What made you start working out?

[ReubenH]

7 hours ago, T Gunner said:

Thanks @Fuzzyrob for started this thread. Do hope more people will read all these inspiring stories and start working out for better well being. 
 

I started going gym only 3 years ago and it was just that moment I decide to change for the better self. I always have low self-esteem and especially afraid to go for company team outing due to my look and skinny frame. I spent few $k engaging a PT at first but to me, this is money well spent. Initially I thought 10 sessions will be able to see results but I was wrong… took me 30-40 sessions to see some visible improvement. And once I switched to self train, I am more motivated and more confident to go gym alone… and more frequent too.

 

Beside improving your health, one of the most important thing work out can bring is confidence. And please don’t underestimate this thing.. confidence in look, in the way you dress and getting compliments at times are something money can’t buy. Looking into the mirror and have the feel good feeling is truly priceless (at least to me). And not forgetting people drawn to you naturally because of your positive vibe. 
 

Though working out can’t guarantee you outlive other, but if you compare to your peers when passed certain age, you will have that deep sense of contentment. Believe me… 
 

There will be people who can’t work out maybe due to certain illness or special condition or family commitment… but as long as you are happy, that’s what truly matters. Last thing you want is to be unhappy with your physique and appearance yet choose not to take action, even when you can. 
 

P/S: I have friends who are not bother with look but yet happy because they focus on other priorities in life, like  nurturing relationship with partner, building a successful career etc, and they understand that while working out contributes to well-being, it's just one piece of the larger picture of happiness. 

Well put. Different people have different priorities, not for us to judge. But most importantly, those who bother to pen down something here have been impacted positively by working out. There are many intangible benefits that may not be gratified in the quickest time but we appreciate in the long run. 
 

cheers to more workouts.

[feilyxnixx]

Why do I workout...? Hmmm interesting. Lets see...

 

Health side ,

Inherited 2high 1low , plus other health issues piling up. The medications caused side-effects like frequent fatique , muscle aches and many others , making my whole body composure very weak. Consulted my doctor if there was anything to help especially with the weight gain issue , like changing meds or etc. But the best solution is to control diet and workout.

 

Personal side , 

Reality-checked , black past and personal life experiences has hit me disaster-rifically. Tried to convince myself that having a good heart matters most , but most of the time its not. Physical appearance is heaven-ceiling priority , everything else comes later (at least in SG). So currently workout is to get attention , lame reason but eh.

 

So am I ok with my current body condition?

Short answer , No. Still not getting the level of attention I wanted. Note that this is PERSONAL PREFERENCE , so I dont need other peepoo's input on this.

Long answer , Yes. Physical body shape is not ideal , I dont look good and there is room for improvement overall. But health wise its the best condition that im living with right now. Confidence level is above average , still ok with what I have and not having the desparate need to chiong. 

 

Cheers and PewpEwpeW! 🤣

[ReubenH]

Just saw this on my social media. Pretty valid for me. Sharing to spur everyone on.

[Creevie]

==

Edited March 30, 2025 by Creevie

[Veloster]

35 minutes ago, Creevie said:

Coz I’m ugly, so better be fit and ugly. 
And it’s always great to be strong enough to do things and run and jump - I like the feeling of being functional. 
And who doesn’t want physical attraction too right?

Def I started working out some eight years ago ...yes to look even better and more confident and yes it helps of cos in bed too lol 😁 gym hard fuck harder I would say...when it comes to love of cos it goes not just attraction but the heart but let's face it when it comes to just sex damn a hot chick loves a hot bod and a hot dick too!

[ressac]

2 yrs back during a holiday overseas...

I silently told myself to be careful when lifting the luggage off the rack else might strain the back.

Then.... WHAM. still strained the back, EVEN after reminding myself.

 

Got home, started looking for a gym and try to visit at least 2 times a week.

It was daunting at the start to even step into a gym... like don't even know how to play / sit / adjust the blardy machine *hahaha*

Did it for half a yr or so, kinda stagnated with just machines.... and decided to take the next step and looked for a trainer.

Been with him for 1.5 yrs now, once a week and try to squeeze another one or two session in between.

