***Thoughts on Gyms, Culture, and Training***

The Gym… Sometimes it’s a confusing place. Is it that area you can let your inner demons out and unleash; Is it the “Compound,” and the “training ground” or is it a place where you have to be all prim and proper. Not too loud, not too aggressive, cage your demons and be cool, calm and collected?

There is a reason I can’t train at ‘fitworks,’ LA, or god forbid planet fitness. These places are entirely unmotivating, and do not fit my lifting personality. That’s right, lifting personality. We all have one… It’s that person in the gym, that person that in some way shape or form differs from you in the work place or you with your friends, or really anywhere else.

Every gym has its own particular culture and with it expectations. Fit the mold son! Fit the mold! That culture may change as the gym grows, such things are expected. But as a lifter your first responsibility is to find that environment and culture where you can thrive. Remember it’s the gym; you are there to accomplish your goals and let your issues be unleashed. Finding an environment conducive to that is crucial for success in accomplishing those goals. How can you really expect to thrive in an environment that isn’t encouraging you to do so? That jokes, makes light of, or discourages the very things that motivate you to push harder.

Some examples of gym culture differences can be quite blatant; some gyms have guys running around with their shirts off, mirrors all over the place… no big deal. Others, no mirrors, bodies mostly covered, and it’s almost taboo to take that shirt off. Don’t even get caught taking a shirtless pic son, don’t even! Some gyms are loud, people yelling… grunting, and backs being smacked before heavy lifts. Others, calm and serene… the quite before the storm. Two totally different gym environments and cultures. Where do you fit in, and does it even matter?

Whether those environmental details matter is entirely up to you… how much of your lifting is an external expression or internal. Me personally the difference is huge and I am just an asshole in the gym. I am loud, I cuss, I take my fuckin’ shirt off, I sniff my Ammonia, and I grunt to force out that last rep, I am snappy and when I am all geared up and ready to roar I am READY. Let me under that bar and do battle. In the words of my first coach/mentor I am a “knuckle head.” Yes… yes I am.
The more aggressive, amped, and psychotic I am on a max effort day is directly related to my performance. The more calm and serene I am translates to passivity under the bar, this guy doesn’t smash PRs by being passive. No by being aggressive and psychotic I can do my first bench workout in 2 months after surgery on both biceps and nail 405x2 and my 2nd week training I can nail 405 for 2 sets of 4 reps… Grunting, yelling… being a ‘douche.’

Performance and emotion are related. I can go to the gym one day calm and serene and get almost buried under a 545lbs squat, and come in a week later ready to rumble, psycho on 100 and smash 570lbs… Which do you want? 545lbs calm and feeling like a flower on a cool summer day, or an aggressive caged animal READY… 570lbs SMASH.

In the environment I started lifting in aggression was encouraged, you are there to smash weights and forget your life issues, to cuss and yell and make light of whatever you want. CT Fletcher comes to mind… That doesn’t appeal to everyone, but I can tell you this. Throw me in a lifting cage with a bunch of aggressive go-getters and I am bound to smash a PR… put me in a lifting cage that’s quite and serene and I am going to walk away thinking… damn I could have done more.

Am I a asshole? Yes! am I wanted in your particular gym… probably not. But damnit, I love what I do and how I do it. I like joking about them fat girls, yelling, grunting, taking a giant whiff of ammonia, filling my chest up, lowering the bar and grunting out that last rep. I like throwing my belt aside when I am done and thinking god damn that bar is my bitch. And when I am done I just might snap a picture and think… hmm I am big as fuck right now, I need to lose this side fat though…Jiggle Jiggle

-Peace out…



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