"Nobody was born with a dumbbell in their hand. We all started somehow," says fitness trainer Jan Svoboda. What most often discourages people from exercising and how to create a healthy relationship with exercise?

Jan Svoboda belongs to trainers who understand movement not only as a way to a sculpted figure, but as a tool to feel good in your own body and head. He works at CrossFit With Us, doing CrossFit, HYROX, swimming, running and group classes, and has long been connecting sport with community and healthy living. In this interview, she talks about how to set up a relationship with exercise that isn't toxic, the appearance pressures created by social media and the gay community, and why feeling better after a workout than before is more important than a "sixpack." She also openly shares her own experience with the fine line between healthy movement and obsession.

Honza, how did you personally get into exercise?

My parents encouraged me to take up sports since I was a kid. I went to sports camps, skied, swam, moved naturally and without thinking. In my teens, I drifted away from it for a while - everything my parents wanted was against me at the time. The turning point came around the age of thirty, when I realized that the older I got, the harder it would be to stay in shape. It wasn't about muscles, it was about being fit.

I started going to the gym, first with a work colleague, then I moved on to more functional workouts - bodyweight, body pump. I didn't want to just "pull machines" anymore. Ivana Veselková from Radio Wave, who often talked about Crossfit, was a major inspiration for me. In that classic January enthusiasm, my friend and I signed up for an onramp course.

We were immediately hooked. We trained outside of class, tried new things, and gradually I got into racing, something I could never have imagined before. In my 30s, I was suddenly racing almost every weekend. Last year was an extreme - for three months straight I had races either every weekend or every other weekend.

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That must have been pretty tough, right?

It was. Physically, mentally and financially. It was challenging on all sides, but it was great at the same time. I had a lot of fun.

We're at the beginning of the year and a lot of people make resolutions to start working out or going to the gym. How do you feel about that? Is there actually more interest now?

It's a classic "icebreaker" thing. I don't feel it so much at the gym. It's more of a community of people who work out regardless of whether it's a new year. Of course, new people come in, I'm an example of that myself.

But a lot depends on the coach or the community - whether they let you drop out after a fortnight or, on the contrary, they pull you in so quickly that you forget you came just for a New Year's resolution. We see it every year at the pool: it's absolutely crazy in the middle of January and then it gradually starts to wear off.

Which brings me to my next question. Why do you think people drop out? What advice would you give to someone who wants to start working out so they don't quit in February?

A lot depends on what kind of mindset you go into it with. I talked about this on a podcast once - it works for me especially, but I often recommend it to others.

If you start with something you're not good at, and the older you get, the easier it is to feel insecure about it. But it helps to feel good - even by dressing nicely. It doesn't have to be expensive. It's similar to going to a club: when you feel good, you radiate energy, which makes you stronger.

I think this is transferable to exercise. When you decide to start - whether on New Year's Day or any other time - dress to feel good. Not for others, but for yourself. If you're the type of person who wants to "show up" a little, this can be an important factor in why you stick with it.

And if that person spends money on it, they're probably more motivated to go...

Yes and no. It's been my experience that paying for a year's membership is no guarantee that a person will go. You have to develop a relationship with it. Of course, discipline is also important.

For example, if you set a goal of going to the gym three times a week for three weeks, wearing clothes you feel good in, avoiding peaks and starting with simpler things, it will gradually become part of your life. Then it's no longer about forcing yourself to exercise. On the contrary - it makes people sad when they can't go exercise because of illness, antibiotics or injury.

So it's very much about the friends and community around you? But what if people lose motivation and give up because they can't physically handle it?

It's exactly about setting goals. Today's society and social networks are full of "hot" people - cut bodies, filters and unrealistic expectations. Often people think they'll look the same after a month. But after a month, often nothing happens at all. Not after two, not after three. And that puts them off.

It's important to expect that results won't come right away, not to push yourself at all costs and to set your goals realistically. A chiseled physique is secondary in my opinion. The primary thing should be that you feel good after the workout.

Most of us are at work all day, often under stress. The last thing you should be paying for is leaving a workout feeling sad, exhausted or mentally distraught. It's terribly important to set yourself up in a healthy way. Having guided lessons or a trainer who is humanly sympathetic to you helps a lot in this regard. That can be the key to sticking it out.

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Sources: archiv Jana Svobody/ Se svolením

The pressure to look good is strong in general, but perhaps even more intense in the gay community. Do you see this in yourself or in clients - that they want to look their best and if they don't fit the "worked out hot dude" box, they start to have a problem with themselves?

Definitely. For example, when we talk about the pool, a lot of people write to me that they really want to come, but they won't hear back until six months later - "when they've lost weight" or when they have a better figure. I try to explain to them that it's not about that at all.

