1- Walking into the gym and doing a warm-up that no one else is doing but you know you’ve got deadlifts today and those hips aren’t going to open themselves. You realize no one else is doing these things ‘cuz no one really knows what they’re doing- but you do, and you’re not playing anymore.

2-  Walking up to the Barbell (in a rack, not the smith machine) loading it, lifting it, then unloading it. Yes- sometimes you gotta stand there and do some bar math using your fingers but wanna know what bar math means? You’ve got weight on the bar. And you never knew loading and unloading a barbell could feel so damn empowering.

3- Grabbing all the equipment you need and setting up for your accessories or conditioning. You’re not walking around like a lost kid in a museum anymore. The days of twirling your hair in confusion at the gym are over. You’re full of purpose and intention, you’re dialed in. You know what you need. You know what to do.

4-  Standing in front of the DB rack. You’re eyeing ‘em down. Contemplating. You decide “yolo” and try the 35s instead of the 30s. It’s the heaviest you’ve ever tried. You’ve never even considered that side of the rack before. You grab them, use them without too much struggle, put them back (sometimes the hardest part) You’re stronger than you ever realized you could be.

5-  You’re not looking around the gym anymore wondering if it’s painfully obvious if everyone can tell that you’re totally winging it. You kindly smile at a fellow gym-goer because you know she’s feeling how you once did. You never would have held your high in the gym before, and now you do. And you’re a friendly face that can smile at someone else who needs a kind face at the gym like you once did.