Working out...is it really worth it? I reckon so...

...if you keep it short, keep it sharp, keep it simple.

It took me a long time to start thinking about personal fitness. I was never exactly fat, but for years and years, I just kind of was the way I was, without ever actually working towards anything, or consciously thinking about improving myself. I'm the first to admit that I'm pretty lazy, so the idea of going to a gym or working out never really crossed my mind.

However, a short time at uni, and a few looks at the fine ladies newly arrived in my vicinity, coupled with my ridiculously low self esteem, convinced me that maybe upping the exercise a wee bit could be a plan. Having not done it before, I didn't really know where to start, and certainly had no clue about weights, workouts etc. First of all, I got myself some decent running trainers, and began running on the beach by my house each night (yeah, I lived next to a beach. Read it and weep!). This had a surprisingly swift initial effect, both on my perceived appearance, and on my self esteem, but, not really knowing what I was doing, I spent a lot of time in pain, having crippled my shins. Once my legs got built up a bit though, this problem waned away.

However, I wasn't satisfied, so I took the next step and got myself a set of weights and dumbells. I didn't really know what I was going to do with them, but as it happened, they came with a poster guide to various different exercises, so I used that to build myself a general workout scheme. The laziness fought me constantly though, so, not having a set workout regime, I frequently missed days or even weeks out, which lead me to look at other options, and eventually to buy an overpriced manual called something like "The Seven-Minute-a-Day Workout", as the idea of only having to spend that amount of time on serious exercise appealed quite a lot!

The guide wasn't bad, and certainly helped me focus my routines, as well as giving guidance on not overworking muscle groups, the best way to make each repetition have the maximum effect, best times of the day to workout and so on. However, the visible effects only went so far, and although I did become slightly fitter and stronger, I couldn't get past a certain level, so I resorted to the internet.

There's a colossal amount of information out there about exercises, working out, and so on, from specific guides to certain body parts, through to targeted weight loss or gain, and everything in between. I eventually narrowed my search down though, and this is what I've come up with:

1. "Mens' Workout Guide": it does what it says on the tin, and although there are pay sections, there is also an entire workout guide on there 100% free, as well as tips and tricks to help. This is the main site I use, and I concentrate solely on the free guide - it's pretty much everything I need really. The only thing is (and maybe this is just because I'm rubbish), I find the free guide progresses much too quickly. Whereas they say you should do each stage for two weeks, I tend to find double that time works better for me. I prefer spending this longer time on each stage, and gradually increasing the weight, before moving on.

2. Ab Firming and Flattening : This is the only paid program I've tried online, which specifically targets your abs, because that's always been the bit of me that's p*ssed me off the most, and refused to shape up as I wanted! It's early days with this program, but I'm certainly feeling better, and the exercises have clearly been well thought-out, and target the abs and core. Worth a shot I'd say.