Fitness Friday – Fitness Communities

It’s amazing how life works sometimes. I have been struggling for the last week trying to figure out what to write about today when a topic fill into my lap. I went to the store this morning, after my workout, to get more eggs for breakfast. I walked in wearing my Spartan Sprint Finisher shirt (I won participant) when I was stopped by a guy in the front of the store. He was a part of a group of guys who got together on Fridays and just finished a “boot camp” style workout down the street. (We have a Starbucks in our grocery store. Don’t be jealous). After a minute or so he invited me to join their workout group. Normally, I HATE having conversation with random people in public places (Stay in your own lane, am I right?) but today I was intrigued. I shook his hand, thanked him, and walked away deciding to quickly Google the group’s name before I forgot.

The group is called F3 Raleigh (Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith). From their website it looks like their mission is “to plant, grow, and serve small workout groups for the invigoration of male community leadership.” Now, I prefer to keep my fitness and faith separate but I found the idea of group interesting and important in a much larger sense, when it comes to fitness.

No matter where we are in our fitness journey, all of us started from scratch. We are all newbies at some point. The thing I find interesting is the longer we go without getting into fitness the harder it becomes to start. Our pride and insecurities get in the way and we start making up excuses as to why we shouldn’t work out. Fitness is intimidating. There are a million different exercises and a million different ways to work out. You can work out by yourself or with a partner but you would have to find your own programming or workout plan. You can work out in a group but it’s easy feel like you’re competing and being judged by the others in the group. With all of the fear and pressure to fit into this new group it is no wonder people quit their New Year’s Resolutions by February.

The thing I’ve learned over the years, bouncing in and out of fitness, is no one gives a shit about our fitness journey but us. Will there be people who will judge us when we show up to the gym on January 1st? Probably, but most people won’t give us a second look. They are too busy with their own journeys. They are focused on what they are doing.

I get it. We all know in our minds we aren’t being judge but it doesn’t stop the irrational thoughts from creeping in to freak us out. The resistance wants to gain access to every part of our lives. How do we fight the resistance? How do we get rid of those irrational thoughts? We need to join the community. The community of fitness enthusiasts and we do this by showing up regularly. Does a weightlifter, powerlifter, or CrossFitter look at the runner or the Zumba-er (I think that’s what they are called) the same way? Probably not but they are still a part of the same overall fitness community. Their specific goals are different but each of them care about the same thing: Fitness.

For years I bounced around doing various types of programs. I tried P90x, I ran, I took Spin Classes, I did traditional bodybuilding workouts, and I did CrossFit. I didn’t mind any of them, but something was missing. It wasn’t until my wife got me a squat rack for my garage, I found my niche… Powerlifting. I started doing Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 program and was hooked. 5/3/1 helped me realized where I failed in the past. Wendler’s program was simple, unlike the tradition bodybuilding workout style, and though there can be cardio and conditioning elements added it’s a major part unlike P90x, Spin, Running, or CrossFit. The important thing was I found where I belong.

The point is we need to find our people within the fitness community, especially when we first start. This takes some experimenting and trying new ways to work out. If one doesn’t feel right, after giving it an honest shot, then quit and go find something else. The important part is to be excited about a fitness program to ensure we stay motivated. Grab a friend, try a class, and find a community. I promise you won’t regret it. And if all else fails it might be time to build a community of your own, much like the F3 guys.