Back in the day I played varsity basketball for a whole year in university (I’m only 23, but that one year seemed like an eternity I wont lie, happy it’s over), and up until then I only worked out in a specific way – for performance. Shout out to Elliott Richardson; he taught me a lot about strength and conditioning and was a vital part in preparing me for the career paths I have chosen. BUT he did NOT prepare me for commercial gyms.
Let me tell you, the first few visits to a commercial gym, also known as the ‘NARP’ (non-athletic real person) gym was WIIIILLLLLDDDD. I was so lost. Where do I hang clean? OH, so no basketball shorts and cut off?? How do I do 3 functional exercises back to back without anyone taking my spots? Why are the weights randomly placed everywhere? What does it mean to chase the ‘pump’??? I literally didn’t go to the gym for months because I would get super anxious because I had zero clue on how to workout for me, myself and I. What was my goal? Didn’t have one. I was truly baffled people went to the gym just to look a certain way, like I was L.O.S.T for real and obviously naïve.
The thing is, I know many ex-varsity athletes feel this way too. We forget that taking care of our bodies goes beyond sport. We live in this bubble for so long that when it pops and we enter the other part of society we forgot existed, a place where we aren’t catered to due to our athletic abilities and a few things may happen:
1. You join a CrossFit box or a similar ‘functional’ training gym and learn you suck at METCONS
2. You befriend a bodybuilder and begin training like one
3. You become a potato but tell people you’re letting your knees rest (for 8 months bro? K)
Which one are you? I was 3, then 2, now 1 and a bit of 2.
If you’re currently a 3, reach out to your girl, I got you #MoveWithJoy. If you’re a 2, cool but like try to throw in some of 1. And if you’re a 1, we get it, you do CrossFit..
And if you are still an athlete, hope your joints are holding up, jkjk. In all honesty, start to think of how you’ll stay active when your career is over. Let’s not turn into that older overweight person who says “Man, when I played X sport I could run for days”. Promise? Promise.
Joy
