5 Things I've Seen in 44 Minutes at the Gym
By John Izzo, BS, NASM-CPT, PES
Founder, standAPARTfitness.com
Its been a while since I have written an article about this topic (meaning my opinion on something), so as I was working out yesterday, I caught a glimpse of a few things that made me wonder what the motivation is behind them. I don't claim to be a psychologist, however, the last 8 years of my life have been dedicated to absorbing the human experiences of others and making sense of them. Pretend that everyday of your life you were given a deck of cards, and as you outstretched your hand to receive them, they were thrown into the air and strewn all over the floor. 52 cards that you have to pick up and everytime you have to put in a particular order.. Sometimes it easy, sometimes it not.
I have always taught my new trainers that the role of a trainer is: a friend, motivator, coach, teacher, physician extender, role model, and in some cases, psychiatrist. Yes, I have to understand the mental capacity of some clients to learn how to tackle barriers because it makes my job easier. The faster and more effective I am at busting through their mental barriers, the more successful we become (me as a trainer, client at reaching their goals).
So, this is where my story begins. Sorry there are no solutions here, just observations and opinions.
I was in the gym working out and typically my workout takes 44 minutes, sometimes 45. On this particular day, my battery died on my MP3 player. THAT sucks. I know what you are thinking...why not get an Ipod? I don't like those things for some reason...maybe its because everyone else has one. But I like my SanDisk MP3 player better. So on this day, the battery died and I had no means whatsoever of retrieving a new battery, so I had to wing my workout with my thoughts and aggression only.
Observation #1: I love the warmer months. Why? Because all those guys that you thought were big in the winter because they wore lots of clothing...well ...they are really SMALL! Summer is a crucial time of the year because it humbles all of us. On this day, I noticed 2 guys that I "used" to think were pretty big boys in the gym. But today was different. Their arms were no bigger than mine and their legs were PUNY! Why did I think differently before? Well, for the last 5 months they hid their physiques under baggy pants and baggy sports apparel. So on the first hot day of the year, the costumes come off and they bust out sleeveless shirts and shorts. To my astonishment, they seem alittle more quieter at the gym...they seem a bit more friendlier...and they seem a bit less intimidating. Opinion: Its funny how we hide our insecurities so well, until we need to expose them. We have all been in a position where we had to "tell the truth", and in the trenches of gyms, there are always those that get so absorbed by the composure they "act upon", that they lose their real self. I remember when I was little I had a Incredible Hulk blow-up suit. Sheesh...probably late 1980's...I would wear this Hulk suit under a t-shirt and blow it up and I looked like a mini green Ronnie Coleman. One day, at a party I broke it out, and all my cousins laughed. They loved it. It was a real attention getter...I can wear ripped clothing and as I pumped up the blow-up valve, it can tear pre-ripped clothing. I felt cool, until my other cousin shanked it with a pin and it popped. It kinda felt like summer.
Observation #2: 3+1=5. Yep...I was performing my deadlifts in the cage, I noticed a group of 3 teens at the squat rack. They were relatively small, lanky and each had a very low degree of muscularity. But, they were led by one. Yes, THE one. You know who I am talking about. The biggest guy of the group. The upperclassman...the little brother of the big brother who is a big time football star or bodybuilder. Yes, this kid is probably 1-year older and has the biggest arms of the group (15") and happens to be the stronger of the group. As I rested after my 2nd set, I noticed him instructing the 3 lanky fellows on performing back squats with 225 lbs. As one performed the squat with a rounded back and wearing gloves, I couldn't help but notice the attention the other two were giving him. I thought..."that's weird". Gloves on leg day? I didn't interrupt this bonding of myspace mortals, but I pondered: Opinion: Why do we as a society assume that the stronger or bigger are the most qualified to lead the less inclined? Do bigger, stronger people automatically know more than everyone else in the gym? Is the need to attach ourselves to them, more of a void fulfillment on our part or a satisfactory find in our search for answers? Things that make you go hmmm....?
