In most cases, being controversial may get you noticed but there's always a line drawn and some overstep that line and act like they're better than everybody or a better expert. I'm not one to cause controversy or have an opinion that is controversial but sometimes it happens without being intentional about it.
Some cause controversy because they're attention seeking jackasses or just don't give a shit about the consequences and believe they can get away with murder when in reality, they're really a joke and have no real value. For instance, for a guy who looks like he needs to eat sandwich telling other people how to get jacked while struggling to do a few pull-ups yet claims to do 25 in a set and never once proved it just talks out of his ass, that's a red flag in my book or those that believe smoking like a chimney yet are in better health is a flex, it isn't.
When it comes to strength in the gym, more often than not, many people's abilities only stay in the gym and struggle to be able to do other things outside of it. It's rarer than people lead on that gym training carries over to other aspects of physical activity. There are guys who can squat hundreds of pounds, yet have a hard time going up and down flights of stairs or able to haul furniture. I've seen jacked up guys deadlift crazy weight but can barely do a few push-ups that have a lockout. It's not so much sad or shameful but it's more on the lines of being conditioned mentally to believe that if you can do whatever in the gym, it transfers over to everything else, not necessarily true. It's not an opinion, it's pretty damn factual.
It's not to say you shouldn't go to the gym to get strong, but it is important to understand the concept of certain logic and knowledge that one thing may not help the other but sometimes, it's the other way around. Some are very strong outside the gym and can do some pretty gnarly stuff if they rarely or ever been in one. Laborers for example aren't always going to look like the Hulk but some of those guys are stupid strong in the areas they work in and make bodybuilders and gym goers look weak in many things. However, you're not going to see a ton of laborers doing 400 lb deadlifts or Benching 500 lbs. It's a very different type of strength and there are some laborers that have this thing about bitching and moaning about people in gyms not being strong in the real world when in reality, it's not all that black and white.
Personally, I believe in the idea that whether you train in a gym or not, having strength no matter where you are should be practiced and have knowledge on. In truth, the gym is everywhere, a building is just part of an idea. That may sound like I'm knocking gym fanatics but I'm not, strength has its merits in many forms but if you're just choosing the gym, unless there is equipment that holds meaning for outside situations or able to build strength that can hold its own outside of it, you may get a wake up call that your Dumbbell Presses aren't always going to save you from hauling awkward boxes all day.
Dumbbells, Barbells and Machines have their place in building strength, have been for decades and have helped many people but if all you focus on is those things and not see the value of other equipment or yourself, you're closing off knowledge and application that can one day save your ass or someone else. Many of the old timers learned not only to lift a Barbell, but to do things that required strength beyond the Barbell, for some it was a big part of their development, for others, it was another cog in the machine that was building a physique that had not only strength but can go as well.
If you're only strong in the gym, there will be things that won't help you deal with other things in life. However, if you have the knowledge of both gym training and outside formalities, that bolds a better way of handling yourself if it was just one or the other. Many people will never need the gym at all and that's awesome. I for one, don't NEED the gym to make myself strong and conditioned, I go because it's something to do and have fun with, making it part of the journey, not relying on it. I've gone years without walking into a gym and made progress in my training career, you've seen the demos and the results of what I can do. I don't love the gym but I don't hate it either, for me it's just a place.
What I do understand though is that many think they need the gym for whatever reasons when in fact, it's more of finding a stepping stone to becoming something more of what they were before. It's not a bad thing at all but if the gym is your only sanctuary and don't utilize things outside of it, than you have become conditioned to believe that you need to rely on the gym itself in order to make yourself a better person when there is a whole other world of possibilities.
Become strong in the gym that has carryover to the real world if you choose to do gym training. If it doesn't carry over to the outside world, it's going to bite you in the ass one way or another. If you do things outside of the gym, that's bad ass and can rely on that particular knowledge alone but if you added the gym to those things, you're also gaining knowledge of what can be useful to you. There are many ways to build strength but it's up to you to find that balance and rely on what is useful versus one concept over another.
Be amazingly awesome and stay strong and healthy for as long as you can. If you're a gym goer, keep at it and hope that strength carries over to other aspects of your life. If you don't go to the gym, build your strength so that it can be helpful to others and yourself.
