Without the Shiny Dumbbells, Treadmills, & Mirrors

This might really strike a nerve with people but here it goes! Your local commercial gym isn't all that great!! There, I said it!

It's been many years since I actually worked out at one of those franchised commercial gym. A friend of mine wanted to try this particular gym out but didn't want to do it alone so I tagged along for the free one week trial. I figured why not! It would be nice to train with some heavier weights since the gym I belong to only goes up to 100 pound dumbbells. Anyways, the gym was nice and clean. In the front, I see two long rows of treadmills and elliptical and two long rows of machines. TVs all around. People talking amongst each other from machine to machine. A lady is walking leisurely on the treadmill while talking on her blackberry. Another lady is reading a magazine while cruising on her elliptical. A guy is reading a newspaper while his arms are draped over the top of the elliptical while he is plodding along on it. I walk into the free weight area. I see a guy squatting with a couple of plates and only squatting a quarter of the way down. Another guy sitting on a bench working on his concentration curls. Looks like he was texting someone between sets. I work my way around the place to check out what I want to use. I see a sign on the wall stating the some of the gym rules. One rule struck me funny. "No loud grunting noises. Noises will disturb the people around you." What?!? I see three young guys huddled around the squat rack, joking amongst themselves, while watching their buddy doing of all things, barbell shoulder shrugs. Shoulder shrugs!! At the squat rack!!! Up ahead, I see a small open area with a line of kettlebells along the wall and medicine balls on a vertical rack and "no one around using them"! YES!!! Salvation!! After a warm-up, I went to town doing circuits using both kettlebells and medicine balls. I grunted and groaned loudly because I was working hard, Jack! I was sweating up a storm! I was doing all these different swings and slams and even did various farmer walks around the aisles of the gym. I might have gotten some funny looks but so what! To finish off, I did a barbell complex of 8 movements for 8 reps for 3 rounds. Do some static stretching for a cooldown and I'm done under 50 minutes.

Going to the gym isn't social hour. Time is a valuble commodity and you need to work hard for everything you want. Don't waste your time getting distracted with other things. Get down to business and get the most out of yourself. Be in the moment!

As you might be able to tell, I'm not into those fancy gyms mostly because the atmosphere is not conducive for real hardcore training. I believe in real world stuff, like working out outdoors. Enjoy the fresh air. No need to breathe that stale enclosed air within a gym. Don't get me wrong, You can't always go outside for a workout either. I'm no different. I have a gym membership that I use often. But the difference is that the gym I belong to has the atmosphere I need to get real hard work done. It has lot of the basics, like barbells and dumbbells. But it also has other equipment that I can use, like kettlebells, medicine balls, sledgehammers, and tractor tires. At home along with the basic workout equipment, I also use some homemade workout equipment like a bulgarian bag, sandbags, and clubbell. Open yourself to alternate ways of training. Your body will not continue to improve if you don't challenge it and vary your habits. If you keep doing the same routine everytime, the changes in your body will become stagnant because your body will adapt. Let me end these with final thoughts.

1) “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” - Bruce Lee

2) Check out the link below. You can get a good look at some alternate types of workout equipment. I hope one day will have a chance to visit this particular gym.     

CLICK THIS LINK >>> Without Shiny Dumbbells, Treadmills, & Mirrors

TRAIN! COMPETE! WIN!