If someone doesn't feel comfortable, there are wetsuit t-shirts, swimming aids, lots of little things to help you feel comfortable. Again, it comes back to the fact that even for the pool you can "dress" to feel better. If someone has a problem with, say, their stomach area, that can be totally solved. Often you just need to talk to someone about it - or just realise that these things can be dealt with and there's no need to hide at home about them.

Is the ideal of a well-developed gay man even right?

I think most of us like to look at an athletic man - I personally find it aesthetically pleasing. Not in a superficial sense, more like a natural response to harmony, proportion, energy. I always call it "aesthetic". It shouldn't be the ideal. The ideal should be based more on how one feels.

Even if you don't fit the norms of Instagram or social media, but you are well adjusted, confident and happy, it's much more than having a "sixpack", giant shoulders and boobs. It's all about what's in your head.

I've met plenty of people who fit that exact "perfect" norm but were extremely insecure. I was so puzzled by it sometimes. We're all actually envious of each other - the one with the big shoulders will tell you they're envious of your legs, and the one with legs is envious of something else. It's a never-ending merry-go-round.

Do clients come to you more because they want to lose weight or gain muscle?

I guess I'm lucky in that I get mostly people who want to learn something. I can't think of anybody right now who's come to me who just wants to lose weight or gain muscle.

Of course, the sports I do - whether swimming, crossfit or HYROX - will shape you up pretty quickly if you're dedicated to them. But that's a side effect. Primarily, people get in touch because they want to learn something and improve technique or fitness.

Going back to the very beginning of exercise - what advice would you give people? How many times a week to practice, how to approach it?

This is terribly individual. Each of us has different health limitations, different time and financial capacity. It's a combination of factors that each person has to adjust for themselves and most importantly not compare themselves to anyone else.

Unfortunately, that measuring happens all the time. But if one learns to work with what one has, one can have some success. That's why I don't even want to give specific numbers on how many times a week to practice. There has to be adequate rest given the performance you are putting in.

So you watch your sleep as well? If someone is used to going to bed late and not getting enough sleep, it's probably not ideal.

I'm sure it's not. Of course, there are some people who can make it with little sleep, but in general, if one has no athletic background, one should start slowly.

If you go to a class twice a week and add running, swimming, or other cardio once a week, I don't think you'll go wrong. It's important to give your body time to get used to it.

So is it a good idea to alternate cardio and strength training?

If you start doing something and you do it, say, three times a week, you'll progress quite quickly. If you run three times a week, you'll get to running ten kilometres in about an hour relatively quickly. If you haven't run at all before, that's a pretty quick progression.

Then you start to pull down the time, get up to maybe fifty minutes and get to some imaginary peak. And then you think - what's next? At that point, it's good to start alternating the activities.

Again, it comes back to what you want out of it. Do you want to be fit, or do you want to excel at something? If you want to have extreme muscles, you have to adapt your whole life to that - diet, sleep and training. The people I'm around who have achieved that imaginary perfect figure will often tell you that, although they're in shape, they've lost a big part of their life.

I think the most important thing is to be fit. I have work experience with seniors, and it's awfully obvious that those who have a history of sports are much better off in their senior years than those who have done nothing all their lives. Sport doesn't have to be about everyone going to the Olympics. Today's times are conducive to fun sports.

Do you also encounter an obsession in sports where people go beyond a healthy approach?

Definitely. It's actually a form of addiction - similar to drugs, alcohol or food. I've been through it myself and I know it's not set up right, but maybe that's why I can talk about it.

I got to the point where it wasn't just for pleasure anymore. There were personal things behind it, demons that you carry. For me, it had to do with things like my elementary school experience, gym class, things I'd been through.

So it's more of a desire to look your best?

Not really. It's more that sometimes I think of people who used to make fun of me, and I think: where are you now? It's a terribly toxic setup, but a lot of people have that.

For the most part, I still do it for fun and I think I have a relatively healthy setup. But I admit that there is still a percentage of proving myself and others. I don't want to pretend that there isn't.

Can you imagine not working out for a week?

Not really. My partner's the same way, though not so much through races. We've gotten to the point where we choose our vacation accommodations based on whether there's a gym, hotel gym, or pool nearby. I don't find it a big deal, and I actually like it when clients come in saying that they've started to feel the same way.

The question is whether it's a good thing or not. So far, I'm at the point where I'm comfortable with it and it feels fine to me.

Many experts say that the line is crossed, for example, when a person is sick and still goes to exercise. Do you have a similar mind-set?

Unfortunately, I have exercised a few times even when I was taking antibiotics. I don't recommend it - it's terribly wrong. I don't like trainers who give people the ultimate orders. I've done some coaching courses, but everyone is an adult and has to feel for themselves what is right for them.

