I was the problem

"I'll put the weight back on once I feel confident again."

I told myself this for a long time after I hurt my back bench pressing.

I wasn't adding weight. I was benching scared, because I kept waiting for something to go wrong. Everything felt safe in my little bubble.

Until I looked back six months later and hadn't made any progress whatsoever.

I'd shown up. I'd been careful the whole time. And careful had kept me exactly where I started.

What actually changed it was getting back to the damn thing.

Picking a weight I trusted, putting it on the bar, and adding a little over time. The confidence didn't show up first. It came from the reps.

Wanting to get back was never the hard part.

Most people already want that.

The hard part is they don't know where to start, and they have no idea how to bridge from where they are now to where they used to be. So they wait.

If you keep leaving weight off until you feel ready, with no plan for when to add it, you're not giving yourself much of a chance to build it back.

You end up where I was. Six months later, same spot.

Hope you're moving well and brewing better. ☕

Gabe