 

So i must say, it all started with a back strain..... very innocuous start of my gym journey... 😄

Edited March 22, 2025 by ressac

[neuwave]

I started back in 2017 but my understanding towards fitness and working out were pretty much limited to group fitness classes. It was until during COVID that I figured I couldn’t travel anywhere (this was my self care investment back then) and decided to engage a PT (understanding how my body works and why nutrition really matters -heck it’s 70% of the work overall) and went through some massive transformation for the next three years. I figured nothing beats self-love and self-care like this one. Cheers.

[radiusulnar]

3 hours ago, neuwave said:

to engage a PT (understanding how my body works and why nutrition really matters -heck it’s 70% of the work overall) and went through some massive transformation for the next three years

 

For those on a budget, would viewing videos / reading blogs help? Or you feel a PT has that extra edge because it is truly customized for you?

[neuwave]

5 hours ago, radiusulnar said:

 

For those on a budget, would viewing videos / reading blogs help? Or you feel a PT has that extra edge because it is truly customized for you?

To be frank there’s only so much online videos/reading blogs can do since everyone is unique in terms of body composition. So in this case it is considered an investment. For those on budget, for a start you may find those yet to be certified aspiring PTs on Carousell or try lookout for any promo for PTs.

 

one mistake that people tend to make especially newbies is that for instance they purchase 10x sessions with a PT, they instantly thought by the end of the 10x sessions they get fast results (like those who like to Chiong 10 sessions within two weeks) - tbh that’s the wrong approach.

 

For PT, I’d recommend to do your session once a week, get the PT to provide a list of workout/homework for you to do, and the meal plan. In terms of the rest of the days, it’s on you in terms of the work that needs to be put in. Always embrace the process and progress.

[radiusulnar]

3 hours ago, neuwave said:

For PT, I’d recommend to do your session once a week, get the PT to provide a list of workout/homework for you to do, and the meal plan. In terms of the rest of the days, it’s on you in terms of the work that needs to be put in.

 

good tip to space out the PT sessions. not sure if PT will be open to it because they seem to say need them every session, multiple times a week. that's why those 50s, 100s, 200s packages.

[neuwave]

1 hour ago, radiusulnar said:

 

good tip to space out the PT sessions. not sure if PT will be open to it because they seem to say need them every session, multiple times a week. that's why those 50s, 100s, 200s packages.

i guess i was blessed with a PT who focuses more on growth vs trying to get more $$ and milk me dry LOL. in fact because ive been spamming my progress via IG stories, my connections ended up signing up with him and stayed on... i would say there were 10x leads that came from me and for my PT to still honour the rate of below 1k for 10 sessions, i couldn't complain more. its thanks to him too that i really learned alot.. i thought i knew once i hit my goal back then, but there is just so much more to body transformation work that till now im still learning

Edited May 4, 2025 by neuwave
.

[jcboy18]

i started working out coz i was starting to get really unsatisfied w how my body looked, and js wanted to be more healthy overall

[JYAG-sim]

Well, I'd have to thank my boyfriend for nudging me in this direction. I still remember what he told me when we met for the first time: How come this guy chest so small? 😆 basket...

 

I've always been a gym noob but I had kept myself active with jogging and swimming, and as I aged, the usual aches and pains accompanied, especially at my lower back. I resorted to massages but the relief was short-lived. So with my boyfriend's encouragement, I entered the gym for the first time but soon realised the experience wasn't that bad. Plus with workout videos and tips readily available online, I was motivated to increase the intensity.

 

I'm not someone who's comfortable looking at myself in front of the mirror, but when I saw how my overall frame was broader and more importantly, the lower back pain had disappeared, I knew it was thanks to the gym workouts. I still swim for cardio and to complement my workout routine. My next challenge to overcome would be the bench presses and barbells.

Edited May 4, 2025 by JYAG-sim

[woodenboy27]

What made me start to work out:

1. Being bullied and called "Fei Zhai" throughout secondary school for being fat and nobody calls me by my name when I was 13/14 years old.

2. Made a promise to myself that I wanna be a hot dad (haha I didn't know I was gay at that time) even when I reached 30/40+ years old

3. I guess being gay the "wanting to look good mindset" just naturally embedded in my mind since young?

4. It was a new sports for me at that time, so why not try it out?

 

How I started:

I only started working out when I first started working. The funny thing is that the main reason I signed up for the gym membership at that time it was because I was pushed by a sales consultant and he said that my company's gym corporate rate would be end soon if I didn't sign up. Being the naive and pok pok chui young boy at that time, I signed up immediately to secure the rate and the rest is history.

 

For those who just starting out your gym journey, perhaps its a good idea to get a PT to teach you the basics of exercising and nutrition knowledge. However, do be careful with some PT who are trying to milk their customers' $$ by asking you to buy more PT sessions with them (some PTs earn commission by selling sessions, especially those from the major gym brands). I experienced this before where my PT was very proactive and responsive at the beginning, however during my second PT package he started to be very irresponsive and passive as soon as he can sense that I'm not planning to sign up for another PT sessions. Not only that, he was also always not available towards the end when I wanted to book a PT session and resulted some of my unused PT session to expire.

 

So long story short, do a little bit of research beforehand and be very clear of the objective you want to get out from the PT sessions that you signed up for don't purely just rely on the PT. Another tip is to ask around if anyone can recommend a good PT who focusses on your well being and growth. A good PT can bring you a very long way and brings you a lot of motivation.

 

Why I continue to work out now:

- All of the reasons covering from 1-4

- To look younger as compared to my peers

- To capture my students' attention in class

- I do cross fit, functional training and some running now for continuous improvement 

 

[radiusulnar]

23 minutes ago, woodenboy27 said:

capture my students' attention in class

 

Lucky students. 😂 

[radiusulnar]

1 hour ago, woodenboy27 said:

cross fit, functional training

 

What's the difference between CF and functional? I always thought CF promoted itself as functional training as compared to say the 3 classic lifts or hypertrophy training

[woodenboy27]

22 minutes ago, radiusulnar said:

 

What's the difference between CF and functional? I always thought CF promoted itself as functional training as compared to say the 3 classic lifts or hypertrophy training

Hmm this is what I found:

CrossFit - A fitness training that demands more physical strength. It is an elite and branded fitness regime curated and designed for exercising large portions of the body to enhance physical strength and immunity. The main aspects of CrossFit training include weight lifting (e.g. clean, power, jerk) and gym training.

 

Functional training -  Functional training is a fitness method that focuses on making your muscles stronger and improving how different parts of your body work together. It mostly uses exercises that involve your own body weight and movements similar to things you do every day.

 

Equipment
CrossFit: Uses many types of gym tools like weights, ropes, bikes, and rowing machines. This mix keeps workouts interesting and works out different parts of the body.

 

Functional Training: Keeps it simple. You might just use your body weight or basic items like stretchy bands, kettlebells and dumbbells. It’s more about improving balance and control.

 

[milodinosaur91]

On 5/4/2025 at 9:39 PM, neuwave said:

i guess i was blessed with a PT who focuses more on growth vs trying to get more $$ and milk me dry LOL. in fact because ive been spamming my progress via IG stories, my connections ended up signing up with him and stayed on... i would say there were 10x leads that came from me and for my PT to still honour the rate of below 1k for 10 sessions, i couldn't complain more. its thanks to him too that i really learned alot.. i thought i knew once i hit my goal back then, but there is just so much more to body transformation work that till now im still learning

how long did u PT with him? Can add your insta? Hahaha

[MasterFitMalaySG4U]

I started working out before enlist coz I was turn on by my own body haha the sweat and thinking further if I can get ripped defined body sure I can have my own slaves bitches sluts subs who will adore my physique cock n let me destroyed their assses and force choke them to my liking haha

[radiusulnar]

1 hour ago, MasterFitMalaySG4U said:

was turn on by my own body

 

😂 Best to have your own sexy bod. If alone can ogle the mirror. 

[noodles]

noticed I was growing a bigger belly 

[destancx]

Dad had heart issues and doctor said the cause of it was his lifestyle dating back to 30-40 years ago. That was a wake up call that I should start exercising to prevent myself from being in the same situation as my dad. I am not the disciplined kind, so I engaged a PT to train me twice a week. I take it as an insurance against paying the doctors in future when i am older haha

[radiusulnar]

2 hours ago, destancx said:

engaged a PT to train me twice a week.

