The Wall and the Hole

It is easier to push through the wall, than to pull yourself out of the hole.

I came up with this quote the other day while working out. Sometimes I sit and think about all the "motivational" speeches I have heard and told. A lot of times I am searching for a reason to push through that last set of [insert exercise here]. That's when I came up with the wall and the hole. I have two explanations of this quote, metaphoric and physical.

Obviously the wall and hole are metaphors for certain points of your life. So let's start with the metaphoric wall. This wall is an obstacle. Something that is in your way of achieving a goal. Simple enough right? You have to figure out a way to get past this wall, sometimes the easiest of which is to push through it.
Now let's take the metaphoric hole. This hole can be similar to a plateau (verb def.) in that you are stuck there. There is seemingly no way out of this hole other than climbing up a rope. The rope is whatever way out of the hole that you see fit. However it is not easy and will take some will power to climb. Now could you live in this hole, yes. Could you stay down in the hole and survive, yes. BUT WHY?! Climb your butt out of this hole and keep moving.

Now the literal PUSHING through a wall versus PULLING yourself out of a hole.
When comes to exercising, the pushing motion is probably one of the fan favorites. It is a lot easier to push a weight or your body. For the most part, there is the thought process of, if I don't push this weight up, it will fall on me and hurt me. So people are more successful when performing PUSH exercises.
The literal PULLING action is not a fan favorite. Ask your average person to do a pull-up, either they can not, or they do not want to. Why, because it is HARD. People don't like to do hard things for the most part. Also, failing when performing pulling exercises is safe. For a pull-up you just drop to the ground, no weights are falling on you. So the PULL exercises are less successful.

Just food for thought...

The Globo Gym

Recently, due to a string of events, I quit the privately owned gym I had been a member of for 10 years. While it had the Globo Gym mentality, it still had a little bit of a personal touch. This may have something to do with the relationships I had established over my tenure there. So onto the next one...

I'm currently living with my parents until the end of the month when I move into my new apartment. As a result I am temporarily a member of a new Globo Gym. The building had just been finished about a month ago so it is a beautiful facility. Personally I think they could have done more with the space, but I am not an architect or interior designer.

Not Changing...

The following is a question that was proposed to me the other day during a discussion with a friend of mine:
Misguided Friend: I've been working out consistently for the past few months. For a while I was seeing a lot of changes, but now I'm not. I'm not seeing a difference and I feel as if I have plateaued. Why am I not seeing any change?
(insert lengthy conversation here)
MGF: I'm going to send you a copy of my workout routine, can you take a look and tell me what's wrong with it?

Car Racing... Without Gas

So I was going through some archives on Mark's Daily Apple and came across the article WOW: Automobility.  Let me tell you, I think this is an awesome idea for an alternative full body workout.

(this is the point where you go and quickly read the article, then come back here...)

My Psychologist

Everyone has someone they turn to when things go awry. A confidant that they find refuge in. Personally my confidant is a little different than most.  Anytime I find myself to be either frustrated, confused, upset, or angry, I turn to my gym.

Now by this point you are either judging me or laughing at me, or both. This is actually me being quite serious.  The gym is the place I go for asylum, where I turn to for isolation and mental rest. Fairly often when I know not where to go, or what to do in life, I find myself at the gym.

The Spotter

If you have ever stepped foot into a gym, then you’ve seen some individual asking another for a “spot”. The “spotter” is most commonly one of two people: (1) a friend or of the person doing the lift, or (2) the most physically fit individual in their vicinity. Neither of these traits, however, is what makes a person a good “spotter”.

Yesterday, while at the gym, I noticed someone helping another with a lift. As I watched the spotter I began to wince due to their lack of knowledge, and/or technique, in regard to what they were doing. Throughout the remainder of my workout, I kept an eye open; watching men, women, and personal trainers alike, spot someone. Let me tell you, it was not a pretty site.

This leads to the question, what makes someone a good spotter? While I am not the foremost authority on the subject, I am going to take a stab at answering.

Each individual is different in what they want out of a spotter. However these are what I think the basic traits of a good spotter should be.

1. A Good Listener – The spotter is not the one who is lifting. They must be willing to do whatever it is the person lifting wants them to do.
   
2. Knowledgeable – Have an idea as to how to correctly do the lift. This will help when determining where, on the individuals body, to assist during the lift.
   
3. Focused – The spotter is supposed to keep the person lifting from injury. You can not do that if you aren’t paying attention to the lift.
   
4. Detailed – Watch everything that the person lifting the weight is doing. Form is the most important aspect of any weight lifting program. Good form not only leads to gains, but also decreases the chance of injury.
   
5. Open to Criticism – The person you are spotting may correct you in certain aspects. You have to be willing to adjust how you do things.

I also believe that there are certain Rules that a spotter should obey.

1. Help ONLY when needed. – Don’t just grab the bar and pull it up and down for the person. Assist the lift, make the person actually do as much work as they can. Your job is to only pick up the slack.
   
2. Do Not Hang Over The Person While They Lift – Personally I find someone who does this to not only be completely distracting, but annoying.
   
3. Correct the individuals form – If someone is lifting incorrectly, show them how to change it. If they are resistant to change, then you’ve done what you could.
   
4. Be Encouraging – This does not mean scream at them and be a cheerleader. However, eventually saying one or two words to a person can motivate them.