Cast of Characters Bonded in Shared Suffering

Okay, am I being dramatic? To be fair, conditioning (and half of its purpose in the collegiate weightroom) is often referred to as “shared suffering” by strength coaches. While dramatic sounding, there’s something to it. 

People who gather for a common purpose and endure hardship are more tightly bonded. 

Of course, that’s a tough statement to prove, but I’ve read it back a few times now and can’t say I want to change it. Now, no we’re not going to war or battling world hunger here, but it’s safe to say that showing up to work hard with others is a ripe environment for meaningful relationships. Conversely, it’s tougher to build genuine relationships by attending the same loud club as others. Dance clubs have a common purpose, but lack the communal hardship (unless we’re talking about how tough it is to squeeze through the crowd to the bathroom). 

DEUCE Gym and other gyms similar often build a cast of characters. These are men and women that would be unlikely to cross your path otherwise, but nonetheless you share a unique bond because of what you gather to do. 

I don’t know about you, but the DEUCE Gym cast of characters includes some of the most diverse and incredible people in this city and I hope we only get more weird and more connected. 

Keep going.