Are Men Working Out or Training?

A Hit Dog Will Holler

I never liked the saying, “A hit dog will holler.”

Of course a hit dog will holler.

Hit a dog, and it’s supposed to react. If you hit anybody or anything, it will react. It will let you know, “Hey, you hit me. You hurt me.” Whatever the reaction may be, the person who did it is going to have to accept the consequences that come with that.

Yesterday, I was on social media, and I saw a post that struck a nerve. Hence, the hit dog will holler.

It struck a nerve because it made me think: Do personal trainers take things too far under the guise of motivation?

I can say yes. I’ve possibly been guilty of that myself, so I can accept that part of it.

It made me think about the doctrine that we live by in fitness, or at least the distinction between working out and training.

Are You Working Out or Training?

When it comes to the general population, most people are working out.

This is how I view it.

Most people are essentially working out to stay active, keep their muscles moving, maintain some level of fitness, and take care of themselves.

But there is another group of people who, quote-unquote, train.

They’re training for something.

They’re training for the Olympia. They’re training to become an Olympian. They’re training to ride their bike a certain distance. They’re training for a marathon. Whatever the case may be, that is my definition of training.

So with that being said, I think there is a fine line when doctrine goes out with the assumption that everybody is training for something and that everybody should be held to the same standard.

Again, this is just my definition of what training is.

So with that being said, there are times when personal trainers can go too far for engagement purposes.

If that is the reason behind it, I understand the psychology.

Social Media Changes the Conversation

Social media allows us to say some silly stuff, send something out as a joke, or make a statement that we think is funny.

Then you go into the comment section, and some people don’t take it as funny.

I understand that part of it.

Everybody is an adult. If you say something to somebody, they may react.

There are also what I would call “subs” where people send out subliminals , and if the shoe fits, they react.

Subs don’t necessarily bother me as much as “a hit dog will holler” because it comes with the assumption that you’re not supposed to react if and when you get hit.

Recently, there was a post stating that all men should be able to do pull-ups.

To some extent, I understand what they were trying to say.

Now, can I do a pull-up?

Not anymore.

I haven’t necessarily tried one in the past couple of months, but I could at one point in time. I just can’t anymore.

So now that we have that out of the way, let’s address the statement.

When I saw the reactions in the comment section, it made me think:

Do we, as personal trainers, take things too far when we’re trying to motivate people?

I really don’t know.

You have to let me know.

Beliefs, Standards, and Expectations

Lately, I’ve just been trying to be more careful about my words and what I say.

I guess you can’t alienate people.

But when there is a belief system, you’re going to have differences.

In the book Primal Branding, they talk about a belief system and how you’re going to have people on different sides of a particular view.

Either way, somebody is going to stand on the left side of the track, and somebody is going to stand on the right side of the track.

I get it.

A lot of times, we’re trying to appeal to too many people. And when we try to appeal to too many people, we end up appealing to no one.

So I understand the psychology behind it. I really do.

This also makes me question whether we’re trying to go too far when we believe something and we’re trying to get that point across to everybody.

Maybe it’s a joke.

Maybe it is intended to be funny.

There will be people who won’t take it that way.

So if you’re offended, you’re probably going to say something.

Especially if nobody tagged you in the post or, quote-unquote, @’d you.

You may still say something.

That’s just how social media works.

Be Prepared for the Clapback

People can say what they believe.

So if you’re going to say what you believe publicly, you also have to be prepared for the clapback.

That’s what makes social media social media.

For the most part, I’ve just been open to the criticism of it all.

I’ve had no other choice because this is essentially the life I chose when I decided to put myself and my content out there.

I’m showing people what I’m doing.

If you get motivation from it, you get motivation from it.

If you get inspiration from it, you get inspiration from it.

And if you don’t, you don’t.

I’ve noticed that there is probably a 3-1 ratio where, when somebody doesn’t get motivation from something, they may say something.

They make themselves known.

They can become very vocal about it.

And sometimes they can be very colorful about it.

I’m starting to notice how irritating that can be.

It just takes just a little bit away from everything.

Having Thick Skin Doesn’t Mean Staying Silent

I talk about having thick skin, and I understand that part.

Having thick skin does not mean you are not allowed to respond.

If you say something to me, or if you say something to anybody, and it can be taken a certain way, you can’t necessarily expect that person to simply take whatever you say to them.

If there is any pushback, then suddenly there is something wrong with them.

I want to push back on that and say, no.

That’s not it.

If you say something to somebody, just be prepared to get addressed.

I totally believe in that.

I don’t believe in intentionally attacking people or going out of your way to create conflict.

But if you say something to me, you’re going to get something else said back to you.

And it has nothing to do with being soft.

It has nothing to do with that.

You just have to be prepared for the clapback.

That’s all.

A Hit Dog Will Holler

So going back to “a hit dog will holler”…

If you hit a dog, be prepared for it to react.

If you hit it, don’t be surprised when it does.

You hit a dog.

Be prepared to get bit.

Why are you surprised that it happened?

It’s an animal.

Why are you surprised that somebody said something back to you?

Why are you surprised that somebody disagreed with you?

I’ve had plenty of disagreements with people online in my day, so I understand that part.

It also makes me question what role I played in some of these belief systems.

“You should do this.”

“You should do that.”

“You should be like this.”

“You should be like that.”

I just hope I have never offended anybody to that extent.

So if I did, I apologize now.

We Have to Communicate Better

We have to find a better way to communicate our message without having to tear down the next person.

The person who may be underneath us in regard to their fitness journey or where they currently are.

I understand standards.

I understand having a bar.

I understand saying, “This is where you should be.”

I also understand that there are different levels, especially if you are training for competition, training to become a professional athlete, or training for something specific.

Truth is, most of us aren’t doing that.

At the end of the day, we are getting older.

Our bodies are going to change.

We may not be as strong as we used to be.

We may not be as fast as we used to be.

Eventually, some of those words we say to other people may come back to bite us.

So this is mainly about being careful.

Watch what you say to people.

Watch how you address what you believe in.

Everybody doesn’t necessarily believe what you believe.

Everybody may not necessarily have the same goals that you have.

You may try to set a standard for everybody else that nobody else even necessarily cares about.

But that’s YOUR belief.

Have fun with it.

Understand things in context.

Sometimes it’s a joke, and that’s all it is.

I understand that not everybody is going to take the joke the same way.

And with that said, I guess I’ve got to get myself back in the gym.

I’ve got some training to do.

I’ve got to get back to getting my pull-up game up to par.

Here are some back exercises that can help me achieve that.