Observation #3: Weighted Assisted Chins. So as I moved from deadlifts to cable woodchops, I noticed a man on the assisted chin-up machine looking pretty confident in himself. You know the machine. You stand on the bar, place a counter weight, and you lift your body up and down. I love the machine because I get to see all the dust on top that gets overlooked by staff (hey, I'm a manager, I can't help it). Besides, I use superbands now and get stares across the gym. Well, today this guy was standing on the top step looking across the gym like he was awaiting his army to set up and conquer some land. Then as I got to my Free Motion cable machine I noticed something. Oh my gosh...this guy was putting on the belt. No, not that belt. The other belt. He was placing the waist harness with a 30 lb. dumbbell and adjusting himself on the top step of the chin up. Then before my eyes and the eyes of others, he began performing assisted chins with an added 30 pounds! I squinted to see how much counter weight he had and it looked like it was set at about #110. My eyebrows got a good few repetitions thanks to all my facial muscles flexing at that point. Opinion: Again...what was he thinking? Was it ignorance or poor instruction? I think with the current information that comes out, we seem so pressed to try to be stronger or look like so-so, or become ripped, or try this new program. I thought that fitness was about being healthy and strong? Not about how much you bench or how many veins you have around your calf. That's the stuff I got into when I was reading Muscle & Fitness with Troy Zuccolotto on the cover, or when I was tying strings around my biceps to pump them up like the Ultimate Warrior. Seems like everything goes in cycles. Just when I get out...they pull me back in!
Observation #4: Wanderers. Ever go to a museum and look at the exhibits or art? You kind of cross your arms and walk around panning the room, right? You "take-in" as much as you can as your brain processes the information. We never really use it unless we are telling someone about our day (at the museum) or you are writing a paper. Well, as I performing my standing dumbbell presses, I couldn't help watch the guy in the mirror "wandering" around the sea of machines with his arms crossed. When I finished the set, I watched him. He walked around, aimlessly, observing the machines and reading the infamous manufacture's instructional sticker and caressing each piece like it was a new car. He was dressed to workout and had a decent build, but he was lost. If he had a camera hanging from his neck and a few maps hanging out of his back pocket, he would have looked more appropriate. Why wasn't anyone else noticing this guy needed help, direction, or guidance? As I picked up the DBs for my next set, I looked over at the front counter and noticed the trainer having a conversation with a very tan, Paris Hilton look-a-like. Opinion: Why doesn't a staff that is responsible for supervising an area that accommodates more than 20+ people, not learn how to "scan" the area? Fitness center staff should be like the Secret Service. They need to continuously keep their eyes moving looking for suspicious behavior, inconspicuous persons, and newbies needing instruction. Who knows, that guy is probably a client waiting to happen.
Observation #5: Barbell curls, cable curls, preacher curls,...oh my! My last exercise was standing ab crunches using a band fixed above me (thanks to my man, Dave Schmitz). I saw a young gentleman finishing up on a set of barbell curls. I think he had gone as high as 105 lbs., but I wasn't sure--I'm trying to workout y'know? Then he went over to the cable tower and began performing cable curls with a straight bar. By then...I was in the corner stretching my adductors. He completed 3 sets of the cable curls and I thought he was going back to the barbell, when he turned and picked up a 30 lb dumbbell and sat at the preacher bench. I wondered how many repetitions of the same movement (elbow flexion) is this guy going to do? Opinion: I know the sea of machines means an endless array of muscle building opportunities, but why are we as a society so infatuated with if one is good, more must be better? I learned something from my father once...he taught me to not overly water a plant. I said, "why pop?" He said that the water can actually flood the roots and prevent nutrients form being absorbed. Don't ask me if that's correct, but I laid off pouring the gallon milk jug (full of water, of course) and starting controlling each pour. Why don't we "control" our pour in the gym? What is the necessitating factor that motivates some of us to perform something over and over and expecting it to respond? Another thing that makes you go hmmm....?
I have the potential and capacity to train every one of these individuals to meet and exceed all their expectations. And so do you. The trick is understanding the thought-process of people through observation, or in a trainer's case, through rapport. The more I learn about others, the more I am able to mirror, deal, and cope with different personalities and abstain people from negativity that prohibits their goal attainment. Part 2 of this article will include 5 more observations....when I see them.
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