Thinking Out Loud | 003
Ever noticed how a lot of fitness content revolves around "holding the standard."
I'm guilty of it too. I've preached it, I've believed it, and in certain contexts, I still do.
But lately I've found myself looking at much of it differently.
A lot of what passes for fitness wisdom today feels like a discount-store, or more likely AI-generated, version of philosophies that were hard-earned by people like David Goggins, Jocko Willink, and Cameron Hanes. Love them or hate them, those guys built their reputations through decades of testing their limits, embracing discomfort, failing publicly, and accumulating experiences most people would never dare attempt.
What started as a philosophy became a content strategy.
Somewhere along the way, the message became the product.
The wisdom got separated from the work.
The Standard.
WTF does that even mean? As if there's one universal benchmark for discipline, health, commitment, or success that everyone should be striving toward. Maybe I'm getting old, but the older I get, the less interested I am in people telling me what the standard is.
Now-a-days social media is full of Fitness Barbies. Gym Barbie. Run Barbie. Bike Barbie. Recovery Barbie… You get the drift.
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Every version comes with the same accessories: a carefully curated routine, matter-of-fact advice, a camera tripod, a supplement stack, a cold plunge, and a business model disguised as inspiration. “You too, can be the standard”
And somewhere along the way, fitness stopped being something people did and started becoming a character people played.
Everyone is selling discipline. Everyone is selling a lifestyle. Everyone is selling.
And sometimes it feels like the loudest people are spending more time talking about the work than doing it. It’s all so performative.
Life is complicated.
What kills me is the implication that everyone should aspire to the same life. The same training volume. The same morning routine. The same priorities.
The same definition of success.
Most people I know are trying to balance careers, families, relationships, health challenges, financial stress, aging parents, raising kids, and a hundred other responsibilities.
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Not everyone wants to train 20 hours a week, Perform a morning/nighttime routine, own a $5K bike, or run a 100 miles. Not everyone wants their entire identity wrapped around fitness.
And that's okay.
The irony is that some of the fittest, toughest, most accomplished people I've met rarely talk about themselves at all. They don't need to constantly remind everyone how disciplined they are. They just go live their lives.
The older I get, the more suspicious I become of anyone selling a universal standard because maybe the only standard that actually matters is being honest with yourself.
Are you putting in the effort required for the goals you say you want?
Are your actions aligned with your priorities?
Are you being honest about the sacrifices you're willing to make?
That's it.
Not my standard. Not an influencer's standard. Not a slogan printed on a hoodie. Just an honest conversation with yourself.
There’s no universal blueprint for a life that's deeply personal. The truth is, you can go out and be fit without taking a picture of yourself. You can have an adventure without documenting every second of it. You can do hard things without turning them into content.
Some things are allowed to exist simply because you enjoy them. In my opinion, that should be the standard.
But what do I know? I’m just thinking out loud.
