You Don’t Hate Exercise. You Hate Feeling Like a Beginner.

Let’s just call it what it is: You don’t actually hate exercise. You hate the awkwardness, the uncertainty, and that very specific flavor of discomfort that comes from not knowing what the hell you’re doing.

You hate being the new kid. The one squinting at a cable machine like it’s written in another language. The one silently panicking about whether everyone else knows you have no idea where the glute kickback attachment goes.

And honestly? That’s fair. That part does suck.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: every single person you look at in the gym who seems like they’ve got it all figured out? They were a beginner too. They just stuck around long enough to get past the "WTF is a landmine press" phase.

The Beginner Barrier

This is what people don’t talk about enough. It’s not that people are lazy. It’s that no one wants to feel incompetent.

And exercise, especially strength training, is humbling. It will show you exactly how strong you're not. How much mobility you don't have. How quick your ego can be checked in the first three reps of a goblet squat.

So instead of trying and risking that discomfort, people default to what they know:

• Cardio machines (easy to hide on)

• Group classes in the back corner

• Doing nothing at all and calling it "resting the body"

But avoiding that beginner feeling keeps you stuck. Because the only way out is through.

Why This Gym Stuff Feels So Personal

Learning how to deadlift isn’t just about your hamstrings. It’s about feeling like you belong in a place where people are working on themselves. That can feel deeply vulnerable if you’re used to walking through life thinking you’re supposed to have it all together.

Showing up and saying, “I want help” is hard.

It’s even harder when you’re:

• Someone who’s always taking care of everyone else

• A woman who’s been taught to shrink

• A person who’s felt invisible in their own body for far too long

So yeah. It's not just about the weights. It's about identity. About confidence. About not wanting to look stupid in front of strangers while holding a metal bar.

What If You Let Yourself Be Bad at It?

Here’s a wild idea: what if being bad at something was the point?

What if you walked into a gym and didn’t expect yourself to crush it, impress anyone, or look like you belonged?

What if you just let yourself start, with shaky form, light weights, and a whole lot of curiosity?

Progress isn’t sexy in the beginning. It’s slow, awkward, and weird. It’s finishing your set and wondering if you did it right. It’s realizing your balance sucks and your grip strength is laughable. It’s showing up again anyway.

And then one day? It clicks. Your body starts moving the way it’s supposed to. The form feels cleaner. The weights move easier. You feel a little less like a stranger in your own skin.

If This Is You, Here’s What I Want You To Know:

• Nobody is watching you as much as you think. Everyone is too busy wondering if they look stupid.

• You don’t have to earn the right to start. You just have to walk in.

• You deserve a space that meets you where you are and teaches you how to grow from there.

At GRIT, we work with a lot of beginners. Real people with real lives and real reasons for finally showing up.

So if you’ve been waiting to feel confident before starting, I get it. But confidence doesn’t come first.

Starting does.