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This weekend I went to a Gym Summit in Chicago! It was the fourth time I've gone to this particular event but this was the first time in a couple years. Coach Katie also came - there was content for both coaching and operations so she went to the coaching side and I went to the ops side.
So for all of last weekend, jet lagged and stiff from the flight (not to mention tired since I did a 5am workout on Saturday morning, which is 3am Seattle time), we got to it. There were talks on everything from program design and class flow to marketing, retention, and sales.
One thing it brought up for me was how much information there is out there. I've been reeling, my head spinning all week from processing everything. I'm always struck by how there is SO much to do in our lives. And in the gym specifically, every program and shirt order and holiday workout has a world of little details to it, it can be exhausting trying to keep track of it all. I'm sure you know too in your own work - that 90% of figuring out how to make it all flow is putting the blinders on long enough to focus in on what actually needs to be done vs what is noise.
I can tell too that it's the same for fitness. There's so much information out there - get 10,000 steps but running is dangerous. Eat at your caloric metabolic baseline with enough carbs and fat BUT also get 150grams of Protein. Hydrate your fascia (whatever that means). Stretch or wait, no don't stretch that's bad. Don't cold plunge but DO dunk your face in cold water. Eat fruit but NO sugar.
The big picture is important, but perhaps more so is the skill of moderating the information so we don't go through each day like the python trying to swallow an alligator.
I personally work with a gym mentor - one who has helped me shut out my own noise, focus on the things that matter, and take it day by day. Don't get me wrong, I still overextend and go off the rails, but I practice coming back to center. Over and over again.
If you're having issues filtering signal from noise, that's why the gym exists. Our goal is to simplify fitness to the basics and then do them well. Squat. Deadlift. Push things. Pull things. Focus on getting to the gym for an hour, and trust the coach to guide you through the rest.
It's easy to get theoretical in the debates of how many ounces of water to drink and when. It's fun to compare different supplements and shoes. Should we do more sets at a lighter weight, or is it better to do less at a heavier weight? All fun questions, but largely irrelevant if the bones of the program aren't getting done.
Here's the thing: you don't need to know everything to start or even to make progress, that's for sure. I started the gym knowing absolutely nothing about how to do it. I tracked members' names and memberships in a spiral notebook. I didn't know if we had access to the bathroom at first. I racked up who-knows-how-much money in late tax penalties after forgetting all the different quarterly and monthly payments.
A filter and a guide are subtle, but more powerful than you would think. If you want to practice getting one thing done, one hour, one coach, one workout, one thing that will actually count in the long run, we're here every day to help make that happen.
Best,
Josh