I’m guessing for everyone, the first time you walk into a gym is going to be daunting, especially when you’re on your own, even more so if ya in a country that isnt your own. I guess most people hear the music from 2001 in their heads and start making elaborate plans to build a gym in the one cubic space left in the apartment.
I’ve always hated gyms, back in england, (in my hometown) you only went into a gym if you were a) a boxer b) a dealer c) built like a brick sh*t house or d) gay.
I’m skinny, the only dealing I do is when i’m playing solitare, they dont have shit houses in this country and I like the ladies.
In this country though, where you look totally different from everyone else, when I walked in, i walked into my own cowboy-walks-into-the-bar scene. The hyper-melodramatic music shut off, plates were dropped, people got up from chairs and benches and just…kinda stared at the skinny laowei at the door. I just said hi at about the same audio level as a mouse farting and walked into the less populated corner of the gym and started going whatever the f*ck i could on that machine. (after three minutes of figuring out where to put my ass, legs and pretty much the last of my confidence.
Slowly, sound and peripherical vision resumedbut then these big giant dudes came over and stared giving me advice, asking friendly questions about where i was from, what i was doing, and showing me the right forms, one guy ran off and came back with a diet he had photocopied. I couldnt read it for sh*t, but translated later it worked out ok. (I was trying too much too soon three days later my left arm just stopped working)
I listened.
These guys naturally have very little body fat and they looked amazing. being a skinny bastard myself I guess I’m halfway there Ok first day I was nervous, and still am, i got to get back there tomorrow if i regain movement in my arms, but I felt good though. There was non of that macho bullshit or closeted poofs or spinning class or whatever-the-f*ck. Just a small room full of machines and guys working out, people who were friendly enough to come over and say hey and give a beginner some great advice.
So, day one was great.