Reflections of a Skinny-Fat Engineer After One Month of Weight Training

I had never worked out in college, or even before entering military service. Aside from the impression that gym memberships were expensive, I often felt intimidated and embarrassed about working out alongside huge gym bros, worrying they might secretly laugh at me. Consequently, even though my previous job offered a fitness subsidy, I never took advantage of it.

While you can work on physical fitness during military service, my spondylolysis kept me from doing regular drills. Beyond that, activities like military calisthenics and afternoon jogs hardly provided any real training. During my service, I saw many people bring resistance bands and whey protein into the barracks—I even witnessed the tragic sight of a tub of whey protein chewed open by mice.

Muscles atrophy when left unused over a long period. Routine morning calisthenics or arm-swinging exercises aren’t very effective, either; without progressive load, muscles can’t get sufficient stimulus, and issues easily crop up one after another in old age.

For software engineers, the most common occupational hazards are probably lower back pain and herniated discs. Because the core muscles aren’t stable enough, aches and pains easily develop over time. With my spondylolysis, soreness hits even more easily, which not only affects quality of life but also work productivity.

The Turning Point: Spondylolysis

In the past, I simply thought working out was important, but I never took action. I only started taking it seriously during my military service. In just one barracks room, dozens of people worked out. After chatting with them, I made up my mind to start lifting after my discharge.

Another catalyst for starting strength training was spondylolysis). During my service, I was diagnosed with spondylolysis—specifically a pars interarticularis fracture at the L5 vertebra.

If this condition compresses a nerve, it requires surgical treatment. During that period, I couldn’t even sleep well, tossing and turning to adjust my posture just to fall asleep.

When I was first diagnosed with spondylolysis, I was quite depressed. The doctor told me I couldn’t lift heavy weights, stand, sit, or walk for long periods, and seeing that surgical treatment involved inserting spinal screws terrified me. Was my life going to be ruined right here?

With an uneasy mind, I started searching for all kinds of articles online. Fortunately, after getting an MRI, we found that the slippage hadn’t compressed any nerves yet. Unlike other cases, I didn’t suffer from lower-limb numbness, and my lower back pain wasn’t as severe as others had it.

On PTT, there were also many cases of people rehabilitating with weight training after spondylolysis. Most advised using weight training to strengthen the core muscles and protect the spine. Unless it’s severe enough to interfere with daily life, surgery is generally not recommended.

So after completing my military service, I signed up for 1-on-1 personal training sessions. While personal training is genuinely expensive, working with a coach allowed me to master the fundamentals and proper breathing techniques in a short time, and taught me how to perform bench presses, deadlifts, and squats properly.

Why Weight Training?

Initially, when I signed up for the gym, I took a pretty casual approach to training. But after watching the SBD Monster Lecture Series videos, I deeply realized the importance of strength training (if you haven’t seen them, I highly recommend watching!). I really don’t want to spend the rest of my life confined to a wheelchair in old age.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• The physical demands of daily life are insufficient; as we age, strength, neurological systems, and bone density deteriorate easily. A simple clumsy fall could lead to fractures and various complications.
• Light activities like arm-swinging, walking, or morning calisthenics cannot prevent muscle loss.
• Sports like basketball are intense and hard to quantify. In contrast, weight training is quantifiable and allows progressive overload with a low barrier to entry. (Having a coach in the early stages makes getting started much easier.)
• Weight training is much safer than most people think. Other sports, in contrast, frequently lead to injuries (e.g., knee wear and tear from improper running form, collisions during basketball games).
• Beyond improving your physique, the most important benefit is the health that comes with increased strength.
• Spending money on fitness is an investment with a relatively high return, hedging against the risk of functional decline in old age.

Why I Was Afraid to Step into the Gym

Before I started working out, I was a skinny-fat guy. Although I looked slim on the outside and used to have the kind of body that neither gained weight easily nor put on muscle, fat gradually began accumulating around my belly with age. Especially after moving to Japan, with more frequent drinking and dining out, my weight shot up quickly, making me realize my physique was in trouble.

This made me feel self-conscious about going to the gym. I lacked confidence in my body and was afraid people would laugh seeing me huffing and puffing with light weights.

Later, I realized that everyone is busy grinding through their own workout and doesn’t have time to pay attention to you—and you’re too busy with your own routine to watch anyone else. Plus, once you realize that every gym bro started from scratch, it brings a lot of peace of mind.

Also, to avoid peak gym hours, I intentionally picked off-peak times (around 7:30 AM or 9:00 PM). Especially in the morning, seeing many office workers in suits hitting the gym before work gave me an immediate boost of motivation to become as disciplined as them.

Results After a Month and a Half

• Weight: 58.3 kg → 59.0 kg
• Body Fat Percentage: 16.0% → 15.8%
• Muscle Mass (total muscle mass, not skeletal muscle): 45.3 kg → 46.3 kg

Because this wasn’t measured on an InBody, I don’t have the skeletal muscle mass numbers.

Review and Reflection

My meals have mainly revolved around marinated chicken breasts, occasionally switching things up with steak, pork ribs, or salmon. When feeling lazy, I’d order takeout—which turned out to happen a bit too often. Preparing healthy meals every time is quite a hassle, so going forward, I’ll probably look into ways to streamline the prep process while still enjoying the food.

I can feel my biceps have gotten slightly bigger, and my lower back pain has improved dramatically—it basically doesn’t hurt anymore. My biggest concern, my belly, hasn’t changed much, which will likely require dietary adjustments. I’ve noticed my muscle mass hasn’t grown as fast as expected and my body fat percentage has barely dropped, so I wonder if I’ve been having too much ice cream and Coke. Also, my protein intake seems insufficient; I might buy some whey protein to make hitting my protein goals easier.

When prepping ingredients in bulk, I usually go to Costco, but taking the bus there takes about 50 minutes each way, which is quite inconvenient. At first, I bought frozen vegetables to save meal prep time, but I’ll never buy them again—they taste awful.

That wraps up my fitness journey so far. I hope this helps fellow engineers take that first step into the gym!