If you're taking antibiotics, you shouldn't go work out just for yourself anymore, but for others you may infect. On the other hand, when you have a mild cold, many people have experienced that moderate exercise has helped them. It's always about moderation and what stage of the illness one is in.

When a person starts exercising, they probably shouldn't just eat fast food. What advice would you give about food to people who are starting to exercise?

In general, whether you exercise or not, food should be balanced and meet some basic attributes. I know that sounds terribly general. For example, I like "mecaca", I'm happy to have it. When I first started working out, I told myself I didn't want food to limit me.

Of course, I'm somewhere else now. When you do a sport for a long time, see results and start going to competitions, for example, you realise that you can't do it without some dietary modification. But for me, the ideal option is when it forces you to do it. That's why I don't think it's a good idea to radically change your diet right after your first visit to the gym.

Sure, the progression may be faster then, but on the other hand, I'm a believer that we should enjoy life too. If you want a sandwich, just have one.

But healthy food doesn't have to be boring food.

That's right. It's an awfully broad topic and I don't want anything to sound out of context. If you have a drink every Friday and chips with it, progression will look different than if you have a soda and maybe a vegetable with the TV.

I think we can all imagine that. The problem is more that few people are set up to do it strictly. But when you get to the point where, say, you run a half marathon and you tell yourself you enjoyed it and want to run it half an hour faster next year, you usually take that regimen for yourself. It's not a compulsion then, it's a natural process.

If you do it right after your first visit to the gym and tell yourself that you're going to cut out all the sugar now, you'll just get sick, you'll get annoyed and the whole plan will fall apart. That's why I think it's better to start slowly, so that you enjoy it and feel good about it.

Should you watch your protein intake? We see ads for all sorts of protein products all over the place. How do you feel about it?

This is also a difficult question. Ideally, you should watch your intake of everything - protein, fluids, sugars, fats and vitamins. Nowadays you have protein bars, protein chips, everything is "protein". But often it's more marketing because it simply sells.

Then it's up to everyone to flip the packaging, look at what's really in it and how much protein the product actually contains. The advantage these days is that you have the tools to help you navigate it. Plus, protein intake is very individual and I don't want to preach to anyone.

But it is true that the more you can adjust and the more you understand it, the closer you will get to your goal. It doesn't have to be extreme - even a basic overview can help a lot.

If someone is reading this interview who would like to join your community or is looking for a place to start practicing, what's in store for them?

If we're talking about the pool, feel free to message me on Instagram - I reply to everyone. If it's about working out at the CrossFit With Us gym, they can reach out to me, message me directly on the gym's Instagram profile, or check out our website.

A lot depends on what exactly she wants to do. For example, we offer HYROX, which is a conditioning workout for people "off the street" where you don't need an introductory class. It's very much based on working with your own weight, and I always say that it will help you in everyday life - for example, running down a tram with shopping bags.

Then there's crossfit, which is more technical and carries a higher risk of injury, so that's where you should do an onramp course. But everything is explained in detail on our website.

Outside of your work at the gym, you also organize community runs, which functioned as a sort of alternative dating site for the gay community in the fall and will be starting up again in the spring. Can anyone really join them - even someone who has never run before?

Absolutely. I originally came up with the community run with a client who used to swim with me. Most of my clients are from the queer community and it's been very friendly from the beginning - you come for a run, you sweat a little, you chat.

A lot of people today say they don't want dating, parties, alcohol or drugs. The original intention was partly dating, but not primarily. It was more about connecting people naturally, without pressure. Gradually there were friendships, collaborations, even work ties.

And most importantly - we were all on the same level. Sweating, huffing, with nothing to play with. That's what I liked about it.

So any singles reading this interview, feel free to Instagram and join in?

Sure. Community runs should start up again in the spring. I've honestly been surprised by how many people keep texting me asking when the next run is. I'm really excited about it and would love to get it going again - I'm just really busy with other projects right now.

Anyway, I'm already working something out. I've also reached out to a few people about possible collaborations so we can take the run a bit further again. I don't want to make any promises, but I imagine that sometime in March it could get going again. Winter doesn't seem ideal for that - if only because of the darkness and the weather.

What would you say to a person who wants to do something with themselves but is so afraid of being judged by others in the gym?

That's a problem for all of us - and I mean even those who have been going to the gym for a while. No one is born with a barbell in their hand. We all started out somehow. Either we were very thin or we were stronger.

Sure, there are people with good genetic predispositions who just need a few squats and they have shoulders. But I'd venture to say that 99 percent of people started out the same way - scared. Me, too. When my boyfriend and I first opened the gym door, we were like, "What have we done? Where did we go?"

But it really depends on the community you choose. Some people want to go down that path alone, some people prefer to be in a collective - either way is fine. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, my only advice would be to start slowly, don't push yourself, and do it in a way that makes you feel good about it. It will come naturally.