machines and shake weight. To impress a girl, I used pink dumbbells once. It didn't work, to no one's surprise.