Chin ups
Just got back from the gym and had an interesting experience. I've been training in gyms for over 30 years, with different degrees of regularity and intensity. Peaked when I was competing on the Australian canoe team back in the 80s. Anyway, I was doing some chin ups today and the gym attendant came over. "You're gonna hurt yourself doing them like that, and you're not really working the right muscles".
Oh.
I'd become a bit lazy and was not coming all the way down. Despite knowing the right way, I'd fallen into a bad habit. My awareness had slipped.
So on the next set, I did them right, with full awareness and extension. It felt good, even though it also made them harder.
Nice bit of coaching that.
Comments
Jonathan, at least you can do chin ups! More seriously, your post made me think of the thin line between self-awareness and self-consciousness, especially in the gym. Mirrors help us in the gym by providing direct and unambigusous feedback on technique (assuming we know the right way) aiding self-awareness. But how many people use them in that way? How many see themselves and focus on how they look and what people might think of them (self-consciousness)?
Cheers
Rob
