One Gym Essential You Can’t Buy
March 11, 2010 by Admin: Joe Hashey, CSCS
Filed under Strength Training
In December I laid out the ground work for Creating An Economy Gym, but I left out something important.
…And this DOES NOT COST A DIME.
MOTIVATION
If you are motivated, hell you could work out with a car tire and a garbage can lid. Nothing stops the motivated. (A good article to read about motivation was my rant about – Youth, A Fighter, And The Dying Breed.)
I need to thank Todd Hamer, the strength coach down at Robert Morris University for reminding me of that fact.
When you think of a Division I or IAA strength program, you usually image a weight room with all the bells and whistles.
I visited the Rutgers University weight room, (<==link to the pictures) they must have had at LEAST 15 power racks, turf for running, tons of machines, sleds, etc. It was MASSIVE!
While all that equipment is nice to have, I’d still set motivated coaches and athletes as FIRST PRIORITY.
At RMU they had about 4 power racks for all their division 1 AA sports.
Doesn’t matter.
As soon as we started lifting Todd was flying around the weight room like a mad man giving everyone the swift kick in the rear that they needed.
We worked up to 345+ lbs on the bench and it was going up easy. Not because of the fancy bench, an expensive bar, a top of the line rack.
It was because there was a motivator in the room! It was contagious.
Strength Training at Robert Morris University
Now how can this apply to you?
Motivation Tips:
- Lead from the front. Your partner wants to take the day off? Too bad, get him / her in the gym.
- Set goals and plan your program. Its way easier to find your way if you have a map.
- Be who you wish you are. Do you want to be the guy that constantly needs to be pushed, or the one kicking butt in the weight room?
- Take pride in everything you do. If you are training alone and quit on a set early does anyone know? Yes, the most important person does….YOU.
Having good equipment is great, but without a person motivated to lift, it is all merely hunks of heavy metal.
- Joe Hashey, CSCS -
PS. Skipped training lately? Forget about it and move forward!
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I need to get in on that!! Looks like it was a ton of fun man…great environment, motivated group of guys, positive energy. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Thanks Isaac – Todd light a fire under all of us! Ill be riding that wave for awhile.
Joe
diggin the garbage plate reference! haha
haha, basically a garbage plate on a bun.
We tested our verticals pre and post sandwich. Knocked nearly 2 inches off of both of ours…
Joe
I’ll say this………..motivation and atmosphere definitely matter most, as the “equipment” handy is merely a means to an end, and anything that offers an opportunity for systemic progression over time will work very well.
But, and this is sometimes gets overlooked in various circles, buying new equipment that is the best possible option within a given budget, can often serve as an added motivating factor for two reasons.
Sometimes training with the same stuff “the best” train with gets you fired up just thinking about it…………..some might see this as an external versus an internal motivator, but oftentimes perception is reality, and training with the best (if possible, and this refers both to what equipment you train on and training with the highest-caliber lifters) can give you something extra. I say extra because internal motivation and drive still has to be there first.
In addition, training with the best equipment possible breeds added confidence, as you know that no matter how grueling the training, the equipment is always up to the task and can always take the beating and come back for more (not to mention prevent unexpected accidents from happening because it won’t fail at an inopportune time). It’s as if you can hear the equipment taunting you on each set to test its limits and step up your game in the gym.
So motivation to train any time, anywhere, and with anything is still king, but training with world-class equipment is definitely an added motivator for those who already have the passion.
So this whole comment is more of an addendum to you post, Coach Hashey, than any sort of rebuttal.
TJ, I certainly here and agree with you on that!
I’ll add something else though, if you don’t mind.
New equipment motivation does exist, but is often fleeting. I’ll use the example of schools. Lots of schools are getting this new “Smart Board” technology that is suppose to revolutionize how students learn. Its top of the line equipment.
The first 1-3 years showed higher levels of student interest. However, after that time passed, they got used to it and it just became part of the typical scenery. All the motivation and attention gains that were suppose to last forever diminished.
I’m certainly not saying you are wrong – I am actually agreeing with you that some nice stuff can get a person going. In my experience that seems to be more “short term motivation” than a deep down lasting killer attitude.
Just some reflection – I almost appreciate your comments TJ!
Joe
The atmosphere looks awesome-I’ll bet that sandwich was awesome but probably felt like shit afterwords! I liked the vert test after eating it. I did something similar at the high school level using sugar and honey-trying to make a point with the kids about nutrition and food choices.
Ha, thanks Jerry – needless to say I cut that out of the video!
Joe