Everything I know about life I learned in the gym

Today, I am offering my tongue in cheek guide to the rules of life I have gleaned from my days of training in the gym.

Intention. Before you pick up a weight or jump on the treadmill you need to know what you want to achieve. For every goal – whether it’s fat loss, muscle gain, bigger shoulders, shapely legs, or the ability to touch your toes – there will be workouts suited to that result.

Reality. It’s important to get an understanding of your starting point. This may mean a physical check up from your doctor or just a good look in the mirror. When you know what you have you know what you need to work on.

Integrity. You strengthen your mind as much as your body when you train on the days that you don’t feel like training. If it’s a scheduled workout and you skip it you’ve just made it easier to skip the next one.

Honesty. When you write your results in your workout log don’t fudge the numbers. Doing so will only rob you of valuable feedback.

Action. The best workout and the ideal diet will only help you if you act on them. Being a gym member is not the same as being in the gym, training.

Fluidity. You need to be able to change workouts on the fly. Maybe your usual piece of equipment is being repaired. There is more than one way to work the medial deltoid.

Reality. You can not fake your level of strength. If you’re not strong enough to lift the weight you won’t lift it. But you can train to get stronger until you can lift that weight and more.

Assertiveness. If someone is using the machine you need next it is up to you to ask if you can work in with them.

Courtesy. There are other people in the gym, be neighborly. Take the plates off the bar and wipe down the bench when you’re done.

Equality. Size and strength does not give you priority. The woman squatting with 90 lbs has just as much right to the squat rack as the monster squatting with 800 lbs. Did they each pay their membership dues? Then each has equal access to the equipment.

Emotions. How you feel emotionally in the moment is irrelevant when you are in the gym. Put it aside, push through it, whatever. There’s a workout to be done.

Work. It’s called a workout for a reason – it involves work, effort. If you’re not sweating you’re doing it wrong. Even yoga is hard when you do it right.

Persistence. Sometimes progress comes slowly. It is the day in and day out training, even in the face of inevitable plateaus, that yields the desired results.

Balance. You can’t expect to enjoy every exercise and every muscle group. If you only do the exercises or train the muscle groups you enjoy you will surely stall out in your progress. Many a bench press champion has learned the wisdom of training the rotator cuff, tedious though it may be.

Responsibility. No matter the guidance received it is up to you to create your own results. No one can do your leg raises for you.

Recuperation. You must rest and recover between workouts. All work and no play is a recipe for injury and burnout.

Feedback. Keep a written log of your workouts, your diet, and your body measurements. When you have a record of your progress, or lack of progress, it’s easier to make necessary changes. Relying on memory is a mistake.

Focus. When you’re in the gym, train. Don’t chat with friends, don’t read magazines, don’t talk on your cell phone. Your results will reflect the level of your focus in the gym.

Progress. Every time you are in the gym strive to improve your last performance. Lift more weight, perform one more repetition, increase the incline on the treadmill by a half degree. Every small improvement adds up to great progress.

Vanity. You are in the gym to develop your strength not demonstrate it. Where the ego leads foolishness usually follows.

In closing allow me to shout some slogans at you: “It’s all you. Two more. Nothin’ but a peanut. Come on. Feel the burn.” Motivated? Me neither. That kind of motivation never did anything for me. My slogan is “Be quiet, lift heavy.” I’m pretty sure my brother came up with that one. Yoink.

If you have any interesting ones you’d like to add, either rules or good slogans, leave them in the comments.