Starting a New Fitness Routine & On Working Out in Public

15 Jan, 2025

My partner and I recently decided that we could start doing weekly gym sessions together - with my partner working out alongside me while training me too.

I've never really been a gym-type of person, honestly. I got into actually working out (my fitness medium was playing badminton in high school, almost 1-2x a week then) and never focused on doing anything like HIIT, cardio, etc. just for the sake of getting fit¹.

My partner, Aaron, is the total opposite. He has been going to the gym since he was a teenager. He is very much into martial arts and has trained in multiple different types of it: BJJ, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, etc. So yeah, he is definitely more fit and technically knowledgeable as well, as he reads and watches a lot of fitness content. He wanted to be a sports psychologist at one point but changed his mind after some thinking.

And so we went today - I was pretty surprised that he made a spreadsheet with the specific workouts to be done, the range of reps, and empty columns so he could track everything that was being done by him and myself. He mentioned that it would be great to track our progression throughout the semester. I admire his dedication to it :)

My version of workouts tends to be very limited to my home - I would set up my yoga mat for any floor-based workouts, and I have a simple interchangeable dumbbell set for weight training. I would find some sort of challenge playlist on Youtube, and try those out. Sometimes, I wouldn't commit to it and instead search for a random one that fits what I want on that particular day. And it typically isn't cardio.

We mainly did weight training for our first week (in which we will be doing 1 session per week, making things realistic for the busy semester ahead), and it was fun for the most part! I have some pretty bad eczema now that makes the weights brushing against my skin a little too harsh at times, but it wasn't too bad that I had to stop. If you're curious, this was what my partner planned out:

I was mainly using 5kg dumbbells, but for the last sets of most of the workouts, my boyfriend suggested that I use 7.5kg ones. I initially hesitated but eventually agreed, and although it was definitely more challenging, it was still doable. Except for shoulder presses - I had to take breaks when I got to the 8th rep before I tried to get to the other 4.

I would say that the hardest was the reverse chin-ups. I've never done this workout before, and the last set proved to be too challenging for me, and we switched it out instead of trying to slowly do a reverse chin-up, to one where I just hung there as long as I could. I think it was 35 seconds before I jumped off cause my grip was burning. I have extra respect for the people who can actually DO chin-ups. It is incredibly hard, and I don't know if I'll ever get to that point.

on working out in public

I do not like the idea of gyms, mainly because:

1. The cost. It would take money to get to the gym, in terms of fuel, and a gym membership entrance fee.
2. Safety. I've always felt unsafe in a lot of places, mainly due to my height and stature. I weigh 45 kilos, and sometimes I feel like if anyone wanted to kidnap me, all they need to do is lift me up and run. And someone who is moderately fit could get away with it easily. And the stories of people catcalling, giving unsolicited advice, and bullying at gyms have instilled fear in me.
3. The idea of being seen by others while I could be in a vulnerable position. This is mostly my insecurity, I'm sure, but I've always disliked the idea that people around you at the gym could see you doing your workouts.

I think I've slowly transitioned to getting used to it, as my university eventually had gym equipment installed in an empty building they used to use as a lounge. I wanted to get into a routine and started going there to use the treadmill and do some simple weight exercise routines on YouTube. As the gym itself is pretty small, everyone is in the range of view of each other, and at times, that was unsettling.

Additionally, there is a loft-ish area that was made as a mini-lounge for students to play pool and chill. That area is always filled with the same people, and unfortunately, they also vape there. Which doesn't make sense as people are working out right below. I cannot tell you how many times I've smelled Strawberry-flavored air while running on the treadmill and cursing under my breath.

Okay, I'm getting sidetracked there (I should probably lodge a complaint, shouldn't I) - to summarize, I'm not a big fan of working out in public. And even with some practice, I'm still not. Sometimes, when people walk about the gym or the lounge area, I get sort of distracted from the workout. I try to focus on my form in the mirror they placed, as well as my boyfriend. It mostly works! But old habits die hard, and I do have to eventually progress to being able to fully work without thinking too much about what others think.

I'm pretty confident most people don't really care or are too focused on how others think about them themselves that they'd be too distracted.

moving forward

Anyway, I'm looking forward to these workout sessions with my partner! The past semester was pretty busy for both of us, and we did not have time to sync our workouts, we've made a goal for it to happen now at a set time and day each week. Here's to hopefully being able to do this as consistently as possible!

In addition to that, I'll also do a workout or two at home during the weekends on my own as well - as I do notice that exercise helps with my mental and physical health in general. I have an odd feeling whenever I go too long without exercise, mainly guilt about not exercising. I also feel a lot less lethargic when I go about my days in periods when I consistently exercise, so that's a pretty motivating factor for me.

And, of course, I do want to note that I'm not against gyms - it's just not something that's of too much interest to me right now (especially gyms outside of the one I use at the university). I like that with the right knowledge of how the gym equipment works, it'd probably make a more holistic workout routine unless you have a full gym equipment studio at the back of your home somewhere. And, nowadays a lot of gyms have group training, martial arts training, spin, etc. that, at least, for me, sounds more appealing than just having only a gym membership to access the equipment.

If you're in Malaysia/the United Arab Emirates/Uzbekistan/Kazakhstan/Azerbaijan/Mexico, take a look at 1Fit . They have a pretty interesting concept where you're able to purchase a monthly subscription and gain access to different registered gyms, yoga studios, martial arts, etc. It's a fair price for what you get, from what I can tell.

Anyhow - that's it from me for today! It's been a pretty busy week with the first classes and everyone getting into assignment groups. The next thing you might see from me might be some initial impressions of the Chessnut Go :) It arrived last weekend, and I had the chance to play a few bot games and got it connected to my Lichess and Chess.com accounts.

Talk soon!

Thank you for reading, and if you would like to share any thoughts or if you have any questions at all, feel free to leave a comment :)

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