You've probably heard all the gym terms before, like "blood, sweat and tears" or the infamous but iconic, "no pain, no gain." And there's a reason that they're so darn popular- because the concepts are true. Well, for the most part at least. Here are three more of my favourite gym ideas that I've applied to my life, to make the weight of the world a little easier to carry. So, let's get into it- and, in the ancient words of Socrates, I wanna ask, "do you even lift, bro?"

#1 PATIENCE IS A VIRUTE, BRO.

Even though this idea isn't exclusive to the gym, I think I learnt it properly through weightlifting and trying to transform my body. I used to be a really frail, skinny kid, who was really insecure of his figure. Now, I'm just a slightly less skinny kid who's insecure of his figure- but I'm working on it, and that's okay! In life, I've noticed that I have the tendency to (or at least want to) rush things, whether that be my schooling, relationships, writing, reading, and, at one point, weightlifting. Towards the end of last year I made a goal that pushed me to my limits, I wanted to bench press two plates for a one rep max (100kg.) At the time, my 1RM was around 80, and it had sky rocketed within months. I had so much momentum, and felt like nothing would stop me. But I hit a few speed bumps along the way- my body was overtrained and fatigued, and I had hit a plateu at around 90kg. It was the most frustrating thing I had experienced in so long- knowing my mind was more than ready for the challenge, but having my body lag behind. So, I decided to take a week off, and be patient with my body, giving it an ample amount of rest and restragizing my approach. I was more patient myself, and decided to only attempt a 1RM every month and a half or so, rather than every other week. This new approach allowed me to decrease my risk of injury, and facilitate more growth. My patience paid off, and I was able achieve my goal without harm. I broke down my goal into smaller goals- instead of going to 90 to 100, I made it 90 to 92.5, which led to 95, and so on. By breaking down a long term goal into achieveable incremental steps that allowed me to track my progress, I was able to remain patient in the face of adversity and frustration.

Looking back on my 17 years of life so far, I wish I had applied the same patience to many other aspects, such as my friendships during primary school or my short lived love life of 2020. Of course I want friendships that last until I'm grey and old, and a romantic relationship that will hopefully end up in marriage. But why rush these beautiful things? Why skip to the end? Instead, during this final term of highschool, I'll try to appreciate the beauty in the monotonous motions of life- whether that be opening up my locker, or hearing the final school bell ring so that I can run off to the gym. Enjoy the journey, and make your goal noble- but be patient with yourself and others, great things take time, Rome wasn't built in a day, and your benchpress won't go from 0-100 just because your mind thinks you're ready. Patience is a virtue, bro.

#2 Work Hard in Silence

This is definitely something that a lot of people struggle with, including me, during this day and age. Everyone tends to be caught up in their image, wanting to look good for the 'gram, to show off their raging abs or newest car. There's nothing particularly wrong about this, but seeing it flood my feed was part of the reason I left social media. The constant images of other's successes (which tend to be fabricated) can make you feel as though you're doing something wrong, as if you're behind the curb. But in all honesty, no one knows what the fuck they're doing- most people are doing nothing. So, you're decision to work hard in the dark dawn of early morning or at night when everyone's sleeping is one of the most satisfying feelings you can get. I remember working out late at night, feeling on top of the world, as if no one could catch me. Grunting in an empty gym in the darkness of night, where no one else could hear, gave me an edge, as though I had a super power.

This notion can be applied to almost everything in life. For me, I've been purposefully applying it to my academic results. A few years ago, whenever I had recieved a grade for an assignment or a test, I would ask everyone around me what they got to measure myself up against the crowd. If I got an A, I wanted others to know, I wanted to see if my mark was better than theirs. This was just a fancy way for me to prove to myself that I was smart- it was a clear and obvious sign that I was insecure of my intelligence. Well, things have changed since then, now I know that I'm a dumb fuck, regardless of what any letter grade implies. Now, I work hard on assignments, or in my study, and try to keep the grade to myself. I will only disclose it if someone else asks me- and it's a great feeling, to know that I no longer need to compare myself to others. Doing this has also increased my productivity, I'm more competitve than ever, but against my former self rather than the people around me. I've noticed more feedback from my teachers, because I ask them more questions to help myself be better than before- I work hard in silence, against myself. For the future, if I am ever in a romantic relationship again, I will be sure to keep it more disclosed than last time. I posted wayyyyyyyyy too many pictures, and shot myself in the foot. Special things should be kept private, the world does not need to see the shallow evidence of your half-assed efforts. Instead, you should work hard in silence, as you do in the gym, and let your success do the talking.

#3 Rest & Active Recovery is Vital for Growth

As I stated in my latest article, being knocked down in life is a great opportunity for rest. The fit-losophy of broicism goes hand in hand with the concept of anti-fragility, something that the muscle embodies beautifully. After every heavy lifting session, sprint, or other strenuous activity, your body needs to rest so that it can rebuild the muscle fibres and make them grow stronger, and larger. This is the same in life. When tragedy strikes, which it will, and you are in emotional whiplash- whether that be from a sudden career change, a failed relationship, or the death/loss of someone you love, you will, without a doubt, feel broken. You will feel stressed, destroyed, lost, and hopeless- resentment will tempt it's way into your life.

During times like this, I wish I had applied this concept of active to my everyday (outside of gym) life. Active rest is necessary for proper recovery. "What is active rest?" you may ask, well, dear reader, active rest is a form of recovery that incorporates low intensity movement and exercise, whether that be walking, light swimming, or stretching. This facilitates and speeds up recovery, and allows you to be back up and running at high intensity once again. When we go through tough times, it feels as though our world has stopped, like our car's brakes have been suddenly slammed. We become stationary, paralysed by the misfortunes of life. We sit still, literally, and metaphorically- no longer getting out of bed to workout, refusing to put in extra effort at work for that promotion. We lose hope that things will get back to the way they used to be, let alone better. But active recovery and rest, when applied to everyday life, can help speed up the healing process of these wounds. If you lost a loved one, active recovery can be made through spending more time with the loved ones that you still have, whether that be through sharing a meal with them, or just a phone call. Getting your heartbroken can hurt like the fiery flames off hell, but those flames could help fuel your next passion project, poem, song, or book. Active recovery and rest can help soothen the soreness of muscle, and bring tranquility into times of trauma- taking a break, doing simple but enjoyable tasks at a low emotional intensity is vital for growing into someone that is more whole, someone who is strong enough to look at the next dumbbell, the next challenge of life, and whisper to themselves, "bring it on... bitch."

 This free site is ad-supported. Learn more
​