Racing back-to-back Australian and US seasons is tough going. From what I have learnt over the past few months is that for long-term success it is crucial to have some down time and to make sure an off-season is incorporated into training. As such, I am currently in the midst of my off-season (which definitely feels a little odd considering I would normally be coming into top fitness at this time of year).
However, this is a great opportunity to work some other areas of fitness into my training cycle, including gym work. The majority of top athletes I race against hit up the gym. It really is that crucial 4th aspect of training that is so important in injury prevention and building strength, and as such I can't ignore it for any longer! So gym it is.
It has been quite a few years since I last stepped into a gym to work my ab and get big (never going to happen!), so it has been great to do training that is little different to the norm and to add variety to the program.
The first challenge in the whole exercise was to find a gym that was a). cheap and b). close to home. So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled across the local PCYC gym...three buks an entry! However, one does get what one pays for...which is a gym on the smaller side of small, full of very sweaty men with very big muscles and copious amounts of testosterone floating around the place.
It's safe to say that over the past 2 weeks I would have stumbled across 3, possibly 4 people of the female variety in this gym, so it's no wonder that I get some seriously strange looks when I trot into the gym in my shorty shorts and swinging pony tail. However it does have its advantages, like getting first dibs on a machine if there's a queue (ladies first!) and prompt assistance if I am struggling with a weight.
Two of the main things I have noticed in going to the gym is 1). it bloody hurts! and 2). it is a hilarious place to people watch (and I do love some good people watching). The majority of men in this gym are pumping some serious iron, whilst doing some serious self-viewing in the many mirrors plastered around the place. Seriously, I have never seen so many people so obsessed with their own image in the mirror before!
However, I must say that this self-obsession does add to the people watching entertainment. Nothing is more entertaining than watching someone who is watching them self in a mirror thinking that nobody else is watching them, when actually they are being watched. Considering that going to the gym is quite boring, it is the smallest things like people watching that are quite amusing and help to pass the time.
However, one must be extremely cautious not to be spotted people watching as this has the potential to result in a number of consequences...and by the size of some of those biceps I'd rather not find out!
Well I'm just people watching
The other people watching me
And we're all people watching
The other people watching we - Jack Johnson
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