Curling in the squat rack. Squatting in the curl station. Leaving your weights strewn around the gym. Not cleaning your bench. Showering without thongs. Giving unsolicited advice. Doing cardio in a really busy weights area. Copying a personal trainer’s workout.
There are many things you shouldn’t do in the gym, in order to avoid irritating other gym goers. But what about those things that sabotage your own workout? On that note, retired navy SEAL, current ultra-endurance athlete and fitness motivation specialist David Goggins has some advice for you, that, if you follow it, could take your fitness to the next level.
Goggins recently took to Instagram to share one such action, which he noticed in what he describes as a “benchwarmer” NBA player a few weeks ago.
Video: David Goggins Shares The ‘And Then Some’ Rule
“I was in the gym working out. This NBA player walks in with his trainer. I could tell by the exercise they were doing he was used to doing just twelve reps, because when the trainer said ‘let’s do 15 today’ he got a little attitude. It became very clear to me why he’s a bench warmer – having that bare minimum attitude will keep your ass on that bench.”
Goggins added: “If he heard what… he was being in that moment, he wouldn’t have said it. It motivated me though. It was locked in my brain. It’s still there now… of how he sounded. It kept me in the gym for another 2 hours. The thing about it is this – it’s not just the three reps he failed to recognise, it’s what happens with those three f*cken reps that make you better.”
“Never do the bare minimum. Stay hard.”
Goggins then posted the video to Instagram with the following caption: “Once again, this message is not for everybody. No one cares, especially me, about where you are in life or who you are. I am speaking directly to those people who want more out of themselves. Those are the only people I am speaking to. So if you find my message offensive for trying to make you better, I apologize for trying to make you better.”
“It’s no wonder why some people are where they are. If you are one of the countless people out here giving the bare minimum, you shouldn’t wonder or have to ask why you are where you are in life.”
“There is always someone out there listening to what you say and watching what you do. Doing the bare minimum will only take you so far. It may get you all the way to the NBA, the NFL, or into Harvard or Yale or the C-level position at your company, but sadly, that is where it will stop. Your natural talent and gifts will only take you so far.”
“You will ride that bench, you will not get the promotions, you will not be valedictorian, etc.”
“The funny thing is I know what some of you may say, you may say ‘well, he made it to the NBA’ or ‘she made it into Yale’ and while that is great, think about how much further you could go. It’s the ‘that’s good enough’ attitude that keeps you right where you are for the rest of your life.”
“Even with everything you have achieved in life, there should be an AND behind it… you are the CEO of a company AND you are also the Founder of a Non-Profit, etc.”
“You should always be striving for the AND!!!!”
Though many are quick to scoff at Goggins’ extreme philosophy, citing injuries and overwork as negative forces on your overall happiness – and maybe even gains (or in the case of business, productivity) – we’d argue they are missing the point.
RELATED: David Goggins Fans Show Off Their Incredible Body Transformations
Goggins’ (though sometimes it may seem like it) isn’t suggesting you run yourself into the ground, but encouraging you to do better on those 1% decisions that are hard to make, but which build up to a more extraordinary life. Like doing those extra three reps (if you can do them with good form and not injure yourself).
Not to mention: throwing logic to the wind and doing a randomly long workout, however potentially damaging to your muscles and ligaments, can have incredible motivational value, which is hard to quantify, from the sheer ego boost you get by doing something normal people wouldn’t even dream of.
Dangerous levels of fitness incoming…
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