Getting used to be a student again

The best thing I ever did in my quest to become a superhero was to go and get the advice of a professional. For a long time (well, the 3 ish or so years) when I first started out to become a not crap at physical activity person, it never really crossed my mind that it was something I should get advice about. Maybe it was all the bad memories of being utterly useless at PE at school, and the hugely unhelpful pseudo-shaming and lack of encouragement from the PE teacher. The more I reflect on it, the more annoyed I get. As someone who now does a lot of teaching as part of my job, it infuriates me that I was made to feel so embarrassed and upset about school sports, just because it didn't come naturally to me, and because I was super shy. That's not the job of a good teacher; the teacher is someone who helps you achieve your best, whatever level that might be, and provides the encouragement and support that makes you want to succeed. Yes it's super exhilarating to work with the students who are exceptionally bright and talented at your subject, but that doesn't mean you neglect the rest. And actually, the sense of satisfaction is often greater from helping those who started out at the bottom, and made huge individual improvements.

So I spent almost a year doing random stuff in the gym by myself, with no help whatsoever. It wasn't completely pointless (though I suspect some of my amusing muscle imbalances are a result of all those bicep curls...), but it wasn't until I decided to ask for help that I started to see real changes. It makes sense - you wouldn't try and master any other subject without getting instruction! I've achieved more in the past 6 months than I thought was possible, and more importantly, I've learnt more about why I am doing certain exercises, the muscles that are being targeted, and the processes that are taking place in the body, why it is important to eat certain combinations of food macros. For me having that understanding makes it easier, more interesting, dare I even use the word exciting! I've gone from sort of wanting to go to the gym but not really being arsed half the time, to really looking forward to it on a daily basis.

Biceps yeah!

The hardest part has been putting myself back into the role of student. It is a long time since I was a student (I finished my PhD in 2008), and even longer since I was the kind of student that took instruction (I won't even mention the last time I went to a lecture that I wasn't giving myself). So having to keep quiet and learn from someone else has been strange, I am just so used to being in the instructor role. It's a big of an ego check as well, not being the person in the room who knows the most about the subject. But it's made me remember how much I enjoy learning, and also how I'm not the sort of person who can do something challenging without going as far as I can with it. I am determined to get a superhero physique, in the same amount of time or less than it took me to get a PhD!