Recently started going to a gym. Each inch of my body is aching after every day. I dread going to gym nowadays. So is working out actually worth it? Like is it just for looking good, because if that’s the biggest plus it wouldn’t really be worth the pain for me.

38 comments

  1. You will be suprised what your body can adapt to. Don’t give up. Take pics for before and afters and be proud of what you can do. If you can afford it do a session or two with a trainer if you are unsure of form and watch how to do exercises online from pros so you don’t hurt yourself if you haven’t already. Good luck to you!

  2. You look better, you FEEL better – I know you don’t feel that way now but your body is adjusting to activity after years of none, so it takes time. You’ll sleep better and you’ll have more energy

  4. Improved overall physical, mental and emotional strength

    You’re aching because you’ve never done this before; that will subside

  5. Mm… Not sure that every part of you should be aching after every day. What sort of guidance do you receive at the gym, to make sure you’re not on the path to injuring yourself? Is their a gym trainer who’s around & available to help clients? Or do you employ your own personal trainer?

    There shouldn’t have to be so much pain or so many dread that you almost struggle to convince yourself to go back every day. Something like that may be a good sign that you’re doing too much in your sessions… like, too heavy on your lifting, or too fast on your cardio, etc.

    I think sometimes a mistake that gets made is starting a gym routine by trying to go crazy right from the start… when a better approach for a new person is to start small and focus on just getting a little stronger as the weeks go by.

    For most of us, there’s no sense approaching it like we have a bodybuilder competition coming up at the end of the year and need to hit gym workouts like a monster immediately.

  6. In a few weeks you will start to see the change in your body. It could be really great feeling. You will be healthyer.
    It’s a good hobby. You van meet new people.
    Sex can be better too.
    Don’t give up! You can do it!

  7. If you honestly feel terrible after every workout maybe you’re going to hard for a beginner?

    Or maybe you need to man up and just deal with the ache.

    I work in construction all day & hit the gym at night. You feel the ache at work but you just know you’ve worked those muscles well.

    And when you get strong & look better you just enjoy it even more, makes life & work essier

  8. Great for mental health, and with a growing number of people now working in largely stationary job in offices etc there will be long term issues impacting our bodies and minds from lack of movement and engagement of hand-eye coordination and poor posture.
    It also a good way of developing a new social circle

  9. Keep up with the exercise. If you don’t stay active then as you get older you’ll get to a point where your body will hurt from lack of use (muscle atrophy and joint issues). Even just walking for about an hour 4-5 days a week is great for a person.

    I feel better and have less aches and pains when I exercise consistently.

  10. I hate going to the gym I go 3 times a week and hate it every time, the only reason I do it is do that I can keep on doing it, keep my body moving so I can keep on keeping on

  11. Honestly I haven’t worked out in awhile but I remember doing so and feeling amazing. More energy, more confidence. My little one is taking so much of my time that I wish I didn’t have the excuse of being overly tired to justify not working out.

  13. When you feel the gains, you start to crave it, you’ll actually start to crave the pain. The good thing about starting out is you’ll get beginner gains where you build muscle pretty fast before it begins to plateau out. You’ll enjoy not only looking better, but feeling better, and is also nice to notice the extra strength you gain as you work out.

  14. The saying “no pain, no gain” is somewhat true. You aren’t trying to injure yourself, but you want to stretch the muscle for optimal growth. You’ll always be sore when you start or restart after a long layoff. Your body is adapting to the change you are causing and this can cause some discomfort. Bottom line, keep with it, yes it has value if you want to look and feel better. Proper diet can aid in a more ample recovery.

  15. i think at number one for me is results. Like it makes me really think the hard work and progress paid off

  16. It really depends on what kind of program you are working.

    That said, the first few months, yes you may feel sore all the time. Eventually, it gets better, and believe it or not, you may even miss feeling that sore.

    Beyond the work you do in the gym, you need enough rest to recover and heal. Make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep every day. 8-9 is better.

    The most crucial part of any fitness journey, is nutrition. Whatever your goals are, bodies are made in the kitchen. You must give your body all the nutrients it needs to fuel, recover and heal you.

    The benefits of working out are:

    more strength that can have real world applications: you will be able to pick up and move heavy things. More important, you will be able to do it safely and using the correct muscles. Eventually, you will be able to do this repeatedly without getting tired. Further still, you can pick up heavy things most other people can’t.

    You will have greater cardiovascular health. You will get longer endurance for things like walking, running, hiking. And you should live longer.

    To some extent, you should become more visually pleasing. Opinions on what is nice to look at vary.

    Outside of the extremes of strongman, bodybuilding, or ultra marathon running, the benefits after time will be life will be just a bit easier, you will have more energy, and you will live longer, better.

  17. I really always wondered about these people who just need to get a workout or solid jog in to feel better because that never did a thing for me. Ran track and cross country competitively, tried to keep a consistent workout schedule and play intramurals throughout college and I pretty much felt like shit throughout all of those years.

  19. Working out just for the sake of it didn’t do much for me, so I went for fighting and crossfit. It ruins my body, but with a purpose of teaching me stuff that gives a purpose to the effort, and is also way more socially active than regular gym people minding their own business.

  20. I obviously cant speak for everyone but I’m of the opinion that most people that consistently workout (running / weights /whatever) are primarily doing it for mental health. It may not be why they start, they may not even be aware they are unless they think on it but all exercise is great for stopping the mind going on a whirlwind and suppressing any demons we all have to deal with now and again.

    I workout to keep fit. To be in a good position to fight off any health issues but it also gives me some dedicated time where my mind just focuses on one thing, the workout. That’s basically meditation with gains

  21. A friendly tip: lower the workload. It takes some time getting adjusted to working out and pushing yourself hard will actually have a negative impact on the enjoyment you get out of working out. You’ll be sore, you’ll remember how hard it was and dread going back for more.

