Sorry - Does My Concentration Bother You?

such fragile egos at the gym.......

Does it really bother you that I wear my hat low and have headphones on? My true friends at the gym understand what I'm doing, what I'm training for, why I train the way I do and don't take offense if I don't run up and greet them like an excited little puppy. I'm not there to socialize, I'm not there to date, I'm there to work - to lift, to do my job and to do it well. I take the occasional minute at the beginning or end of my workout to 'meet and greet' but once the set starts - it's all business. What is wrong with that? Technically, the gym is my office. And although you may like distraction at your office - they aren't allowed at mine.

I've come to the point where I just look down at the stopwatch. Keep my focus always on what I'm doing, why I'm doing it and what I'm trying to achieve. I don't ask that you work the same way I do but I do ask that you respect my work ethic. Don't be offended that I don't acknowledge you, chances are I don't even know you are there. Don't be offended that I don't chit chat or bullshit, I'm there to do a job. I enjoy my job but I have to work damn hard to do it. Sometimes I get time to talk , but in season, a lot of things go by the stopwatch and when it's time to lift you gotta be ready. And you have to focus - the diet is taxing, the regimen is taxing, the energy is low and yes at times I can be grumpy. So what? my body is tired and fighting, some days are a struggle and the focus has to be there - injuries can happen if distracted because the body is on the edge, the brain is on the edge. This is competition, this is what I do. It is not your normal workout, it is not your normal routine. I don't get to go home and have pasta or pizza, I don't get to go home and even have ketchup with my steak. I go home have a protein shake and prepare for the next round.

I count myself lucky that I do have friends that understand, that are able to have 'gym' conversations, the kind that last only a minute and don't distract from the workout. But I can't help if you take offense to my not wanting to take part in 15 minute conversations about the weather, if you get offended because I don't talk during my set, it is not my fault you didn't notice I'm hanging on to some heavy-ass weight and could risk neck injury if I turn to look at you while you are waving your arms at me.

My focus has to be 100%, to do that requires that I take up a "No Bullshit" zone around me. I make it very obvious when I'm training that I'm in this zone. The hat is pulled low - you can't see my eyes - you don't want to see my eyes, they are the eyes of a fighter, glaring down at a goal. The headphones are on and the music cranked, I can't hear you - I don't want to hear you- I only hear the music and the thoughts in my head that propel me to make every rep count. Sometimes my hands never leave the weight, never unwrap from the bar. 100% focus....it's what I do.