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I used to go to the gym with an insanity complex. I'd hit all the body parts, and do generally the same exercises, but instead of seeing progress I would just exacerbate injuries, particularly in the shoulders. I had very little upper body strength and coordination. My shoulders were frozen. The toxic masculine mindset was to push through pain, to find a way, and I tried. But, it never worked. I was embarrassed to go to the gym, to spend hours hurting myself.

So, I decided to stop the cycle of insanity. I looked into rehabilitation exercises, and influencers. Chance led me to one I particularly liked. And, even then it took time to learn my body and what would work best for me. I stopped going to the gym. I bought resistance bands, lacrosse balls. I started going for morning walks instead of jogs. I started deliberately monitoring my workouts, keeping in mind what worked and what didn't. I started listening to my body. When my shoulders were stiff and in pain, I prioritized them.

Now, I'm stronger than I've ever been, in less pain, and feel nearly as athletic as I was in my teens.

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So good to hear. This is a great example of practicing deliberately.

I overtrained as I got older, not realizing that I needed more time for recovery than I did when I was young. Once I fixed that problem, my progress continued.

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