When people who have never been overtly physical come to our gym, very interesting things take place. Everyone progresses, but latent genetic potential often reveals itself and no one is more surprised than the person possessing it.
This happens because we apply advanced strength methodologies that are not usually offered to the public. I can’t recall the number of times I have had to answer the question “Dude, am I supposed to be getting this strong?”
I remember one example, a lady who looks like a runway model, all arms and legs, 5 foot 9 and about 110 pounds – squatting 225 pounds (butt to the floor) like it was a wooden bar on her back. She had never lifted before and this happened in a few short months. Then there are the guys who come in who are slightly overweight and completely non-athletic.
They often tell me they were never good at sports, and so they quickly learned to steer away from all things athletic from a young age. It’s truly inspiring to see these guys dead-lift well over 400 pounds after a few months, or complete an effortless 45 inch standing box jump. Some of these guys are quickly able to bench press close to 300 pounds raw, just because they began to train muscles correctly, using the right equipment and programming – all for the very first time. There it is again, latent genetic potential – unleashed. You never know unless you try!
I observe that if you provide people with the following list of items, astounding things can happen:
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A non-intimidating, extremely positive atmosphere
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Proven dietary advice
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The best, most proven training methods available
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Programming (the organization of training) that is proven to be optimal
(Generally, what the fastest, strongest athletes do) whereby volumes and intensities are scaled appropriately
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The correct free-weight strength training equipment to practice the last 2 points
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Other helpful, like-minded people with whom to work-out
All of these things allow folks to finally “bloom” freely toward their full genetic potential. It’s remarkable how many years people spend in big commercial gyms without realizing any of the amazing results of which they were always capable.
When these folks are finally able to physically express themselves in this way, the huge benefits of the short time they spend in the gym, highly outweigh the costs………so they actually want to come back to the gym (now THERE’s a new trend!). Ironically, “overtraining” from coming to the gym too often can easily become the new problem to address.
There are a lot of people who “hate going to the gym”. I don’t blame them. I would too had I not been in a place that actually serves to foster success. My experience with the wonderful folks who visit our gym has given me new insight into exactly why people love (or hate) the gym.
These people actually accomplish what they always had the genetic potential to be, but were never allowed to physically fulfill. They never had the right instruction, equipment, or environment. Thankfully, now they do.