As Published in Body Talk Magazine
What has this world come to? Is the gym no longer sanctity where one can go to get away from the chaos of their hectic lives? And, heaven forbid, someone actually going there to WORK OUT! Every time I think that I’ve seen everything that there is to see in the gym, or believe that nothing could possibly surprise me, inevitably, I see something that makes my jaw hit the floor. When you enter a gym, there are certain sounds that you expect to hear. Loud music, dumbbells banging together, people chattering, weights dropping to the floor (which drives me absolutely ballistic), workout partners shouting at one another, and guys that feel it necessary to scream out in writhing pain so thunderous that you believe you might be witnessing the very first male childbirth. That’s fine. No matter how annoying, we learn to live with these sounds and antics.
However, amidst all of this noise, there is yet another distraction that has made its way out onto the gym floor these days; it’s the ringing of someone’s CELL PHONE! If you’re lucky you might actually hear an attractive little jingle instead of the generic ring.
I have to ask… what possible usefulness could a cell phone have during a training session? Why would someone willingly invite a distraction into their workout? I just don’t get it.
I’m not sure if it’s just an over-inflated sense of self-importance that prompts people to treat their cell phones as an indispensable accessory and take them onto the gym floor, or whether there is just a universal decline in the desire to concentrate and train without distraction or interruption. I see people wandering around on the gym floor in between sets chattering away; I see people on the Stairmasters, elliptical trainers and bikes with their cell phone glued to their ear, and I’ve even seen people talk on their cell phones while performing a variety of exercises! If the phone call is that damn important, the caller will leave a message!
In fact, just the other day, while I was in the midst of a heavy set of incline bench presses another person’s cell phone went off on the bench right next to me. It could have easily distracted me, possibly causing an injury. But, the most inexcusable point about the situation is that the owner of this annoyance wasn’t even in the same room as his damn phone! His line of reasoning was that he was waiting for a possible business call – POSSIBLE! He didn’t even know if he would get a phone call… but just in case… he better have the phone nearby (nearby being defined as thirty yards away). My argument, as animated as it was, was to put the damn gadget on vibrate and keep it the hell away from me!
And the very next day, I observed people on five consecutive treadmills all with their cell phones glued to their ears, not to mention the sixth person whose Walkman was apparently turned up so loud that I can only describe the level as “stun,” as he was wailing the songs equally loud. Then there was yet another person who actually ended a set of leg presses early to answer his phone! These people dumbfound me because when I’m training or doing a cardio session, the last thing I want to do is talk on a phone, much less hold it to my ear the entire time.
The gym floor is not a place to conduct business, gossip about the neighbors, or make plans for the weekend. For some of us, the gym is still a type of safe haven. It’s somewhere to go and leave the day’s crises behind. It’s a place to get into your own world for just an hour. It’s a place to convene and commune with others of similar mind; talk about training, exchange theories, and share experiences; or at least it used to be.
Certainly, Ronnie Coleman did not earn 7 consecutive Mr. Olympia titles discussing it on his cell phone during his training sessions. I could not imagine this incredible athlete interrupting a set for ANYTHING! Similarly, I doubt you would ever catch him performing a cable lateral raise with one arm and holding a cell phone to his ear with the other saying, “Yea, I’ve been thinking about it. I think that I’ll win the Mr. Olympia again. By the way, what are your plans for tonight?” I’m pretty confident that Ronnie channels every ounce of physical and mental energy into becoming bigger and stronger.
Nowadays, way too many people are content to just go through the motions. Perhaps this is why I constantly hear “no matter how much I work out, I just don’t see any changes.” Here’s one tip… leave your cell phone in the car and concentrate on your workout! These people “train” at the gym just to pretend like they actually did something regardless of whether or not the workout was even minimally effective on ANY level. Increasingly, people just don’t care about the quality of their workouts.
Is it any wonder that more than 67% of Americans are overweight or obese?
I hear people boast all of the time about spending two hours a day in the gym, yet I watch these very same people perform one set and then walk around pointlessly for a half of an hour talking on their cell phone. Time alone in the gym means absolutely nothing; its just time. I’ll bet I have more intensity in the first five minutes of my training session (while I’m stretching) than these people get out of their whole weekly routine.
It’s no wonder that they complain about their lack of progress.
If you want results, simply getting into the gym is not good enough. Anything desirable comes at a cost. The more desirable something is to us, the more the cost. Maybe that explains the problem. Maybe anyone who is willing to spend their time on a cell phone instead of training properly is not willing to pay the price required to reach their “goals.”
Let’s face it… the people we’re talking about are not the ones that are even remotely in exceptional shape. They are typically the persons who feel sorry for themselves because “no matter how much I work out, I just don’t see any changes.”
My response? Get a clue! Slap yourself upside the head. Knock some sense into yourself. Better yet… let me do it for you! Quit complaining about your own shortcomings. Quit blaming your personal trainer or diet consultant for your failures. If you’re not getting the results that you brood for, then leave your cell phone in your locker and get your mind into your workout.
Rick Streb