 

Wow. High roller spotted. 😛 

[ziurtis]

On 7/9/2025 at 9:56 AM, radiusulnar said:

 

😂 Best to have your own sexy bod. If alone can ogle the mirror. 

It's a nice form of self validation without relying on judgement from others. 

[egal]

thts true

[milodinosaur91]

On 7/14/2025 at 10:23 PM, destancx said:

Dad had heart issues and doctor said the cause of it was his lifestyle dating back to 30-40 years ago. That was a wake up call that I should start exercising to prevent myself from being in the same situation as my dad. I am not the disciplined kind, so I engaged a PT to train me twice a week. I take it as an insurance against paying the doctors in future when i am older haha

How long have u been engaging your PT?

[bwf15]

Before the pandemic, I run and swim occasionally. When the movement restriction started, being cooked up inside my room became quite unbearable. I started to do trail running in the evenings. Then I started to do yoga by YouTube. Eventually, I joined the free HPB classes for yoga and moved on to cardio and lifting of Les Mills. It has been a great journey. I could see improvements in my mobility, flexibility, cardio and muscular strength although I still have more to go.

 

Try to figure it out and if help is needed, seek them out. I wished I have always been this active.

Edited November 11, 2025 by bwf15

[Want to try]

I started after my retirement at 57 yo but I don't like going to gym. If I can have a personal trainer or an experienced training buddy to train w me I think it will be more fun. I am always thinking of injecting some fun into it too so if any like-minded people here want to train me, let me know... Even better if can do nude training together 🤭. I think it should be fun to do nude exercises and yoga. 

[sum1outhere_03]

On 12/2/2024 at 2:48 PM, fresh7up said:

I was a scrawny kid, a hard gainer and easily lose weight. Until I decided to overload on my carbs intake and hit the gym at the same time in my early 20s.

I gain some 20kg within a period of 6 months from 55kg to 75kg with my height of 182cm. My highest weight achievement was 88kg but it when down to 75kg++.

Now in my early 40s, friends and stranger commented I look late 20s. I exercise regularly 6 times a week and still consume whey, casine, mass gainer (to maintain my ideal weight around 75kg, I still a hard gainer despite reaching 40. And to maintain my muscle mass.)

My primary goal of working out now is not to get guys to have fun with me (quitted that 2 years back) now it's more to maintain strength in my 40s and to look good wearing clothes. 

 

Wow, mind sharing what you eat and what you do for your routine? 🙂

 

I'm pretty much same as you! Pretty much scrawny all my life, and even when I started gymming many years back, I have zero knowledge of how to do the gains, or I did not keep up the triangular factors (gym, food intake and sleep). Like one or more of the factors will go missing, e.g. I would gym, but heck care about food and/or sleep.

I did a lot of PTs but wasn't consistent.

 

Now that I'm my 40s, I realized my body can't "chiong" as much as I want, can't drink and spend overnight not sleeping as I could in the 20s 😂

And according to studies, muscles will "shrink" as we age. So because I'm already scrawny enough, I can't afford to loose anymore muscles. 😅

 

Hopefully to be "marketable" for open relationship in the future 😅

Otherwise, just keeping fit for my work and for my own fitness  

 

While I am envious I don't look like everyone else here above, I'm glad I'm starting to some progress compared to 2-3 years ago.

 

Currently around 60kg with my height 175cm. Aiming for 62-65kg in the next 3 years (hopefully can be consistent)

I don't count my calories but currently try to add rice on my meals to increase some calories.

Doing my walks daily (about 15k to 20k) to maintain my tummy (yes I can become skinny fat very fast).  

Doing massage also helps to burn some calories 😂

 

Woking out 3x a week, mostly do on upper-lower body split. 

Since am doing freelance, I can sleep about 6-8 hours (I workout around 9.45pm-10pm and lasts about 1 hour).

 

Any seniors here welcome to comment  

 

PS: Do any of you have the same routine food? I actually admire those (especially my previous coaches) who can do the same food for their meals to hit the macros 😅

Edited September 23, 2025 by sum1outhere_03