Do gyms allow fitness?

In a previous post I talked about some of the differences between training to be healthy, training to be fit, training for performance and the hierarchy we find here.  I think of these as I spend my days at a good representation of the spectrum of gyms (big box, 24 hour joints, etc) and I'm forced to question; are the top two tiers of this hierarchy promoted or even tolerated in said facilities?

Being of the legitimate "meathead" group which has largely been shunned to garage gyms and warehouse facilities (this should be addressed in later posts) and yet still having the "insider" view of things as a professional in the field I am obligated to say that no, generally, they are not.  There are some "ins and outs" here but let's keep it general for now.

I say this because along with training to "be fit" comes a need to push limits.  To push the limits on physical capacity, exercise/activity selection and probably the most problematic for the management and stuffy regulars... social norms.

The first of these should seem reasonable enough.  In order to improve one's overall fitness level it will be beneficial to progress; decrease your 3k row time, improve your 10RM overhead barbell press or, if it might strike your fancy, score a better "Fran" time.  Whatever it is, do it faster, higher and stronger.  Citius, Altius, Fortius, as it were.  And you will find this happening although it is certainly not the normative behavior for the average gym-goer.  And what a shame.  The simply act of writing down a workout so that you can improve on it next time around (do it faster, with less rest, with more weight, with more reps or whatever the metric might be) can be a slippery-slope into the progress and results we all talked about when we first joined the gym, so its advisable to tread wisely.  You could mess around and get in shape...


Why this simple step is not pounded into the heads of any gym's membership is simply unfathomable.

When it comes to what people actually do at the gym (or their workouts abroad) its a pretty standard state of affairs.  "Resistance training" on one day and "cardio" on another or some variation thereof.  The resistance training most often meets expectations; some bench pressing, simple dumbbells stuff, an inordinate amount of sitting on a machine and pushing through one plane of motion.  The cardio is your standard cyclical activities like walk or running on the treadmill or otherwise, riding bikes, ellipticals, etc.

Riddled with bodybuilding dogma, to be sure.

Frankly, even with your choice of exercise you begin facing limit number 3.  All activities listed above are certainly what you would "normally" see at the gym and any deviation from those choices attracts attention.  And attracting attention at the gym can be a bad thing; complaints from other members and warnings from a staff that may not be privy to the idea of a "muscle-up" or a "kipping pull-up" or a "one-arm dumbbell snatch."  And this could jeopardize your membership at the facility and your fitness level.

To back up for a moment, what recently lit this flame under my rear is a group of gals at one of the gyms where I train clients.  (It's actually Charlotte Anderson and company whose antics and musings I recommend you follow).  These gals are extremely passionate about fitness and have taken on the hobby of pushing the limit.  One of their more recent pursuits has been hand-stands (and, I would assume, hopefully soon hand-stand push-ups, etc.).  As you might imagine this is way outside the normative behavior for this particular gym.  It draws attention, scowls and I would guess that this, and other "acts of fitness," have gotten them in, at least lukewarm water, with the folks in charge as a result.  But, do you know what is really wrong with doing "crazy shit" like that at the gym?

Nothing.

And frankly, I would suggest that a little less interest in boring, mundane workout "routines" and having a little more fun at the gym would serve the general public well.  Very well.  Extremely well.  This is at least one element of the now cumbersome "Crossfit" phenomenon that I find to be glorious.  Stand up, run around, do some impressive shit and be fit.  In general terms, what's wrong with that?

Overall, the third limit that must be pushed is, as much as anything, a societal norm.  Ask anyone about fitness or a good workout or what they do at the gym and it is very likely to be similar to what I described above ("some cardio, some weights").  And, especially at larger gyms, the masses flood in and practice reinforce this very low, very boring standard of what it means to "workout" and it is far too often ignored by the working professionals available to them.

The people who need the help, set the standard.  And the people who should be providing the help, far too often, support it... or at least aren't willing to challenge it.


Pick things up, put them down.  Eat good food.  Go do stuff.


- PMH

What are your metrics?

We've established that you're not at the gym to simply be active (See here.). So, to safeguard ourselves from this apparently perpetual state of non-accomplishment we need a variety of "metrics" to guarantee that we are moving forward. First, there is the obvious and standard measurements often taken at the beginning of a training program (waist, hip and the other circumference measurements), body composition and simple strength measurements. So that secures a chance to check in on the worthiness of your efforts every couple of months or, at best, few weeks.

So, what's your standard ADD-"I want it all, I want it now"-American to use? Your first and simplest option is a notebook. It needn't be anything fancy but somewhere to record your workouts so that you can initiate and observe your progress will be vital to knowing that you're accomplishing your goals, step-by-step.

Your next option, and my personal favorite, is a stop watch. As an aside, if there is one tool that could single-handedly cut down your time at the gym, the stopwatch is it. Very few people workout for 45 minutes to an hour but a lot of people spend 45 minutes to an hour (or even more) at the gym. Get a stopwatch and start timing your workout. Push start as you begin warming-up, monitor your rest periods between sets and make a record of the time when you push stop. Also experiment with doing timed sets versus counting repetitions.

Watching your rest periods will not only cut down on total gym time but also bring a new element to improving your fitness level.

Of the many metrics we could cover here the third of my big 3 is the most costly but equally as beneficial; heart rate monitors. Your time spent trudging through "cardio" and pushing yourself with metabolic conditioning circuits will likely be revitalized by manipulating rest periods based on your actual heart rate response rather than simply time.

I'm okay with "my pants are fitting better" (from women, at least, guys don't have clue how their pants fit...) and periodically testing your body composition or weight but doesn't the idea of knowing each that you've gotten better sound much more appealing?

Engage in your training, take the time, and get what you want.