Sticking with the plan!

At first I was super excited about a new training plan.  I modified my schedule, I have consciously eaten better, and I got my ass back to the gym with the best of intentions...

But what I didn't prepare for was all the garbage in my brain and all my petty insecurities that would almost sabotage my plan...almost. 

Petty Insecurities:

Can I Please Stick My Ass In Your Face?

Doing things like Hanging Knees-to-Elbows in a busy gym requires space.  And at peak times there is no privacy at all considering the only chin-up bar is smack dab in the middle of the busy cable rack.  So the unavoidable fact that if I want to do this exercise I will have to stick my ass in someone's face can be quite a big deterrent to sticking to the plan.  And just like that I chose to substitute that particular exercise for something else I considered to be very similar.  (At least I didn't skip it all together right?)  Plus - I don't want to be the one to fart and someone hear either! :)

Don't Want to Look Like A Sissy

Dips & Pull-ups - I'm a sissy when it comes to these.  I have high hopes Ill get better but until then...my feeble attempts at them leave me more embarrassed than proud of the meager accomplishment I  might have achieved that day. So what is the best way to avoid looking like a sissy?  Substitute for something I know is similar but that I can at least complete.  

This Looks Kinda Kinky

Foam Rollers - or in my case a Medicine Ball - are great tools to help massage your muscles before and after a workout so I am told.  So its a big part of my plan right now considering I'm very tense and not at all flexible.  I accept this. But I can only imagine what it looks like to a onlooker across the gym...me, wiggling around on a med ball with a rather distorted look on my face.  And then I turn around on it and you cant see my face...just my body gyrating over this ball.  Any gym-smart person would know what the hell is going on...but in a male dominated facility one can only imagine what comments could be passed around about the chick that spends more time on the med ball then the weights.  

I Never Even Sweat

For just under an hour and a half I am in the weight area.  Of that time close to (if not more than) 30minutes is spent stretching and rolling my body out with a foam roller (molesting).  So that least just shy of an hour for the weights.  With rest periods and water breaks and waiting on free equipment...this leads to a lot of standing around.  Not only do I not really sweat in this phase of the plan but I seriously wonder if anyone in there for the same time period of me criticizes my lack of activity.  All I wanted to do was add a few more sets or add abs or walk into the cardio studio...But I didn't!

The thing is - whatever one may be doing in the gym we all have a right to be there.  Why do I care so much about what others might think of me there when they don't even know me?  Its probably because I know how critical I am of others so therefore I can only assume I can be the blunt of criticism too. Perhaps I need to focus on some mental strategies and thoughts for when my mind begins to wander or jump to conclusions.

Insecurities aside...the plan is designed for a reason.  Period.  And my trainer went through time and effort to put that together, instruct me on it, and build it up for the next phase.  And to break away from that or to substitute anything on that would be disrespectful and distrusting of the process.  I will admit it is hard not to go outside of that plan but I can offer a few pieces of advice if you are going through the same thing:

1)  Talk to your trainer - let them know your challenges (one chin-up bar in a busy place/insecurities) and see if they can offer their own substitutions.  Or perhaps they will tell you why NOT to do substitutions.

2)  Ask your trainer - ask them lots of questions about WHY the plan is as it is right now, about WHY they designed it that way, and WHERE it will go from here.  Instead of disrespecting their efforts - find out what their intentions are with each phase.  

3)  Confide in your trainer - tell them what works and what doesn't, tell them what insecurities you have, laugh with them about your silly antics, and tell them how things make you feel.  They designed the program based on training science but it doesn't mean a little human compassion can't be worked in. 

4)  Commit  - You requested this plan for a reason.  You probably even set some goals.  So put some trust in the process, commit yourself to following it, and allow it to prove its effectiveness.  The plan can only be as good as the person executing it.  

So here I am - with only a few substitutions this week and having talked to my trainer about them and all my other insecurities - I will be back on plan for next week.  I do have to admit though - part of all of this is just going to have to come down to the good ol' "SUCK IT UP" advice.  Just do it.  

My plan was built around safety and flexibility development as well as strength building.  I don't know where we are going for phase 2 - but right now I am only in week 1!  I need to focus on doing the best that I can possibly do in this phase and accomplishing what my trainer hopes I will with the plan he gave me.  I need to deal with my insecurities on my own and build my confidence so that when I am at the gym I am there to work not mentally battle myself and cower.  

The best advice my trainer gave me when I informed him of my insecurities and of my modifications to my plan is this: 

" You are there to TRAIN.  Most are there to WORKOUT.  There is a big difference. "