what makes you sooooooo cooooooool?

So this is my first blog in a while. Been super busy trying to have Rise Above Fitness run like a well oiled machine. Low and behold my gym RAF has been open for about a year and a half and everyday is an absolute dream come true. Just yesterday it was in the peak hour of the gym and I was looking around at all the different types of people that were training together and said to myself “this is why I opened the gym.” “This is worth the stress and anxiety.”

I said that because I was looking at a mid 50’s grandma, bearded biker, high school football player, massive power lifter, women just trying to look great in jeans and pro MMA fighters all working out together in the same place and really getting work down. A place that every type of person can come and not deal with egos or bullshit. Work gets down, programs followed and friendly shit talking takes place. No bragging, No competition, Just Hard work being done and people getting the return from it. 

Now you didn’t think that this was going to just be a fluff piece did you? So let me get right to it. When did Fitness become something that people constantly brag about? I mean it is awesome to share yourself with people for inspirational purposes but lets get real here. People that used to make fun of me for constantly going and caring about the gym. People the gave me crap for leaving parties or dinners to go to the gym cause I had the itch to go are now some of the biggest bullshit artist out there when it comes to fitness. my favorite are people that post pictures or workouts that they themselves can’t even do. They tell you how gnarly they are on instagram and facebook but then you meet them and see them workout and its a fucking joke. They pose to get more followers which makes them……….FUCKING POSERS!!!!! Which leads me to my next topic of the method brag. Crossfit, Polyquin, Metabolic circuit training, olympic, blah blah blah blah. Now this is probably the wrong thing for a business owner and trainer to say but NOTHING is the right way or wrong way. Now you can disagree with methods and obviously bad form is bad form and should be corrected and even then different training has different form and practice but to say something is wrong is just ignorant! These are the newb’s. The people that got in to lifting cause it is all of a sudden cool and workout not for them selves but for the trend or click. All methods are beneficial so it bums me out to see so many people say something is wrong. Opinion is just that. An opinion. I feel if you dedicate yourself to a program then you will see the return and its up to you as to which program you should follow and what your body reacts to best. Even change it up once in a while. Don’t get to carried away with a time or a tempo. Now I can sit here and tell you my opinions are on alot of methods but that is for another time.

I’m a big pride person but there is a huge difference between pride and arrogance. I take pride in my programing and can take critics opinion well. If I couldn’t then that would be arrogance. I want to learn and grow and the way I can dod that to better my brand and my gym is to listen to critics. I just find more than ever there is to much “right and wrong” talk.

You are not cool if you do Crossfit. You are not cool if you are a  Kettle Bell Club member. you are not cool if you are a power lifter. You are not cool if you are a body builder. Fuck! you are not cool if you train with me or come to my gym. You are just a person that wants to better themselves physically and mentally. So be excited about your progress but lets not brag. Share with people but make sure what you are sharing is legit. Find a program that works and DO WORK!

Brandan Schieppati