Marcos began reconsidering his physical appearance after his first and only romantic fling. The idea of joining a gym started to cross his mind.

At first, it all sounded great—a young guy eager to get in shape. The only catch was that this young guy was Marcos, and he tended to take everything to extremes. Plus, he was notorious for starting things but never finishing them.

For Marcos, joining the gym was a turning point. The first thought that crossed his mind was, “Now I can shower at any time of the day.” His mother was somewhat obsessive about order and wouldn’t let anyone shower at just any hour. For example, the day he dressed up as the Hulk—or "the green snot," as Sandra teasingly called him—she didn’t let him shower until the next day. (You can read about this in the earlier entries of the blog if you’ve just started following along.)

For Marcos, having access to a shower at the gym was a blessing, and that’s what initially motivated him to join. Getting in shape came later. But joining the gym was also the start of many of his problems. Let’s take it step by step.

After an exhaustive search that took him all over Villa-Abajo, where he lived, Marcos finally chose a small gym located on a quiet street. It wasn’t flashy or big—one of those gyms you wouldn’t even notice unless you lived nearby. The only thing that stood out was the number of ripped guys constantly coming and going through its doors. And that’s how Marcos began his "Operation: Get Fit."