Maximum Stimulation Required

Right before starting a workout the other day, a friend teased me, and asked if we were going to put music on. I’ve written before about how I love running with no music, and I’ll sometimes train in the gym with nothing on the speakers. Everyone thinks I hate music, or don’t realize that listen to music while lifting has performance enhancing benefits.

In 2012 I was working at a gym and commuting an hour to school to finish up my final college credits. I headed to school early in the morning, hustled back to the gym to coach for a few hours and then would try to workout.

Back then I would take a scoop of pre-workout powder before every workout. Even after taking some caffeine, these training sessions would often go poorly. After a while, I realized, why do I need to get so amped up just to workout? What’s the point of this? Why can’t I just lift without (more) caffeine and loud music that I’m constantly tinkering with?

The same thing happened when I started running. AirPods weren’t around yet. I had wired ear buds, shorts with a specific pocket and a zipper, and the wire was always getting tangled up on me. I spent the whole time wanting to change the song or skip all of them all together. The whole run would be preoccupied with skipping songs, trying to find the perfect one.

I created barriers to entry. I needed maximum stimulation. I needed loud music and a heroic dose of caffeine to get some bench press sets in. Instead of just being able to start. Over the years, training in a hyped up environment yielded results for me, and that became the norm. Prolonged exposure to the same stimulus dulled the effect though, and before I knew it, I needed two scoops of Jack3d 3D, or needed to create the most perfect playlist

I still have caffeine before I train. But I’ve stayed away for the pre workout powder since this realization, and stopped listening to music while running long ago. My point about being able to train without those things that I want to train a lot. I want to train for a long time. I want to train to be the best version of my self, and relying on specific, cranked up music and caffeine just to get moving was becoming a crutch, no longer a training aid. I wanted to get to a place where the environment didn’t matter, I wanted to be in control.

You’re not always going to be able to pick the music, or have a normal pre workout routine. Sometimes you just need to be able to get the workout done and get on with your day, and that’s tough to do when maximum stimulation is required.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain