The Temple of IRON!

We all have our temples. Places we go to find peace, to clear our minds, to revitalize our insides.

For some, the bedroom is a sanctuary from the stresses of life. For others, it may be the library, a park, the kitchen, bathtub, and so on. For me, it’s the gym. I know it’s an unlikely comparison. To many people the gym is a source of anxiety and a variety of uncomfortable sentiments, not feelings of peace and invigoration. But I feel strong and productive when I’m there, so it is my place of “worship.”

But what do you do when your temple shuts down, or gets turned into something that’s no longer your place of refuge?

That happened to me when the gym I had gone to since I was 16 closed down. The next closest option was a perpetually over-crowded LA Fitness. It was not an adequate substitute. As I’ve mentioned before, you practically have to wait in line to use the equipment there, and finding a matching pair of dumbbells is near impossible. As a result, I started working out less because I couldn’t stand being there.

And I realized how important it is to like your temple.

I needed to find a new gym, but wasn’t interested in another commercial chain. I ended up buying a Groupon for a crossfit class at an independently-owned gym, and I am SO HAPPY I did. I love this gym. Yes, it is small and a little bit worn, but I like that. It’s never too crowded, and I’ve never had to wait in line for the squat rack while some dude was curling the bar. The place is Thump Fight Gym, and they also have a ton of classes. The vibe is super friendly, and I’m really digging the crossfit classes (that is a whole other post waiting to happen).

No more stressing before the gym or annoyance while I’m there. Being at Thump really is a pleasure.

So that being said, I got in an early workout recently. My strength had really dwindled the past few months, and I’m so happy that within just a few weeks of consistent training, I’m almost back to where I was before.

Here was my workout:

Squats: 5×5 120 lbs
DB push press: 1×8 30 lbs each, 4×5 35 lbs each
Chin-ups: 8×3
DB chest press on flat bench: 3×7 40 lbs each
Inverted push-ups/BW row/whatever you wanna call ’em: 3×8 bodyweight

Feels good, man.