The one thing you do?

[method2madness]

I am curious to know, what is the one thing you do in the gym that bodybuilders/meatheads like us get/understand that your average "fitness enthusiast" could not possibly get? For me it's talking to myself while pacing back and forth between sets. Sometimes i do it to distract from the fatigue of the set and other times it's to psych up for the next. Sometimes it's just random shit that comes out because my mind is swimming in an adrenaline and testosterone induced haze. What about you guys??

 

[hawkmoon]

How when you are truly working hard, the way the rest of the world fades and you are a machine dedicated to and existing only in the moment.

I call it my active meditation.

 

[thethinker48]

Sit there and stare at the floor between sets

Mostly to avoid the dude that nods at me everytime I look towards his general direction

He was there this morning too...

 

[Sides]

Going into a trance where the rest of the world fades away and I am consumed by love and hate and rage and sweat and pain and glory.

The gym is church to me in a way that most people will never understand, a place where all my OCD and anxiety and depression fades away, to be superceded by a single purpose: chasing that one perfect set of reps, over and over and over again, for an hour or ninety minutes of insanity and fury and prayer and rage and glory. Repeating mantras to myself, all my love, all my hate. Psyching myself up and setting myself up for sets of bench or deadlift or rows that nobody else but me will ever see or care about, but for those few minutes they are the complete focus of my world. The red haze of wrath and anguish and berserk effort, the glory of a well-fought battle.

And then somehow coming to the end of all that mental and physical carnage, panting and soaked with sweat, and trying to leave the gym smiling at the people behind the counter and the normal people outside, and to deal with mundane reality again. Painting on the smile of a sad clown. But for an hour or 90 minutes there, I actually was a hero and had GLORY. And it was enough.

 

[Reload]

The pump.
The feeling when blood congested capillaries swell muscle tissue and veins become engorged fed by the carb up the night prior. Feeding off the energy brought on by music that lights up your brain like nitro in a dragster! The chalk up. The feeling of a PR you've been working your ASS off for! God like! Bleeding in the gym and you simply don't give two fucks! Your there for a purpose! Don't talk to me! Don't look at me!

 

[alfresco]

Like hawkmoon said, lifting is like mediation for me. It gets me out of my crazy busy
head and allows me to focus on just my body. At this point in my life, that is one of
the things I enjoy most about weight training.

I don't really know if there is just one thing I do . . . but I can tell you about a dozen
things I don't do.

 

[Reno911]

I work out at a pretty good clip these days with lots of giant sets, super sets, short rest, pre exhaust, cluster sets, extended partials, etc. I don't have the attention span anymore to take 2-3 min between sets very often. I'd say 1 week a month a train more "traditional" with longer rest periods but it's painfully boring for me.

This is a pretty good vid. I have always marveled at the guys that can really bring the intensity. I think training to that extreme day after day, week after week, month after month can really wear down the CNS. That's where recovery needs to be on point to the max- food, sleep, anabolic, chiro/rehab/PT, etc, etc

 

[qbkilla]

logbook. how do some of these guys do it, just memorize every exercise what they can do? lol

 

[mpjuice]

I wear my hat low (like a blindfold) so I don't have to look at the idiot sizing me up.

 

[method2madness]

Going into a trance where the rest of the world fades away and I am consumed by love and hate and rage and sweat and pain and glory.

The gym is church to me in a way that most people will never understand, a place where all my OCD and anxiety and depression fades away, to be superceded by a single purpose: chasing that one perfect set of reps, over and over and over again, for an hour or ninety minutes of insanity and fury and prayer and rage and glory. Repeating mantras to myself, all my love, all my hate. Psyching myself up and setting myself up for sets of bench or deadlift or rows that nobody else but me will ever see or care about, but for those few minutes they are the complete focus of my world. The red haze of wrath and anguish and berserk effort, the glory of a well-fought battle.

And then somehow coming to the end of all that mental and physical carnage, panting and soaked with sweat, and trying to leave the gym smiling at the people behind the counter and the normal people outside, and to deal with mundane reality again. Painting on the smile of a sad clown. But for an hour or 90 minutes there, I actually was a hero and had GLORY. And it was enough.

Damn! Well said brother!!!

 

[Heath82]

Visualize the set, from walking up to the bar, breathing, un-racking, getting the reps, re racking. Find the right song to listen to

 

[toniportray]

Not socialize. I admit I go to Planet Fitness in a city with primarily a senior population. I work out, finishing 6 sets in the time one of them finishes 1 set. I also don't eat the Tootsie rolls...

 

[SOUR DIESEL]

I am curious to know, what is the one thing you do in the gym that bodybuilders/meatheads like us get/understand that your average "fitness enthusiast" could not possibly get?

^^^training to FAILURE

 

[buck]

When people talk about music when they train I always ask what music.

 

[IronLion2]

Not making excuses for myself

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Logbooking and training to failure.

You have no idea how many, "hey...you writing an essay over there?" comments i get....and they are from other lifters. Clueless. And of course failure. I'll do partials or iso holds and people literally have NO IDEA what I'm doing.

 

[Tomgrass]

Grabbing random people by the skull shaking it violently and screaming to their faces - Letsss gooooooooo!!!!

 

[USMuscle9403]

No music, no nothing to keep track of d except for lifting Straps on back day. "hey how you doing?“ is the only conversation you're really gonna get. I don't really notice much going on, I'll notice a hot chick or something if I'm going to the paper towel dispenser to wipe down the machine. All I really see is the piece of equipment I'm currently on and the one I'm walking to. Not much eye contact. I notice a lot of people watch me but I don't really understand going to the gym just to watch other people.

 

[kilsong]

Sit there and stare at the floor between sets

Mostly to avoid the dude that nods at me everytime I look towards his general direction

He was there this morning too...

Don't go to the locker room with him.
You'll get preggers for sure.
I mean..unless that's what you want....in which case best of luck to you and him.
Do you have a baby name all picked out?
I kinda like Arlo..sounds nice.

 

[thethinker48]

Don't go to the locker room with him.
You'll get preggers for sure.
I mean..unless that's what you want....in which case best of luck to you and him.
Do you have a baby name all picked out?
I kinda like Arlo..sounds nice.

Lucky for me, my gym doesn't have a locker room

He's not a bad guy, but he's just there to talk. Every gym has that one older guy in a wife beater, and sweatpants; walking around with a gallon jug that looks like gamma radiation and shadow boxing between benches.

He's that guy