Why do you exercise?

[Paradox]

Hello, everyone.

I'm curious as to why all of you guys exercise, and why you chose gymnastics (or integrated it into your training)? Is it for health, to look better, to feel better, spend time? Is strength a means to an end or is it an end in itself for you? I know there are countless forum posts about this on other websites, but I'm interested in what gymnasticbodies people have to say.

Cheers.

[Rik de Kort]

I was good at a few things because I practiced them often (basketball, now running), but I was never really atlethic. And since I already can study like it's nothing, I felt I could pay a little more attention to my physical shape. I started off with bodyweight training and simply got into gymnastics as it tends to use more of the range of motion and is ever-changing. You don't just keep repeating the same exercises over and over again, only adding weight. That, and the proprioceptive benefits.

Most of all, I chose gymnastics because I hate not being able to do something. I despise it. Gymnastics teaches you a more complete set of skills than lifting weights.

[John Cook]

I grew up with a guy named Troy in a small suburban town near Chicago. I've known him since the first day of kindergarten through my entire school career and even to this day (although he now lives in California and is a professional stuntman). He was as unremarkable as any of us growing up- except for one thing- his parents had him doing this thing called gymnastics since before he attended any kind of school. I had no clue what gymnastics was... I was only aware of the fact that growing up Troy was always the strongest and best built kid in our gym class (in ANY gym class!) and having NEVER lifted weights!!- absolutely blowing away the Presidential Physical Fitness Test guidlines for kids our age (which we used to measure our 'fitness level'). When it came to our 'Gymnastics' unit in physical education class the gym teachers always had Troy demonstrate his skills on various apparatus in front of a bewildered class of uncoordinated, unskilled, and fundamentally weak peers. Growing up through the years I always thought that he was just 'like that' and that if I was somehow built for gymnastics my parents or gym teachers would have recognized that in me and pushed me into that discipline!!... I realize now how wrong I had been. So I trained for years and years combining bodybuilding style weight training with conventional bodyweight training and tried to build and maintain a strong and visually respectable body- which I did... but not without injury and setbacks.

Fast forward to six months ago when I started looking into gymnastics style strength training. I bought BtGB and read it cover to cover- One thing that Coach said stood out immediately to me and made perfect sense- and that was that gymnasts do not train specifically for an asthetically pleasing body... they train to be strong and flexible to better attain the skills they desire for competition- an extremely stong and well built body is a mere bi-product of proper gymnastics training. Then I set about training some of the positions and progressions Coach laid out for us.... and I thought I was in shape!!!! Humbling yes... but the truth is that this style of training absolutely CAN take me to the next level of physical preparedness for WHATEVER endeavour I choose in the future- There is no end for me in this- just the desire and drive to more accurately and proficiently execute the will of my mind through my body!!! -john

[Richard Duelley]

I train for life’s little surprises. :wink:

[Joshua Naterman]

I train because in my mind there is no one who can beat me. No one who should EVER be able to best me. When it comes to true competition you can't win against me, because I love how it feels to become more than I am. I live for the feeling of accomplishment, to bask in my success for a split second and then try to do even better. I am always climbing a mountain as fast as I can, trying to keep up with the ever-rising peak. To me I am like Son Goku, with a will that can't be crushed and with a fiery spirit that no one can control. I live to find those who might be better than me and become better than them. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. More skilled.

I have to admit, I have grown a bit complacent with my training. The injuries and bad movement patterns have kept me from being able to train properly nearly from the moment I got here, and really for several years before and nowI have lost a lot of my edge. I have kind of had to, because an unhealthy body can't live the way I described above and that is hard for me. I am simply hoping that I can get my body back into 100% condition so that I can try to reach what is left of my potential and regain that edge. I'm already past my athletic peak, but it tickles me to think that I could probably still crush all but the very best and most gifted athletes if I train consistently for the next 5 years. That keeps me going, and keeps me focused on rehab.

Is it real? I don't know. I don't care, either. I live to reach, and reach I shall.

[David Barclay]

I train for life. As a 36 year old parent with two small children, I am surrounded by people who have basically thrown in the fitness towel and fill their days with a never ending list of excuses. Busy careers, busy families, busy house-ownership all form a nexus in which exercise becomes an unwelcome burden, as opposed to viscous gel that fits between the cracks of one's life.