    What you wanna do is start slow. Make it easy enough that you don’t have to push yourself and struggle to get it done. That way you’ll have a more positive experience, your body will have time to acclimatize to the new regime and you’ll be less sore.

    Also, don’t neglect stretching. It’ll make a world of difference for your recovery!

    Happy lifting!

  22. >I dread going to gym nowadays.

    This feeling will eventually go away and it will develop into a routine, a routine that you’ll even enjoy. You’ll also get the satisfaction of working towards goals and achieving them

  23. The only time I’ve ever been in pain the day after working out was when injury was imminent, that’s not normal. You should probably check your form, OP. Soreness is fine but pain means you’re doing something wrong.

  24. That hurting stops. It’s just initial shock from going to lazy to working out.

  25. 1. Your mental health improves
    2. Aesthetics
    3. You get treated better if you are in shape
    4. You can compete with friends with physical activities
    5. Attracts women (if you are single this is a plus)
    6. Improved sleep
    7. Less stress

  27. Well, find something you do enjoy

    But yes there are more benefits. Functional strength. Longevity/mobility. Muscle can also use calories so it gives you more “buffer” or “room for error” in your diet.

    It only feels that aching for the first couple weeks or days. It doesn’t stay like that forever imo.

  29. More strength, more stamina, better stabilization of the body if done right which leads to less pain, better health…

  30. You get stronger for everyday things. Wasn’t athletic and I could barely lift 10 lbs. But kept with it and now lifting thing is no big deal. And its great when you get older. You don’t act like an old man that needs a walker. Not buff by any means, but its nice having some pecs and nicer arms.

  31. Better quality of life. Healthiness is attractive. Slight social aspect even if you’re a headphones kinda guy. Dopamine release. When you do hard stuff in the gym, hard stuff outside the gym becomes easier to do because you can summon the willpower to just do it.

    That being said, going to the gym isn’t the only way to exercise. If you find something fun that also gives you a workout, it’ll feel like less of a chore. Not a huge fan of the gym because of the stereotypical focus on aesthetics versus strength building or cardiovascular health. But I love playing soccer, which keeps me fit and gives me a leaner body type than if I was bodybuilding.

    Side note, if you’re gyming regularly but still eating like trash, you’re kinda shooting yourself in the foot.

  32. Honestly it sucks in the beginning but the long term benefits of being stronger, breathing more easily, being more self confident, feeling better, all make it worth it
    Especially when you achieve a goal you’ve been striving towards! Keep pushing king

  33. Lifting weights boosts testosterone production.

    Testosterone is the hormone that makes you feel like a man. It makes you more confident, less depressed, more energetic, more driven, more dominant, and feeling good overall.

    I was blessed with good genetics so I just have to sneeze and I get tone and a chiseled jaw, but inwardly, going to the gym makes me feel just plain “good” in a way that I can’t describe. I feel confident. I feel more stable. I feel more regulated, more controlled, more contemplative, more relaxed. It makes me feel like I’m ready to take on any challenges that come my way without complaint, and makes me more motivated to push harder even in the smaller areas of my life, instead of just being lazy and doing nothing.

    The soreness will disappear as you work out and will become more tolerable and more enjoyable/gratifying afterwards.

    Remember: It takes at least one month for you to see the results, and at least 2 months for others to see them. Drink lots of water and eat a healthy, balanced diet and you’ll get there faster than ever.

  34. It really helps me psychologically. After I workout I usually feel great, physically and psychologically.

  35. You are able to use your body for more things and generally feel better doing everyday things. Working out can kind of suck sometimes though. I would recommend finding a couple of ways that get you moving and are fun! Some of my favorite things include hiking and biking and rock climbing but I only discovered that after I started trying those things. Motivation can be hard to find if you have to push yourself to do it every time.

  36. The benefits/?

    Just about everything except weight loss (as someone who dropped 130lb by diet alone I can say confidently that weight loss happens exclusively in the kitchen)

    Also you start to enjoy the pain.

    If you’ve got DOMS (delayed onset muscle sorness, the pain the day after) for more than 2-3 days you probably need to go a bit lighter. Only time I had it last more than 2 days was when I hadn’t lifted to 2 years and I went and found out what my 1rm on my big 3 was. Cold baths/showers will help a little bit, and ensure you’re getting 8 hours of GOOD sleep to help your body recover well.

  37. Sounds like you need to reduce your workouts a bit. You should be sore but not exhausted. Focus on different muscle groups each day, 3 days a week. That way you hit everywhere hard but never all at once. You’ll have enough energy left to do your school work that way. Also, what is your calorie intake, are you eating enough? Not drinking enough water? Dehydration will put you on your ass and you need to drink a fair bit if you’re doing intense workouts.

  38. Lots of people are going to chime in with good comments about how it will affect you physically. I would only be adding to the chorus, so let me give you something else: It’s really, really good for your emotional health and character.

    Working out releases serotonin, norepinephrine, BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), dopamine, and endorphins – all which are really good for general brain health and mood setting. Just think that when you’re stressed or otherwise emotionally drained, a good workout can go a long way to helping you get back into a healthier frame of mind.

    I’m very goal driven and working out is a great way to add something positive to the mix. I love having fitness goals and achieving them. I’m never going to win a powerlifting meet or get into the Crossfit Open, but if it’s a calisthenics routine with lots of reps and doing it faster than before or whatever, those are always good feathers in your cap.

    Plus, just generally, it’s cool to be able to do challenges like [Manitou Springs](https://manitousprings.org/where-to-play/manitou-incline/) in under an hour and not yet elevation acclimated yet.

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