Training with a Purpose Everytime somebody tells me that they are going to "work out" I become slightly amused. This amusment quickly turns into anger. Before you ask me what the hell I am talking about please read on. There is a clear difference between those individuals who "workout" and those that "train". Most people who work out show up to the gym and do 1-2 minutes of b.s static stretches and hop on a bike for 5 minutes and call that a warm-up. God forbid they touch a foam roller or some other form of self massage and then do a dynamic warm-up with mobility work. After their warm-up they continue to do perform completely random isolated exercises that they saw in a Bodybuilding magazine. They proceed to do this for the next hour and half. Why does it take an hour and a half to "work out". In between sets they talk to their friends about how drunk they got last night or how wasted they are going get the upcoming night. You will also find these people texting in the gym or watching the television more than they actually train. If you were to go up to them and ask them why they are performing a certain exercise they wouldn’t be able to give you a legitimate answer other than “today’s chest day”. If you are one of these people SHAME ON YOU!
Take a look at any athlete or fitness enthusiast that trains at the gym. Do these people use the gym as a social gathering? Absolutely not. These guys and gals go to the gym to train with a purpose. Powerlifters train to bring up their totals on the deadlift, squat and bench press, while Olympic athletes train explosive strength. Baseball players and football players train to become better at their on field performance. I think you get the point. Even non athletes train for certain goals. It could be anything from setting new PR’s on their indicator lifts or to just adding muscle mass. Regardless of what their goal is, these guys just flat out love lifting heavy weights!
The point of this article is to call out all those people who “work out”. There is nothing I hate more than seeing someone on their phone in the gym or bullshitting with their buddies. People who "train" are in and out of the gym in under an hour. While there are some exceptions to the rules, Olympic lifters, and maybe powerlifters, most other athletes need no more than 45 minutes to train. While everyone should train with a purpose, goals don’t only have to be physical as in getting stronger or bigger. You can train for your soul or just to get away from all other distractions in life. For most guys, training is the 3-4 hours a week where they can step away from the real world and forget about all their problems and such. So I'll ask you again, do you train or do you workout?
Performance Enhancement Coach
www.MeglioFitness.com
www.MeglioNutrition.com
Joe@MeglioFitness.com
Well said Megs...I noticed how there are very few people at my gym that warmup at al,l and those that do only do static stretching for a few seconds. Also, people stare at me like I'm crazy when I use the foam roller.
ReplyDeleteShep,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback brotha. This post is intended to increase the awareness of what is wrong with commercial gyms in todays society and to also call at the posers that contribute to the problem.