There’s dedication, there’s commitment, then there’s Joe Rogan on an elliptical machine. No, really.
Though it’s a random image, visualising the 52-year-old podcaster, comedian and UFC commentator sprinting and competing with himself on a piece of equipment most of us leave for people recovering from ACL injuries, sums him up well.
But when you look at most people, you can pinpoint a moment in their lives when they were inspired to get hyper-competitive: some dude stole Muhammed Ali’s bike, Bulls GM Jerry Krause doubted Jordan… The list goes on.
A video of Joe Rogan, however, which recently came to DMARGE’s attention, suggests he’s always been committed to his training with a religious fervour.
The clip, posted on Instagram on August the 23rd 2019 by Canadian psychologist, polemicist and self-help author Jordan Peterson in June 2019, comes from a two and a half-hour interview Peterson did with Rogan on the 16th of June 2019.
“There was a girl that I was dating in high school who wanted to have sex at the gym,” (which Rogan had the keys to), he shared.
“I was like, ‘there’s no way. This place is sacred… This place is like a church to me.'”
Though on face value, it’s just a funny anecdote, it also shows what’s lacking in many people’s fitness – bloody-minded dedication and respect for their craft (not the half-arsed bicep curls you force yourself to do twice a week).
Though Rogan may be talking about a taekwondo gym, not your local Anytime, the point remains: if you want to make serious progress with your physique, find an outlet that you find so intensely interesting you actually want to train.
That’s step one.
Step two is: surround yourself with individuals who make you want to better your craft, to the point where you don’t even want to take short cuts (or do anything that would disappoint those who put their faith in you) even when you get the chance.
Of course, not everyone in the comments was convinced, with one writing “yeah right Joe, yeah right.”
Another commented: “He took her up there…. because he needed to get a workout in? lol I need to hear this in full context.”
Whether or not you ~believe~, the principle remains an interesting one.