As a youngster in my 20s I swum far, cycled farther, then just kept running as I made my way through a number of long distance triathlons. But there is more to traveling in a straight line, and with the pressures of career and kids, not enough time to focus and train for the long distance events. It's a simple matter of opportunity cost - every swim stroke, or turn of the bike wheel is time away from my kids, a basic trade that I am not prepared to do. When the weekend used to be a few thousand calories and a couple points on a map, it is now running, chasing, wrestling, and all that parenthood has to offer. But in reconfiguring my training program, I discovered that training in gymnastics and weight lifting gives me far more benefit that moving in a straight line ever did. I am stronger than I have ever been, and much better prepared to toss my kids around, carry up the occasional air-conditioner from the basement, and work all day in the back yard moving dirt and carrying rocks.

So why do I exercise? I exercise because I love using my body, feeling the strain in the muscles, the pounding of my heart, the sense of accomplishment that a task well done brings to me. But I also exercise for life - I exercise because it gives me energy and strength, so my children can grow up with fitness and health surrounding them, and so I don't spend my weekends watching my kids play with a beer in my hand, moaning about a sore back, thinkin' that I really should get one of those fitness machine thingies for my basement. But if I had to really boil it down, I exercise because, in living a fit and strong life, I don't know any other way...

David

[yuri marmerstein]

Gymnastics/acrobatics is one of those things you can do for the rest of your life and the journey will never be over. There will always be something to work and improve upon, and even though at a later age the training may differ, there is still something to work on.

I originally got into gymnastics from reading about the old time strongmen towards the latter half of high school and due to my personality, hobby eventually became obsession, and now it is lifestyle. Of course being self-taught for so many years has both it's perks and drawbacks. One one hand, I can easily catch every minute mistake and know the fixes for it(sometimes I have to create the fixes on the spot). On the other hand, I am still battling some of my own bad habits because years ago I had noone telling me what was wrong/right.

I also love handbalancing because of the slow learning curve. Tumbling/tricking I've been around for many years but don't consider myself very good at either. There are more people I can count that I've taught to do a skill that they start to do better than me within a very short time frame. I know that with handbalancing, that will not happen due to the amount of time and obsession it takes to learn the skills.

I got to training more seriously after I had what most people would consider a "good job" out of college as a contractor, where I sat 80 hours a week in either an office or lab setting.

After that was over I made the decision to not sacrifice my health for money. This is why I now live in Vegas coaching gym/cheer and trying to hopefully be able to make it as a performer.

One thing I know that sets me apart compared to most other coaches I've met is that I practice what I preach 100% without fail. I love acrobatics and whether it's 10, 20, or 40 years down the line I still plan on training, improving, and helping others do the same.

[Erik Sjolin]

Ooh, that's a pretty good question. Why I started exercising and why I continue to exercise are two completely different things, so for here I'll tackle why I still do. Simply put, I'm addicted to it. It was just something to pass the time, and as I got more and more into it, I wanted to see what I could do, and how far I could go. I wanted big muscles and a hot body (I thought about that phrasing for a while, and that's the most accurate way I could put it :roll: ), but as I kept going, want for aesthetics turned into desire for control and mastery over myself, and I felt in the gym how most people feel when they drink or play video games, or whatever vices they may have. The reason I practice this style of exercise is the exact reason Yuri stated; it's something I can do (and plan on doing) for the rest of my life. Being as tall as I am, mastery of any part of it is a huge accomplishment for me (I feel so, anyway), and there's so much to go for and work on that there is no conceivable end in sight. And I love that.

[Larry Roseman]

Hello, everyone.

I'm curious as to why all of you guys exercise, and why you chose gymnastics (or integrated it into your training)? Is it for health, to look better, to feel better, spend time? Is strength a means to an end or is it an end in itself for you? I know there are countless forum posts about this on other websites, but I'm interested in what gymnasticbodies people have to say.

Cheers.

"Is it for health, to look better, to feel better, spend time? Is strength a means to an end or is it an end in itself for you?"

All of the above!

It's mental and physical growth beyond the years normally ascribed: 0-18. While I likely will never achieve greatness

I likely will never dispair either.

[Samuel Carr]

I exercise because there is no better feeling than failing on a repetition or movement, and then trying it again in the next set or even on another day and blocking everything else out focusing everything on doing this one thing, and then making it. Also because no matter how bad your day or week is going, if you go to the gym and do one more rep than you did before, or now all of a sudden you can do 5 muscle ups when last time you could only do 4, it puts you in a great mood no matter how anything else in your life is going.

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

I exercise because when I am 80, I still want to be able to put my socks on by myself...

Well, not quite, but seriously, I've been thinking about that too! :shock:

I used to train for competition; I still enjoy it, but this is no longer a strong driver for me.

