I decided to work my chest and shoulders today since I missed going to the gym the last three days. I asked an older guy to spot me doing 10 reps 135 lb bench press. After I finished, he immediately said “you’re a pretty strong dude”. I honestly didn’t think much of it…I said thank you and I moved onto 145 lb. He spotted me again without me having to ask him and that kind of got me thinking…it’s pretty easy to ask somebody to spot you at the gym. You just have to ask! Nobody’s going to judge you for asking.
Several workouts later, I went to go do incline bench press. I asked another older guy (probably just as old as the first guy) to spot me doing 3 reps of 135lbs. My upper chest is pretty weak so I couldn’t do as many reps but I wanted to have good form. So I focused on coming down all the way to my chest and back up and keeping my shoulders rolled back. After 3 reps, he told me I had really good form. Again, I didn’t think much of it because my mind was all over the place from the huffing and puffing I did trying to get 3 reps.
After the gym, I went home to change and started my day with some journaling. It was during that journaling time that I started thinking about what those spotters had said to me. I realized how applicable those words were to my life. And here are some of my thoughts:
- It’s important to be strong in every way (mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc…). Going to the gym gives me the energy to go throughout the day and helps me manage my stress better. Going to the gym also helps me push myself mentally to lift heavier weights and focus on doing quality reps. Being mentally strong gives you confidence and helps you overcome tough situations in life.
- There’s a fine a balance between quantity and quality. If you put in quality work, you get quality results. But at the same time, you also have to put in a lot of work to achieve your goals. If you barely put in any work, you’ll barely get anywhere. If you put in a lot of bad or cheap work, you won’t get good or meaningful results. If you put in a lot of great and quality work, you’ll get great results.
- Ask if you need help. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to lend a hand instead of judge you or yell at you for needing help.
