Discover Your BIGGEST Fear That's Keeping You From Starting Strength Training

Image Source

Quiz Questions

1.
What has prevented you from starting a regular strength training routine?
- A.
  My chronic pain or other symptoms. I'm so scared to make them worse!
- B.
  I'm afraid the workouts will be too intense, too fast and / or in too loud environments. For example, bootcamps and other group classes are way too intense and overstimulating for me.
- C.
  I'm afraid I can't get it right! What if I make a mistake, for example, don't understand exactly how an exercise was supposed to be done, or do them in a wrong order?
- D.
  I'm completely new to strength training and I'm afraid that I'm too weak, too frail and too out of shape to start.
2.
What has been your most common experience with exercising?
- A.
  I've tried different types of workouts but always felt like I failed: Either I couldn't complete the plan perfectly the way I had wanted, or something came up and I had to miss a few days. I felt so bad about myself.
- B.
  My chronic (TMS) sensations or pain got kicked up every time I tried something, so I stopped out of fear of making my health worse .
- C.
  I have very little experience with regular exercise / I have no experience at all.
- D.
  I've worked out before but these workouts were always too intense and fast: HIT classes, follow along YouTube videos and workouts from different apps. They often overstimulated me and made me feel more anxious.
3.
What intimidates you MOST about strength training specifically?
- A.
  I think that strength training is only for people who are already very experienced, fit and healthy, not for people like me who are inexperienced, frail and have a lot of chronic sensations.
- B.
  That my nervous system can't handle it, I will get hurt and go back to square one with my chronic sensation recovery.
- C.
  That I will have to do a lot of fast-paced movements that are way too intense for me, or follow an overly enthusiastic and loud instructor, or embarrass myself in front of other people.
- D.
  What if something comes up and I will miss one workout, what if my form is a little bit off, or I have to cut a workout short on a busy day? I'm afraid of not doing things perfectly.
4.
You have now decided to start working out. What are you most likely to do BEFORE you start your first workout?
- A.
  I check all the places were I tend to have (or had) chronic sensations to make sure that nothing is hurting when I'm about to start. If I find something, I won't do the workout.
- B.
  I worry if the workout is going to be too long, too intense and too overstimulating for my nervous system, the way it has sometimes been before.
- C.
  I double check that I have read the workout in detail, watched all the demonstration videos multiple times, and have my pen and paper ready to take notes on my results. I want to make sure that everything goes flawlessly.
- D.
  I'm nervous because I'm so new to it all, but I'm giving it a try and just take it one step at a time!
5.
You are now about halfway through your first workout. Which one of these thoughts is most likely going through your mind?
- A.
  I'm nervous because I'm not sure if I got this exactly right! I think my feet were a bit more turned out for this exercise than the video showed, I wonder if I messed it all up now? I can't believe I didn't pay attention to this!
- B.
  Thankfully, no burpees or high knees yet! I don't want to feel fried.
- C.
  Did I feel a little pain there? Yes I think so! I'm going to call it a day, I probably shouldn't have done this to begin with! This was too much!
- D.
  I'm not sure if I feel this exercise in the right place and if I'm doing it exactly right, but that's how it is when you're new. I'll do my best!
6.
After you have finished your workout, what are you most likely to do?
- A.
  Check my body for possible pain. Even if there is none, I move around, maybe there will be pain in some other position? I just need to be sure I'm okay.
- B.
  Exhale a sigh of relief because it was much calmer and relaxed than my past experience with high intensity exercise. I actually feel calm and strong, instead of frantic and depleted!
- C.
  Read the whole workout again to make sure that I did everything perfectly and didn't miss a thing. I'm still wondering if I did the squats correctly...
- D.
  I feel proud of myself for completing the workout and I'm going to try it again soon.
7.
How do you determine success when it comes to working out regularly?
- A.
  Success is when I never have any pain again.
- B.
  Success is when I don't miss a single workout, do all the workouts the way they have been laid out, and improve my results in every workout.
- C.
  Success is when I get stronger and have great energy, instead of burning myself out as a result of pushing myself too hard.
- D.
  Success is when I am able to get consistent with exercise most of the time, build strength, and make working out part of my lifestyle - even if it isn't always perfect.

Quiz Outcomes

1.
Making Your TMS Worse
You are afraid that your TMS chronic symptoms will get worse when you start working out. You need to remind yourself of the definition of TMS - that there's nothing wrong with you and you are good to exercise!Here are my 3 tips for you if you are hypervigilant about your sensations: 1) Start with simple exercises that are not too overwhelming2) STOP checking your body for old or new sensations!3) If your TMS goes up, ask yourself: Was what I did really something really dangerous that could hurt me or was it something that most people should be able to handle?
2.
Repeating Bad Past Workout Experiences
If your past experiences with working out weren't great, you may be terrified to start again. Maybe you always felt so depleted, exhausted and your nervous system stayed on high alert for yours? That likely happened because you did too intense workouts, pushed yourself to the max, and did more than what you recovered from.Here are my 3 tips for you if you had bad experiences in the past and want to avoid them now: 1) Your strength training should be intentional and controlled rather than fast-paced and extremely intense2) Do your workouts at your own pace, you don't have to follow anyone else's speed3) Pay attention to how your nervous system feels after your workouts.
3.
Not Doing It Perfectly
You are afraid of what might happen if you can’t always do all the workouts perfectly. For example, you don’t have the time for a full workout or you are sick and need to skip it altogether – and you just can’t forgive yourself because you didn't do it perfectly...Here are my 3 tips for you if perfectionism is getting on your way of starting strength training: 1) Switch from the mindset of Everything has to be perfect, to I'm choosing the middle ground -- meaning, you allow fluctuations and changes2) Stop bullying yourself when you're not perfect! Recognize the SHAME in you and don't let it take you down3) Lower the stakes. You'll see that nothing will actually happen when you don't do everything 100% according to the plan.
4.
Being “Too Beginner", Too Frail", "Too Out of Shape"
You are intimidated by even the words strength training. You may have never done this before, and you don’t know if you’ll be able to! You may be so paralyzed with fear that you give up before you get started.Here are my 3 tips for you are a total beginner to strength training or believe that you are too frail and out of shape: 1) Start with just bodyweight and with very basic movements. You'll see that simple goes a long way2) Don't overcommit. There is absolutely no need to sign up for 6 workouts per week: 2-3 will be enough and you're also more likely to stick with it3) Let go of the negative self talk and poor perception of yourself! Your inner talk matters. You CAN do this.

Discover Your BIGGEST Fear That's Keeping You From Starting Strength Training

When you identify your biggest fear that is holding you back from starting a workout routine, you can overcome it and become the fittest, strongest version of you - and even ease your chronic sensations (TMS).

Quiz Questions

Quiz Outcomes