Why your gym sucks!

Taking your shoes off at the end of the day, pulling off the winter layers of clothes and getting comfortable.

This is all associated with getting rid of restrictions, and relaxing into your natural groove.

You dress up for the day to fit in appropriately for your job. I'm not saying this is either good or bad, but you conform to the environment. 

The question is; does this attire serve me in a positive way or negatively impact me?

I'm the gym guy, so I better pull my point into alignment with today's topic.

Why does your gym suck?

The gym should be a place where you can exercise, EXORCISE (have a think about that one), play, learn new movements, and express. 

Connection with every joint, muscle, organ, and the mind. 

Let me paint a picture of the restrictions I see in the gym on our amazing potential:

• Fancy highlighter coloured shoes that resemble Andre Agassi back in the 90's. Supporting every nook and cranny of the foot, as if  reebok knows better than a human designer.
• Weight belts that only really belong on powerlifters, acting like false abdominals giving you the illusion you actually have a strong core.
• Mittens for kittens. Gloves for the gym. Don't even get me started on this.

Now what about the facility?

Teaching people how to move is my life. Gyms making a mockery of this really grind my chaps.

Warming up on bikes and treadmills?!

What if I told you, you could stretch, mobilise, warm-up and activate your entire body in the same time as a stupid bike warm-up that heats and moronically deactivates the body into a neurological first gear. 

    

This is my mobility room in our gym.

I call it the Rock room or the B room.

We have an amazing view out over the city square which I love.

The B's stand for;

• Big toes
• Belly
• Butt
• Back
• Barefoot
• Balance

Take your shoes off, remove the winter layers, and unwind all that jammy tissue in order for your body to get mobile, comfortable and ready to move in the groove!

That's right, the gym is not for more restriction, conformity, and egotistical bullshit. 

I want to educate and inspire a different gym life.

A laboratory gym is where you can experience sensory magic. 

Sensory feedback is what gives us the ability to turn on more stability, more strength, more precision, and rid postural pain forever!

The great way to access this magic is to go RAW. Raw is what I call barefoot, tactile and with tonnes of variety and variability. 

The play factor allows for a reconfiguration of our posture. Connecting raw hands and feet stimulates hundreds of thousands of nerve endings. This in turn tells the larger extrinsic muscles to make you a powerful human.

Have a close look at the mobility room. You will notice the following:

• Rocks for foot stimulation and proprioception
• Walking beams for balance
• Sand for toe mobility
• Rubber balls for foot arch massage
• Foam rollers for spinal mobility
• Swiss ball for general dynamic postural activation
• Medicine ball for rolling muscle and fascia
• Bar hanging for grip activation
• Rings for swinging, grip work and total body mobility
• Yoga mat for stretching and yoga movements.
• Bands for shoulder/ spine mobility

How can you compare a magical routine in this room to a stupid stationary bike or treadmill?

I don't meet many people that do not have postural dysfunction attributing to many constant aches and pains.

It is the responsibility of the gyms to keep up with research, educate and communicate to members, provide comprehensive assessment options and get people moving better.

Unfortunately this is not what I see happening.

Let's go back to the raw foot idea. I am not totally against shoes, I just hate to see poorly functioning feet hidden away causing trauma to the rest of the body.

I'm going to give you a little scenario of pain that is very common, and connect it with poor foot function:

Having a Red light posture is what is know as a very rolled in, pronated, closed posture.

If the feet pronate (Roll inwards) and do not have the strength to manage this stress, the cascade of terror rises upwards.

The knees cave inwards, the hips internally rotate, the pelvis anteriorly tips excessively, the upper back rounds forward, the shoulders internally project, and the head migrates forward.

So when someone has sore knees, I look for shitty feet.

When the back hurts, I look at shitty shoes

When the upper back feels like concrete, I watch you walk barefoot looking for rhythm. 

When the neck can't rotate and aches to buggery, I look at everything below the neck.

Now if you go to the gym with this problem, are your foot coffins (shoes) going to save you?

Will machine training avoid the real issues?

Are you really going to the gym to lose weight and burn calories?

This is where I give the gyms a hard time!. Unwinding all of these problems and to stop putting a load of cash into Physio's and orthopedic surgeons pockets is going to take time and a few smarts.

I truly think humans are getting physically dumber!, and I see a lot of gyms around???

Moving our way to Green light posture where we look and feel great starts with the very first thing you do in your gym. 

Exploring, bending, twisting, rolling, squatting, lunging, throwing, and breathing variations all contribute to a nervous system ready for high gear and optimal communication and function.

Your body knows where optimal posture positions lie, it just needs the environment to access it.

I can tell a mile away from someone's posture and movement, what they lack in their gym routines.

And I tell many people this very valuable piece of information;

"Never sacrifice strength and mobility to just chase fit and lean!"

I have seen many very fit people with very poor coordination and joint function. 

The gym must prepare you for everything life throws at you.

If your gym has you as just another number, walk away!

If your gym is super crowded with horrid music, and does not allow free play space with mobility toys, run away!

If your gym has more treadmills and bikes than great movement coaches, find a better place!

Our bodies are getting dumb and dumber as we keep restricting them. You may get away with a lot when you are younger but the pain teacher comes to educate you eventually.

Shoes have distorted our feet!

Fashion has diminished your function!

Your feet and hands have become weak!

You hurt because you are disconnected!

The solutions are simple to start:

• Spend more time barefoot
• Get Toe shoes to try or a good minimus shoe. 
• Learn a good daily mobility routine (get assessed and get inspired)
• Hang from the hands every day
• Put lots of variety into your movement/ gym routines

My gym is a fun laboratory!

What is the ethos of yours?

Tony Small

Health Coach

SmallWONDERS Gym