I train because I enjoy the exertion, the process of getting better at something challenging, the changes and polishing that physical effort have on the mind and body. I've been blessed with athletic qualities that have kept me alive on occasion and that I want to retain... and sometimes I feel like my spirit is whispering that down the road, there is a higher purpose for that gift... who knows?

With the years, I've also learned to great cost that whenever I leave my body neglected, the rest of my life falls apart too; this is not something that I will let happen again.

Somehow, it is part of who I am.

Fred

[Quick Start Test Smith]

Because I want to be able to do fun and cool things like acrobatics and stuff.

Also because I want to be the most feared sport karate fighter in the West.

[Smec]

I have started for almost the same reasons others have already posted before me:

- hot body and strength: until recently I have only trained with weights, but I've always felt that there is something missing, it usually makes someone big, and "strong", but rarely strong (as in "being able to do the iron cross" strong for example). It's hard to explain but I'm sure you've felt the same way.

- it has depth - you may train for years and years and still can learn completely new stuff (bit similar to some martial arts in this aspect)

- for some time now i have lacked in the department of body-coordination and awareness (even after ~5 years of martial arts) - or at least it really challenges me in these aspects (not to mention the balancing ability)

- Maybe the most important reason for me was the freedom of movement - it is kind of the I've started to do most of the sports i did since I was little:

going to the gym: to be stronger, thus being weak doesn't restrict my movements in any way (climbing up on something for example)

learning martial arts: to be able to do the beautiful stuff one sees in the movies (still cant do that )

athletics: to be able to run after the bus and not be winded after getting on

sharpshooting: not being able to point precisely at something is a strange thought for me

etc.

I am not sure why haven't I started with gymnastics (besides the fact until they could, my parents did not let me, as it is 'dangerous'), it seems that this gives the most amount of freedom. Or at least now it seems that gymnasts can do whatever they want: jump over something? no problem; carry some stuff? easy; do a handstand because they feel like doing it? again, not a problem. Getting in a car like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bln5wHevq24 ? Probably most of the gymnast can do this.

[Paradox]

Wow, guys! Thanks for all the responses so far - they have all been a great read and some of them have served as some interesting food for thought.

I got into exercise originally to put on muscle and get a muscular body that I could proudly show off. I went in and out of exercise for 5 years - exercising for 1 month and then stopping for 11. And so the process repeated. I would do things like push ups, pull ups, and squats. Your basic run-of-the-mill program. Then "life" would entice me with something important and something else even more important and I would lose track of fitness.

I began again just under 5 months ago on January 9th at a weight of 113 lbs and a height of 6 ft 2 inches. I had just recovered from an extremely debilitating injury but that was my normal weight. I had recently discovered this site and bought the book and the xtreme rings. In my first workout, I could not do anything with the rings apart from an inverted hang and a 1 pull up max. Depressing, to say the least. It took me a month of preparation before I was ready to begin a SSC (that is, until I could actually hold some of the basic positions). And now, I'm 14 pounds heavier and I can actually do some of the WOD exercises without scaling them down. Only, I came to realize recently that I'm not really in this for the physical benefits anymore. I am now in this journey to exceed what I already am and really make something of myself before time is up. I want to see how far I can take myself. To be honest, I have given up on every sport/talent/whatever I have started. Music, soccer, basketball, art, science, whatever. I've never amounted to anything in my life. I'm a quitter. Always have been. So, this is my one big chance to finally prove to myself that I can actually reach a goal.

That I can now actually see all of my triceps muscles and am starting to get rid of my horrendous hourglass figure (I am a guy, so it's because my obliques were virtually non-existent :oops: not due to wide hips ) is more of a byproduct of my journey. Surprisingly, the physical implications of gymnastics are now way down on the list of reasons I continue to exercise.

And that I can now pistol squat with 8 lbs of added weight, or do a flat tuck back lever, or 5 XR dips with a correct XR support in just 5 months is testament to how much closer I am every day to finally, finally, finally accomplishing something. Some days, I give up halfway through a WOD. Other days, I find that I have been doing certain exercises incorrectly for months. Many weeks, I completely stagnate because I lack enough willpower. The road is unimaginably long, the journey is painstakingly slow. Sometimes I get lost. But, certainly, I am moving forwards. Ever so slowly, I am moving forwards.

