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[qpop]

Hi guys.

Discovered this site last week and it spoke to me in ways that I haven't been spoken to since discovering stronglifts some time ago.

I am so badly in need of some inspiration / encouragement it's unreal. Here's a story for you all:

I've not got along with sport / fitness since being a little kid. I'm 6'3 and have been since I was about 12. I hated sport at school, took up smoking at 16, and basically did very little. I was a fat kid, but lost a whole ton of weight at 14 when I decided I'd just eat toast and do Tae Kwon Do. Then that fell out of favour and I became a fat teenager. I was around 16st(224lb) between 16 and 21, at 21 I hit 16st7lb (231lb) and decided enough was enough. This was 2010.

I quit smoking (best decision I've ever made) and took up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) - probably one of the toughest combat sports in terms of strength/endurance. I was training 4x / week for 3 hours a session, and dropped to sub 200lb for the first time since I was about 14. But most importantly I was getting strong! - my whole life revolved around training (much to my gfs disappointment).

After nine months I found out I needed to move 100miles away for a new job. Had a small falling out with the guy who ran the BJJ gym over money and had to find something to fill the gap. My friend and I started doing stronglifts and in three months I went from having never done a squat or deadlift before to deadlifting 120kg and squatting 100kg, 3x5 and 5x5 reps, respectively. It was amazing. But he emigrated (to Canada) and I moved to Leicester. Fail!

Since then, in the last 4 months, I've done nothing. My job is 95% desk, I have to drive to work (I always walked before), I have no friends in this new city and no immediate prospects to make any, my girlfriend (who isn't overweight or anything) moved with me, and has more interest in the telly than in going for a run. And to top it off there are no decent gyms anywhere near my new flat. And nowhere to train!

I really want to start lifting again, but I tried the nerdfitness beginners workout and couldn't even manage 2 bodyweight sets. I've got no one to go to the gym with and no gym to go to.

I've just discovered there are 2 spit 'n sawdust type bodybuilding gyms within five minutes walk of my work, and I'm trying to steel up the courage to go talk to them (imagine, 22 year old guy in suit goes and talks to a bunch of powerlifters...hmmm)

So, I'm stuck. I've decided to try and do the bodyweight thing x3 a week and ease back into things, I'm trying to eat 2/3rds paleo (breakfast/lunch) - dinner I struggle with (gf hates veg! lol)

I weigh ~220lbs as it stands, which for my height/build doesn't make me particularly overweight, but I feel listless, lethargic, pointless.

Any words of wisdom gratefully received

[The Purple Diane]

Hi qpop! You've taken the first step, which is to get up and get started.

If you haven't done so already, I'd recommend reading the old blog entries here for inspiration and workout ideas.

For example, you don't need a gym to work out -

http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/12/20/the-20-minute-hotel-workout/

http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

Also, remember, everybody has to start somewhere. Do what you can. If all you can do is one bodyweight set, do that. On your next workout, do just a tiny bit more. Write it all down, so you can see how you are improving over time.

Good luck! Let us know how you do.