Oh, man. How about public gyms? Public gyms and talking. I was in a gym yesterday, a great gym as a matter of fact, one that allows deadlifting and squatting, and get this- chalk. Oh yes, chalk. I was doing some rows and such and four college age kids came in and were beginning to work out. I guess that you could call it working out, most of it was just bragging and inane conversation. Motivated the hell out of me though, seeing them standing around faking their lives. Here are just a few things that I overheard-
"Rough one last night, dude."
" Man, I am so hungover, I can feel the alcohol pouring out of me"
"Dude, when I was in high school"
" I tore my labrum, classic football injury"
"Let's get some curls now, curls for the girls!"
"Yeah, some guys were testing me at the club, some Spanish guys. I put them down, though, put them in the dirt!"
"You see the redhead last night? I'd like to..."
"This will not be my strongest day today"
"I would never draft an SEC running back, they are burned out when they finish college"
And this was just what I heard between my sets, it was just an endless conversation of nothing at all, and I always wonder, can they not wait a little while and then stand in the parking lot and talk? How about actually going somewhere in your mind when you train and focus and actually get something out of it? I have noticed that whenever I am unfortunate enough to train in a public gym, that this type of conversation is commonplace. It is for many, a social hour, and it is sad and actually hilarious. Let's break it down and get this straight-
You mean that you got all dressed up in the latest greatest neon gym wear, drove down to the gym, bought your protein shake and then stood around talking for an hour and didn't break a sweat and then spread out your lats and puffed up your chest and then went home? That's not a waste of time at all. And it happens everywhere! Amazing to me. I don't know how they can face themselves, but then I think, they don't get it and they don't even realize that they are doing it, and they probably think that taking damn gym so seriously is weird in itself, and, I think, who really cares anyway? Just retreat into your mind and do your training. Let them continue to wallow in nothingness and fool themselves.
The latest issue of Sports Illustrated had the "Where are they now?"in it, and this was a good one. Former Wheaties box cover man and Olympic hero Jenner is on the cover. William Perry is in it also, and that is a sad story. But also inside was former Baltimore Colt, Gino Marchetti. That's a great article about a helluva man. He is still going strong. Two highlights from the article stuck out to me. They didn't keep track of sacks back then, but the Colt's coaches broke down the films of one season and Marchetti recorded 43 sacks one year. Yes, 43. I don't care when you are playing, in any era, 43 sacks is a boatload of sacks. And he is a World War II Veteran. He was 18 and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. He grew up in San Francisco and had never seen snow before. That is until the war. His quote? "The first time that I saw snow, I slept in it."
When those guys die off, a whole lot of history, work ethic and manliness will be gone. And it is coming fast.
