21 Surprising Things About My Gym Habits

Discipline, routine, and consistency all have a definite place in my workouts. Those three things have taken me far and have provided sustainability and steady gains over the years. However, I’m not all right angles and rule-following. We are all organic animals and are full of emotions, and energy, and can be affected by our day-to-day stresses, joys, and personal preferences.

Here are a few things some may see as surprising coming from such a stickler for the rules. Yes, more muscle, increased strength, and a better, healthier physique will always be the goals, but I also like to keep joy an important part of the equation.

1. I like playing games
   I’ll sometimes look around the gym and mentally tag someone (usually a younger group bench pressing or squatting) and hold a little competition. I’ll try to finish my entire workout before they move on to their second exercise. I’m usually successful since most people take a 10-minute smartphone break between sets.
2. No music
   No, I don’t listen to music or podcasts while I train. I absolutely love music and because of that, I find it distracts me from my workout.
3. I like redos
   If I have a crappy workout (usually a leg day for some reason) I’ll intentionally train that same muscle group the very next day. Scientists and gurus will probably hate hearing that, but it builds resilience and mental strength, instantly refocuses my efforts, and I end up having a great workout the next day.
4. Calves first
   Calves are always trained first. If I tried a calf raise after an intense quad and ham workout, I couldn’t stand and use enough load for calf growth.
5. Train the body, don’t lift weights
   This is more of a mental shift than anything else. I don’t go to the gym to get a certain amount of weight from point A to point B. I go to train my physique — to build, reshape, and chisel my body into a specific vision. I have no desire to be a powerlifter.
6. I don’t shoulder press much
   Not only do I avoid heavy shoulder presses, but I also avoid any overhead presses at times. I get enough front delt stimulation with chest work.
7. No flat bench barbell presses
   With a tender and annoying right shoulder, I completely avoid any flat or decline bench barbell work.
8. Curling is boring
   Many will tell me that my biceps are a definite strength for me. But the fact is, I simply find biceps work rather boring. Necessary, but boring because one can only do one thing for biceps: curl. Yes, you can perform curls at different angles but it’s more or less all the same.
9. I’m always trying to make light weight feel heavier
   When it comes to weight, my ego is nowhere to be found. As I’m trying to train my body and not lift weights, it matters more to me how I lift versus the amount.
10. I time my rest periods
    I wear one of those old-timey watches to time my rest periods. This not only provides consistency, it also keeps my mind in the game.
11. I’ve never taken a pre-workout or energy drink
    When people find this out about me they absolutely do not believe me. I find pre-workout and energy drinks unappetizing and unnecessary. I usually have a cup or two of coffee in the morning and that does it for caffeine. I have entered the gym with little sleep, and little food, and still find a way to get in a great workout. I love training too much to rely on some alien concoction.
12. I don’t deadlift
    This one may trigger some gym bros out there but I’m a tall guy and know my capabilities. I also know what works for me and what doesn’t. Full-on floor deadlifts are a no-no for my lower back. Rack deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts? Yes.
13. Be a deterrent
    Building a bigger, more muscular, strong physique can serve as a deterrent in public. I’m not saying that I’m impenetrable. I’m just saying that maybe a few people may think twice about soliciting or messing with me when I’m walking with my family.
14. I hate the leg press
    Okay, maybe not hate, but I never see much progress with a traditional angled leg press. It mainly develops strength in my hips and tightens up my lower back and glutes a bit too much.
15. I avoid setting up too much
    You’ve seen that one guy who drags a specific bench over to the cable cross machine, chooses his favorite handles, and then maybe puts a certain pad on the bench so they can perform a special chest or arm exercise. That’s a lot of setup and time wasted. I like to keep things simple.
16. I don’t like to be spotted
    Number one, it’s tough to find a good spotter, and number two, I find it impractical to rely on a spotter if you need one at every workout.
17. I like convenient supersets
    Whenever I perform or suggest to others supersets I like to make sure they are practical. One can’t perform an incline bench press and then get up and traipse all the way across the gym to the pulldown machine. Someone is going to snatch their bench. Instead, I might perform the incline press in a power rack and then use the pullup bar on the power rack for chin-ups. I may use one machine and drag a pair of dumbbells close by. It’s not only practical, it’s also courteous.
18. I rarely get fancy
    I don’t like “look-at-me” exercises. I don’t use chains, special bars, belts, straps, or wraps. I stick with the basics.
19. I avoid meatheads (even though I might be one)
    Am I technically a meathead? Probably. But I like to avoid them if I can. They’re usually in there for show and to establish dominance. I look at the gym as an apartment: we are all roommates paying rent. We’re in this together. There’s no head of household.
20. I train on half-empty
    If you train on a full stomach a great deal of blood will pool to your digestive tract and you’ll find it difficult to muster a pump in your arms and legs. Your body is too busy dealing with food to have an effective workout.
21. I love the process more than the outcome
    I love training. If there was a pill that enabled me to have my most desired physique I’d refuse and still train. It’s never a chore, it’s never something I dread, and I look forward to every session.

What are some of your interesting techniques or strange gym habits?

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