Podcast #25 – So I Went To A Big Box Gym…
Divorcing the muscle from movement defeats the Point
- All these machines supposedly help you build muscle, but they take away all of the intrinsic benefits of the movement – stability, balance, control, and all of the small muscles and movements in between.
- There are no little consequences for improper movement, only big ones, which is a bad thing. Sure it’s nice to be able to lift and push lots of weight, but if you aren’t prepared for it then you’re more likely to get injured when those safe guards are taken away. It’s like learning to bowl with the bumpers up. It doesn’t teach you how to bowl.
- So much money and space goes into these machines that mimic what you would be doing with free weights or bodyweight..
- The point of going to the gym is NOT to put on muscle, get “in shape”, or lose weight. The point should be to maximize your health and ability. Don’t agree? Look at any number of meatheads who grind their joints into the ground doing the same machines with bad form, or the body dysmorphic people who never leave the stair climber. The gym is a place to supplement a healthy lifestyle, not become the central focus it.
The path to being big and muscular has little to do with being an athlete or being athletic
- I saw lots of jacked dudes walking around with the gym bag and blender bottles doing poor form on a machine. But they looked the part. The problem is that looking the part doesn’t mean anything about being able to live the part.
- Training to be coordinated, mobile, capable, and athletic does not happen on a circuit rotation of 10 different sectorized machines.
- Would you rather be athletic or look athletic? At the end of the day what is the point of having a muscle car that won’t drive anywhere…
Going to the gym will not save you.
- Doing one hour of exercise a day and 8 hours of sitting still makes you sedentary.
- You cannot outwork a bad diet.
- It’s not about how much you’re willing to work, it’s about how much you’re willing to sacrifice.
Don’t go to the gym to just walk on the treadmill – Just Don’t.
Exercising/working out from an emotionally reactive place of “I feel fat” or I need to get jacked will not help you create long term success
- Going to the gym without a plan is like going to the grocery store or mall without a shopping list
- Use the gym as a supplement for what you can’t do on your own.
- Yes, it’s a big step to get to the gym, but the bigger step is creating a plan and setting up accountability to see it through.
Incredibly lonely
- I found the whole experience incredibly lonely. Noone talked to anyone else, no one made eye contact. Most people were listening to music or looking at their phone.
- A place where you heal your body and mind is best when you feel known and appreciated. Being so “independent” all the time isn’t healthy. Find a place where people know your name.
- A gym should be more than just a building with equipment.