[Joshua Naterman]

Paradox: It sounds like you are really doing something good for yourself, keep it up! You are only a quitter until you stop quitting, it's certainly not anything you are doomed to be forever, and you are starting to see that you can be what you want to be if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when you don't feel like it some days That's the most important part... sometimes your heart isn't in it, but you still need to continue moving forward. Those times pass, and then you are REALLY proud of yourself because you stuck it out and once you do that just one single time, like the days when you stop after round 2 of the WOD instead of just not even starting, you are training yourself to be someone who gets the job done. Period. No one is always on top of their game, but even at our worst we need to at least get the basic stuff done even when we don't feel like it. You should be proud of yourself! This kind of story is what Gymnastic Bodies is all about... becoming more than you are and taking pride in your accomplishments!

Keep up the good work

[Paradox]

Paradox: It sounds like you are really doing something good for yourself, keep it up! You are only a quitter until you stop quitting, it's certainly not anything you are doomed to be forever, and you are starting to see that you can be what you want to be if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when you don't feel like it some days That's the most important part... sometimes your heart isn't in it, but you still need to continue moving forward. Those times pass, and then you are REALLY proud of yourself because you stuck it out and once you do that just one single time, like the days when you stop after round 2 of the WOD instead of just not even starting, you are training yourself to be someone who gets the job done. Period. No one is always on top of their game, but even at our worst we need to at least get the basic stuff done even when we don't feel like it. You should be proud of yourself! This kind of story is what Gymnastic Bodies is all about... becoming more than you are and taking pride in your accomplishments!

Keep up the good work

Thank you for the kind words and advice, Joshua. You have a lot to do with my training. Apart from Coach Sommer, no one else has taught me more so a big thanks to you, my friend. Then again, I'm sure by now you are already very much aware of how important you are to this community!

[Kiyumars]

I started exercising many times in my life, like with free weights, but quit very soon. The reason for sticking with the GB program may be the sense of accomplishment. Every movement and position is one step in a progression to harder (i.e. cooler) movements and positions. It's like levelling up in a RPG videogame. You give the effort and you get rewarded. I have more confidence in Coach's programing then any other system I've tried, so I know I can reach the next stages. That's how satisfaction works, probably.

As to why I exercise in general... Health, looks and fitness are all important. But let's not forget poops and giggles. Aren't gymnastic exercises just fun? Well, most of them, anyway (cough*ham string exercises*cough).

[Craig Mallett]

I train because I want to be (in mind and body) comfortable, relaxed and free of stress. The more I investigate this, the more I realise how much of a mammoth task it is that will take my entire lifetime, including building an understanding of what death is and how it will affect me.

I turned to Gymnastic Strength Training™ because I found my lack of strength was contributing to an inability to move comfortably and with relaxation through certain ranges of motion, which was in turn creating stress in the mind.

I have never been one for caring about aesthetics or competition. For me it distracts me from my purpose: competition brings too much stress...what if I don't do well? what if I lose? what if I injure myself? Aesthetics seems like its just a matter of feeding the ego, which again just leads to more stress and therefore discomfort.

[tarzoon]

Why do I train ? Good question : I now spend most of my time, energy and money in training (family & friends have a hard time understanding that).

When I was young I used to live in the country side. Not much to do besides cycling, hiking & fishing...but I grew up watching too much Jacky Chan & JCVD movies. I was waiting for my 18th birthday to go study in a bigger city and take some martial art lessons. During my 5 years of study, I tried Taekwondo for 9 months, Kung fu for 2 months and Krav Maga for 1 year... It was not what I expected (too much bullshit and teachers more into business than .. . teaching). I started to do some exercises (bodyweight only) to "keep" in shape. It was not about showing off but "just in case" I find a new MA club.

At 23 I moved to Belgium and started MMA. For 2 years I trained with much bigger guys than me and had to train strength just to not be overhelmed. I liked bodyweight stuff and discovered Ross Enamait work then this amazing book & website.

It changed my view of training (I though that I was in decent shape but I now realize how wrong I was ^^).

I finally decided to stop MMA (lack of safety in our club, too many injuries due to frequent & hard sparring sessions...) because I wanted to take care of my health and explore the world of movement.

At 25 I started (last November in fact) Ballet dancing with no background in dancing, no flexibility... I liked it !

For now I want to focus on that (especially the lifts), learning handbalancing and add some gymnastic moves .

So why do I train ? To stay healthy as long as possible, to be strong enough to lift girls , to move efficiently everytime I have the opportunity and, I must admit, because I am not really a confident person and being stronger can help me with that.

I have a long way to go on every physical aspects but I will persist !

ps : Sorry for the English mistakes