Batman had Robin, Sherlock had Watson, even SpongeBob had Patrick!
Having a good wingman is crucial. Their job is to give you spirit and draw the absolute best out of you.
Part of the culture we try very hard to cultivate is the supportive nature of the community.This is personified at the end of every workout with a high five and a job well done. It’s shown in the roar of the group for the last person in the gym after a run. It’s right in the middle of a hug or high five after you’ve had a crappy day.
This culture works for the whole of the community, as well as having a lifting buddy in class – your wingman!
Picture this:
You’re lifting with your workout buddy and the weight on the barbell slowly creeps up to your one rep max. It still feels good, and you are moving beautifully. Today might even be the day you ring that PR Bell! You load a little bit more on the bar and boom! New personal record. You look over at the person you are sharing the barbell and rack with and they casually ask you what weight you want to go next. Then they start chalking their hands for their turn at the bar. What a bummer…
Now picture this:
You’re lifting with your gym buddy and the weight on the barbell slowly creeps up to your one rep max. It still feels good, and you are moving beautifully. Today might be the day you ring that PR bell! You load a little bit more on the bar and nail it! Personal record! You don’t even have to look at your lifting buddy because you can hear them screaming for you! They run over, give you a massive high five and a hug, then insist you immediately ring the PR bell so everyone in the box knows of your new awesomeness.
Which one would you prefer? That second scenario is the one I’d pick every day of the week!
To have a good wingman, you have to BE a good wingman. And there are ways that you can become an awesome wingman!
Talk to your buddies.
Talk about lifts, talk about life, talk about Devin Ford, whatever….but talk to people in class. Get to know everyone. As a good wingman you should know a little bit about your lifting partner – like their current one rep max, what their goal is that day, etc. You should learn the movements they struggle with and the movements they rock at. This way, you know exactly when to grab your air guitar and start their one man band of glory.
Respect their bubble and lava pit.
This applies to lifting mainly, but remember the lifting etiquette that happens whenever your buddy goes into “The Zone”. Stop talking to them – they have an invisible bubble around them that nothing can penetrate. Do not cross the lava pit – flowing out in front of the lifter is a pit of lava and should you cross that pit. This is all just good gym etiquette.
Make a big deal out of things they do well.
If you get to know your buddies, you’ll start to see the progress around the room. Instead of seeing someone not squatting to depth, you’ll see how far they have come working on their squat to get that low. See someone using a box for push ups? If you know your buddies well enough, you would see that they have moved from higher box to a lower one. They have just cracked a new milestone – this is your chance to be an awesome wingman!
If you get to know the people in your community and actively be a good wingman, I promise you, the next time you do something awesome, you’ll look around and be surrounded by equally awesome wingmen. That’s how community works!