The gym is something I’ve gone back and forth on multiple times in my life as has working out as defined by working out with weights. On one hand I think it can be a great introduction to developing oneself physically. It’s a huge advantage over a male who does no physical labor of any kind and can be a great tool to use to develop his masculinity. Something else I’ve changed my thoughts on is going from thinking you should only work out for practical purposes.
Meaning work out to become physically more fit for life situations such as fighting, hiking, basic survival type stuff, and what not and the gym offers a good way to prepare for this (or so I thought). I went from that to thinking that if one goes to the gym one should focus largely on aesthetics, meaning building big muscles, as one will still gain lots of strength and muscular endurance but at the same time have something to show for it. Men naturally respect a more muscular man (naturally not talking freakish bodybuilder or highschool kid on steroids who only does chest big) and women are more attracted to him.
What you say will have more weight and you’ll get more general respect. And granted that being prepared for something is very specific for that thing, this makes sense. What I mean by that is you can tear through deadlifts and the treadmill but gas out in the shortest of fights or hiking through terrain. Life and preparedness are very “sport specific” for lack of a better word. If you want to be prepared for something, then do the damn thing. So overall the gym can be good in many different ways, however.
GymBro Masculinity
The gym is meant to be a start not the end of it. Too many males, especially young “right wing” males for whatever reason worship the gym and the iron. To me working out was always working out to do something else never working out for working out’s sake. No one gives a damn if you’re good at “working out” sure it’s better than doing no physical activity and any physical activity will produce more masculinity then none. But sterilized gyms I think lack a lot. Take hiking or real hunting for example.
Sure you won’t develop big muscles but you’ll develop real life skills. You’ll be hardened and have to cope with things. Working out in some air conditioned gym doesn’t do this, or even a “hardcore” gym. It seems like a cheap replacement for the things that men actually do and did. Working in nature, hiking, hunting, fighting, and being men. Not preening on social media or having a big deadlift yet being unable to run a short distance without blowing a gasket. And it’s not even just the physical aspect it’s the mental and spiritual as well.
The gym leaves much to be desired when it comes to this. I’m not saying there aren’t bodybuilders, powerlifters, or regular gym goers that don’t develop good things or that aren’t as developed as anyone else I’m talking about. Rather I’m talking about for the average guy going into this. The gym is seen as the first choice when to me it’s an inferior one to many others. Sure learn how a good diet works and the importance of things like protein but to me the gym and being good at “gymming” probably shouldn’t be the end goal.
Good Not Great & Not Only Option
Now that’s not to say I haven’t had development from the gym or that it hasn’t helped me. It certainly has and I’d say compared to a male doing nothing it’s one hundred percent better and I’m all for it. It’s just that the gym is just the gym. Hoisting weights around does do something and does build strength but honestly farm work will build more real strength and eating the right diet will get you a good percentage of the muscle. I stopped lifting awhile ago but dialed my diet in and have lost very little muscle.
I do plenty of what would be called “man work” moving, lifting, hauling and so on in addition to grappling/striking and hiking. In addition to this I’m getting actual work done, building real applicable skills, and get to do it in environments I prefer one hundred fold over gyms (even my home one and even hardcore ones). I just think so many males see the gym as the only option when it’s not, there are so many others that provide real life skills and develop more important aspects.
The gym just seems like a mostly sterile outlet for something. Don’t get me wrong way better than sitting on your ass and doing nothing, and I’m not trying to take anything away from it. But I do want to point out realities about it. Gymbro masculinity leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn’t develop the spiritual and mental aspects of masculinity like a good many other things do. The gym is good and better than nothing but not great and not the end goal.
I’m Not Anti-Gym
I just think that there’s better options out there overall for the development of men in all aspects, meaning physical, mental, and spiritual. Granted no one place is going to do all of that perfectly but I’m talking “bang for buck” here for lack of a better term. The gym can be great and a God send for many and I’m not knocking males who get acquainted with it, I was one of them. Just looking at it now I don’t think it’s perfect and I think there’s better options out there. Quite a few actually. So not hating on the gym and if you go and enjoy it then more power to you. Just something to think about.
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-Charles Sledge
