No Derek, I just love training. I don't love myself, but I love what I've been able to accomplish in the gym.
I was talking to a body builder at my gym two days ago, and we were going over all the misconceptions that come with body sculpting and also, more generally, with being proud of achievement in the gym. This guy is an absolute monster. He's so ripped up it's just plain sick, and he flexes in the mirror non stop during his workouts, and people always stare and whisper and make pithy comments. They think, 'oh look at the big guy posing. He must love himself!' In fact, as anyone who works out knows, body builders pose to examine their physiques and judge their symmetry. They're looking very closely at where they have to improve; literally every centimeter counts when they're being judged. They're really not engaging in some sort of narcissistic behavior by looking at themselves thinking 'damn, I look so much better than everyone else. I'm awesome'! That being said, does an element of narcissism come with having a good physique? Of course, which is natural and for that matter shouldn't be looked down upon. The pride that comes with getting your body in peak shape is indeed very strong. You want to show what you're capable of. You want to talk about it. Call it bragging...I call it enthusiasm.
Plus, people like myself who train very hard and love the exercise just plain enjoy talking about our routines and our accomplishments. I made this post after finishing a fucking beast in the gym yesterday. I was so pumped up and very proud of myself for how far I've come in the past 5 or 6 years. Training is important for me; very important. It really is like a drug for me and I know I'm probably slightly addicted to exercise. I make damn sure that I don't over train and I amend my program as necessary to avoid injury. But that isn't important. What I am talking about is just the simple fact that I love talking about training. I love comparing myself and my routine to other people. It gives me motivation to see what others can do and realizing I can't do it. I'm not there yet. It pushes me to go even harder. Comparing myself to others isn't about feeding my ego. Contrary to what you may think, I really have a healthy, normal ego (probably less than average). It's about seeing where I can improve.
So, I think it's a misconception. It's the same as when I go home to the USA and meet up with my friends. I've done a lot in my life thus far, and I've lived in and visited many different places. I like to talk about my experiences because I want to share what I've done and the things I've seen. My friends, most of them, haven't left our hometown. They don't travel. I'm not saying it's bad or wrong; it's just their personal lifestyle, which is fine. But when I try to talk to them about my own experiences, I know they think I come off as bragging, when I'm not. I'm just excited about what I've done and I like to share the experiences. No bragging. Same goes with training. I hope that makes sense.
