How Strength Training Became My Driving Force: The First Step in Self-Improvement

When I started working on self-improvement,
the first thing I turned to was strength training.

But it wasn't just a starting point.
Before I knew it, strength training had become the fuel for my life.

I feel restless if I don't go to the gym.
I feel uncomfortable if I haven't gone.
It has become a routine to the point where I feel that way now.

This time, I'd like to talk about the origin of my self-improvement:
strength training.

🏠 Home Workout Edition: The Skinny Guy Starts Moving

Back then, I was a super skinny hardgainer.
No matter what or how much I ate, I just wouldn't gain weight.
I had no muscle anywhere, and I felt sad every time I looked in the mirror.

“First, I need to get stronger. I need to build a foundation.”
That’s what I thought when I started working out at home.

At first, I did push-ups with push-up bars while watching YouTube and apps.
I set a goal to do100 repswith breaks in between, and it took me half a year to achieve it.
After that, I moved on to squats. Again,
100 reps.I pushed myself like crazy every day, encouraged by videos of instructors cheering me on.

Then, little by little, my ribs started to become less visible—
“Oh, maybe I’ve built a body that’s ready for the gym?”
That’s what I felt after six months.

🏋️ Municipal Gym Edition: What Are These Machines?

First, I decided to nervously peek into a municipal gym.
The first municipal gym I went to was different from what I imagined;
it was a space filled mostly with elderly people and high school students.

They had the bare minimum of machines, and all the basic ones I’d seen in videos were there, so
I was grateful, but...
the older guys were using mysterious machines in mysterious ways.
I tried them too, but
I never did figure out what they were supposed to be working...

Still, I didn't feel like it was intimidating at all.
If anything, it was a place that made me think, “I can do this!”

After trying out about five or six different places,
I thought, “I want to try training in a slightly more serious environment,” and finally went to a 24-hour gym.

💪 24H Gym Edition: Trembling in the Den of Beasts

Maybe I went at the wrong time,
but the free weight area was a den of muscle-bound guys.

A cool older guy who looked great in a leopard-print tank top...
“Oh no. This might not be the place for me...” I was terrified.

The next morning, early.
In an empty space, I nervously tried to lift a barbell—

“It won't move.”
The barbell bar alone was 20kg.
What were those muscular guys doing, lifting it up and down with all those weights attached?
I was shaking.

From there, while building my foundation with other machines,
chest, back, and legs—I focused on training those “large muscle groups” above all else.

Before I knew it, I stopped worrying about the gazes of the muscular guys.
Actually, they are all focused on their battle with themselves, so they aren't looking at me at all.

Sometimes, when I'm struggling with my form, there's a kind older guy who will silently show me how it's done—
my impression of them changed from "muscular equals scary" to "muscular equals silent teacher."

🧱 Results and Challenges from Strength Training

After about three months, my pectorals and triceps grew enough that I could really feel they were "filling out!"
I was surprised in front of the mirror, thinking, "Whoa!? Did I have muscles here this whole time?"

Lately, I've finally reached the point where I might be getting close to a "lean muscular" look.
That said, I'm still at the "looks amazing when shirtless" level, and I look normal when I'm wearing clothes.
I still lack that "tough guy" vibe or "aura" entirely.

My goal is to be "amazing even before taking my shirt off".
I'm going to keep building more and more.

🍚 About Diet and TKG

I'm an extreme hardgainer, so I'm careful about my diet too.
I keep natto and kimchi on hand to have with every meal to boost my gut health.

Also, I followed a two-meal-a-day lifestyle, eating TKG (5-6 eggs + 2 cups of rice) morning and night.
I feel like that was the period when I grew the most.
※ I don't really recommend this as it's too extreme.

The saying "strength training is food training" is true, and I am thoroughly committed to the mindset of just getting "muscle building materials" into my body.

(I'll share the specifics of what I ate and my nutritional balance another time 💡)

🧠 The Relationship Between Strength Training and Mental Health

I've heard it said that "humans prioritize processing physical stress over mental stress," and I really think that's true.

Lifting heavy barbells is physically exhausting in itself, so honestly, things like a boss's snide remarks or being left on read on LINE really just become

irrelevant
.

Strength training is the easiest and most reliable habit for strengthening your mental state.

📌 Strength Training is a "Means," Not an "End"

For me, strength training is my number one "vitality generator."
It gave the skinny, insecure me the power to say, "I'm going to change my life!"

However, I'm now dedicating my morning time to writing on note, so I've reduced the frequency of my strength training.
I'm keeping it as a base level so I don't lose muscle.

Because if you only do strength training, you'll just end up as a "slightly healthy nerd."
For a man, it's about
overall strength. There are many other things that need to be done.

This journey began with push-ups at home.
I won't be putting down the dumbbells anytime soon.

Next Episode Preview

Strength training changed my body.
It gave me confidence.
But—that alone isn't enough to make me popular with women.

Next time: "Into the Battlefield of Dating Apps"
Reality wasn't so sweet. My true first step toward overcoming my romantic struggles begins now.