The Gym- by Christopher Davidson (One Half Of PFT)

Firstly, before I worked in a gym as a trainer, from a young age I always trained in one, now you would think the transition from training all those years to being a trainer would be an easy/obvious/no brainer decision for me to make, after all I spent most of my time in there anyway so why not get paid to train and train others? Well it wasn’t! You know what the two couldn’t be anymore different, being a member of a gym there aint no better feeling than getting into that focused, alert, determined frame of mind, walking through those gym doors and bam…it hits you, as soon as that door closes behind you its like nothing else matters, you have just entered a world within a world, the next 1,2,3 hours or how ever long u decided to spend in there could be the best or worse of your life. From a training point of view you could break a PB, run a longer distance than you done in a previous session, run a faster time, learn a new lift or even just ace an existing one that you have been trying ages to perfect. On the down side you could feel weaker, give up on a new lift, struggle with an existing one, give up the treadmill after 5mins! But I guarantee for 90% of those gym users (myself included) that session could set you up for the rest of that day or night, and the next day or even that week! Or it could bring you down, make you irritated, miserable right up until that next session, that next workout where everything clicks, everything works, and who knows how long that could be?

 

Now for me that’s an extraordinary power for a place to possess, for a lot of people the gym dictates their life and not the other way about. You have got to remember that a huge majority of gym members out there will work a 10 hr day then go straight to the gym and bust out a 2hr session, how is that possible? That’s the power am talking about! While working as a trainer I could set my watch by certain people, when they would arrive, what they would do, their approach was so methodical. Now everybody goes to the gym for different reasons, some health related, sports related, some obsessed, but for the majority I feel it is social, and personally I feel this is a big one. What you witness on a gym floor is a community, you have your class obsessive’s, c.v. obsessive’s, big guys, small guys, your posers, weirdo’s, every walk of life imaginable but you know what? Everyone gets along, trains side by side, and the craziest thing of all is these people are approachable! Out with the gym environment they probably wouldn’t even look at each other let alone talk, but in the gym, they trade training tips and advice, spot each other, share training stories, that’s that power again!

 

Do you know why all of the above is possible? Because ultimately everybody shares the same goal, to improve their health, to look and feel good about themselves, an unspoken respect fills all gyms because everyone in there is busting their ass to try and achieve that personal goal and you cant help but admire some peoples dedication to training even if some of their methods are misguided for they set a goal and they wont stop till they achieve it. Now could you imagine if everybody who regularly worked out carried over that focus, determination, willingness, hardworking and barrier freeness mentality into there everyday lives? That would be an interesting world to live in.

 

Now I’ve been a gym member for over 10years and I can honestly say without it I would be a different person and not just in the physical sense. I don’t know where I would be today without that need actually its not a need but a want to train, the gym instilled in me a mindset that dictates my every thought and action, it makes me feel, act, live and see the world different from others. Don’t get me wrong in the earlier years of my training I wasn’t able to carry over that gym mentality into my everyday life, hell I couldn’t wait to finish what ever job I was doing at the time so I could go train. Now I am filled with a consistent motivation and optimism that allows me to deal with all the obstacles and struggles that life throws at me and I feel that mindset is all down to the gym, back when I was younger trying to push out that last rep, trying to run that last 5mins,trying to lift that heavier weight, that “focus then act” mentality has travelled with me to this very day and effects all my decisions.

 

So bearing in mind what I have just written your probably thinking to yourself, wow the gym does possess a lot of power over people, so what’s the problem with that, its sounds all very healthy and positive, Well I was under that impression too until I decided to become a trainer, from my experiences I will tell you for all the people, the hardcore members, the veteran gym goers, the people who cant wait to finish their 9-5 job so they can go bust out a killer workout, there is a vast majority, probably more than half who buy into that “dream” of looking good , losing that extra couple of pounds, buying that magic formula that aids them in weight loss, or helps them “grow” muscle out of doing very little, these are the suckers, the fish that the industry pray on, for every member who joins a gym and to some extent knows what he /she is doing there’s someone else who has know idea where to start or what to do next, and is the correct guidance in place for them? Is it hell! These people come with a “dream” because that’s what it is a dream they may have went years disregarding their health and its got to the point where they have had enough of feeling unhappy about themselves and want change, mentally they are not strong enough to do it themselves as years of unhappiness and neglect can do that to a persons willpower so they turn to the gym which to them is the answer, their shinning light, “the staff there will help me achieve my goals no longer will I have to imagine myself looking thinner, having bigger muscles, fitting  into “that” dress or those jeans or trousers” they tell themselves. That’s a lot of pressure, a huge ask for someone to deal with but that’s what the gym industry and the staff involved have to deal with and I just don’t feel that gyms today fully appreciate the roles they play in there customers lives, they are “life changers” they are holding someone’s dreams, goals, aspirations of becoming the person they have always wanted to be in the palm of their hand.

 

For that last reason alone this is why I decided to start up my own gym company Platinum Fitness Training Ltd with my good friend Andy Tsang, while working as a trainer for one of the big gym companies (I wont name them) I met Andy as he was hired not long after I started, everybody around us could tell we where becoming increasing frustrated at how the industry was operating, as time progressed and our friendship grew it became apparent that we shared the same ambition; a gym environment where peoples goals where truly met ,where their time and money was “invested” properly because that’s what it is at the end of the day an investment in the improvement of their health, where customers are given the opportunity to train with the best trainers who have worked hard to research the human body and implement a science based training programme that’s guaranteed to work ,to work with the best equipment out there in the market today(equipment that serves a purpose) along with the above we wanted to tap into the self belief that’s in everyone but was being neglected.

 

This brings me to where I am today, from trainee to trainer I have come along way, my thinking, opinions, actions have all changed, sitting here writing this article, having once been a member and trained with every walk of life then progressing to a trainer and training several clients from all different backgrounds, who all had their personal problems and fears it has become apparent that we as people, human beings all have that “I can do it” attitude deep inside us but applying it can be a daunting task.

 

I read a book recently that discussed the steps to becoming successful in life and that we all had it in us to achieve our goals, and after reading it I felt that certain aspects of what it was saying could be applied to how we approach the gym, our workouts, our clients goals, in part of the book a was paragraph that was taken from Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are in adequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually who am I not to be? You are a child of god. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about you shrinking so that other people wont feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We where born to make manifest the glory of god that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”.

 

At PFT we as trainers know there is so much more to training than just simply showing up and pushing some weights around or running on a treadmill, the will of any person is responsible for shaping their own future, in our eyes failure should not be an option, you have a choice to clear any obstacles before you, the responsibility ultimately lies with you the trainee to achieve your goals.  Focus on what you stand to gain and you will find that through positive thoughts the motivation you crave for will show itself in you, yes we will be there to guide you with our expertise as trainers but never forget you are strong inside.

 

In finishing I will leave you with a section from a book I recently read by Farrah Gray, it defines what happened to me growing up as a trainee to a trainer and now with my own gym and what I hope to achieve in the future with Platinum Fitness Training Ltd:

 

“Everyone’s life has a purpose, and its up to them to discover what that purpose is. It’s the reason for our very existence, and it is our destiny. It is important to pay attention to your true destiny, because you may believe you are failing for other reasons, when the failure is simply destiny telling you that you are on the wrong path! Destiny is not something you create; its something you discover. Once you discover your purpose, your destiny, you have to align yourself with it or you could end up on a path to self-destruction. When we are in touch with our purpose, we invite inspiration, power, and values to our lives”

 

PFT: WE DON’T HATE WE EDUCATE