Pass It On

Pass it on 

 

Way back in the days of parachute pants and “Member’s Only” jackets, I needed a helping hand to make it to the next level in the gym.  I had made some progress on my own but I wanted to be a competitive bodybuilder and really had no idea how to go about it.  You see, Al Gore had not yet invented The Internet (sorry Bill but that’s what Al claims) and we did not have as much information at our fingertips as there is today.  I was lucky enough to befriend a bodybuilder in my hometown gym and convinced him that I would be a good project to take on.  He gave me the push in the right direction that helped mold me into be the bodybuilder I am today.  After 20+ years of training on my own, I have been able to pass on a bit of knowledge to someone in need more than once.  If you feel you are qualified, you should give it a try.  Please do not try to pass on training tips that you do not fully understand because you could do more harm than good.

 

We have all seen the guys or girls that come to the gym every day and just can’t seem to make much progress.  Well, first lets give them respect for showing up.   Maybe they are not seeing results like others but at least they are making an effort.   If they never ask for help or show the “dear in the headlights” look, I assume that they are happy with things the way they are.  After all, not everyone thinks the way I do. To some, going to the gym is just a social event and I guess you could be at worse places. Others really want to make good progress but they just don’t know where to start.  The fitness world can be overwhelming to a new recruit so they just go in circles for an hour or so then home.  Then there is a third group, these are the people that have made some progress in their training and are really motivated, but they have out grown the only program they know and have hit a wall.  It’s really hard to tell which group people are in from first glance.  Ok, I can tell social guy and girl from the rest because they are talking forever right in front of the piece of equipment that people are lined up and waiting to use, but the rest don’t reveal themselves quite that easy.  

 

So, whom do you help?   I suggest that you focus on your training and let them come to you.  If you see someone doing something that is really dangerous, then please politely correct him or her, other than that “if you build it, they will come” (I always wanted to use that line).  Seriously, they will come. They will come in the middle of your workout, when you are at work, and from any and all places you may go.  So again, who do you help?  More important, how do you handle people when they approach you?  I think that it is very important to remember, “With size comes responsibility”. You have worked long and hard to be respected, now that you are, you should try to be respectable.  When someone comes up to you in the middle of your workout (and they will), remember that they don’t understand intensity and focus.  I know it’s hard not to blow a gasket, but try to tell them in a nice way that you will be glad to talk to them at a more convenient time.  Maybe, before you go back to your workout you could quickly arrange a time to meet in the near future.

 

When people first started to ask me questions about working out, I went to great efforts to help them all.  I didn’t realize that most people didn’t really plan to follow through with the workout schedule that I wrote or the diet that I spent so much time on just for them.  To most people its just talk.  They don’t mean any harm but they use it as an icebreaker in conversation.  So, when someone says to you “I need someone to make out a diet for me because I just can’t seem to lose this gut.” take a moment to assess the situation.  Do you really think this person will even look at the diet you make out?  If you have your doubts, you can easily weed out the true knowledge seekers from the conversationalist by giving them a task to complete.  I usually say something like “write down everything that you eat or drink for the next 3 days so I can see what your average intake looks like”.  This serves 2 purposes.  If they do it, I know they are serious and it really does help me get a grip on what they are consuming over the course of a day.  Most never complete the task and that’s ok too.  We had a good conversation and I didn’t have to do any unnecessary work.  So, whom do you help?  Help those who are willing to help themselves and the rest just aren’t ready yet!