An ode to the gym

The gym is a lot more than a place to move, grunt, and sweat. The gym is a training--and testing--ground for the body, mind, and soul. The gym is a lot more than a place to move, grunt, and sweat. It’s a miniature cosmos where we can make contact with the deeper parts of ourselves--our convictions, fears, habits, and anxieties. It’s an arena where we can confront these opponents head-on and prove that we have what it takes to vanquish them. The gym is also a setting where we can test the assumptions we’ve made about ourselves and the stories underlying them. It calls on us to demonstrate how we respond to the greater struggles of life--adversity, pain, insecurity, stress, weakness, and disadvantage--and, in some ways, who we really are. In this way, the gym is a training--and testing--ground for the body, mind, and soul. The conflicts that we learn to endure in the gym empower us in our daily lives, as well. The concentration, discipline, and resilience required to build a great body are also required to build a great life. If you can do one, you can do the other, because the way to do anything is, at bottom, the way to do everything. The gym calls on us to constantly attempt new things, and thus is also a source of learning. It’s a forum where questions are at least as important as answers, and it cultivates what scientists call a “growth mindset” by teaching us that our abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work--a worldview that’s essential for great accomplishment. The gym is practical, too, not idealistic. It’s a laboratory open to any and all ideas and methodologies, and it gives clear, unqualified feedback: they either work or they don’t. In short, the gym can be so much more than merely a place to work out. It can be a refuge from the chaos around us; a world of our own that we create to satisfy our most personal and primal dreams and desires. This is why the gym can give us a lot more than muscle and strength. It can give us more life. Mike ​P.S. Want some help building your best body ever? Here are 3 ways I can assist whenever you’re ready: ⇒ 1) Want to be your own coach? Read one of my bestselling books for [men]( and [women](. (And want to get one of my audiobooks for free? [Click here to learn how]( ⇒ 2) Want personalized help? Check out my [custom meal plan]( and [VIP one-on-one coaching]( services. ⇒ 3) Want an easy boost? Add a couple of my science-based supplements to your regimen, like a [protein powder]( [pre-workout]( or [fat burner](. And if none of that tickles your neurons, you might like all the simple, practical, and evidence-based teachings over at my [blog]( [podcast]( and [Instagram](. 🏆 Want to earn rewards for every purchase you make? [Click here to learn how!]( Copyright © 2019 Legion Athletics, All rights reserved. Having trouble reading this email? [View online version]( [2289.gif][pixel.png?type=eo&wsid=2289&email={EMAIL}] This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Legion Athletics · 8045 Leesburg Pike Suite 240 · Vienna, VA 22182 · USA