By Edward Stone
A bit about me:
I am a 25 year old Veterinary Surgeon from rural Devon/Cornwall. I have been training in the gym for 7 years now. I have been competing in strength sports for 3 of those years, working my way up from first timers to open level competitions.Â
One of the biggest benefits, myself and a lot of people find in going to the gym and competing in strongman, is the positive impact the gym has on their mental health. There are multiple reasons and examples of how going to the gym benefits your mental health. These benefits can be achieved through something as simple as taking a walk, right up to involved training programmes and competing at regional/national events.Â
Why is the gym important to me?
I feel the gym plays a crucial role in my life, especially considering my job as a vet. It’s a physical job, yes, but it’s also a highly stressful job, with one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. This makes stress relief essential. The stress relief you can get from training in the gym is huge, you can see the progression you make, the hard work paying off and you are subsequently bettering yourself. It doesn’t matter how bad your day has been, the weight on the bar always weighs the same and getting the blood flowing through your body, really helps to wash away those worries from the day.
The gym community
Every gym will have a community. People in there, dedicated to improving themselves, or just escaping the stresses of life for an hour or so. That community is always there for one another, always willing to help each other. For instance, this could be a new person in the gym wanting to know how to perform an exercise, or the hulking giant in the corner needing someone to spot a heavy bench set.
The community and camaraderie in strength sports and strongman in particular, is incredible. I have been around various sports my whole life and there is nothing that compares to it. When you step up to compete, the people cheering loudest for you are your fellow competitors. They celebrate with you when an event goes well and they are always offering tips and guidance, to help improve your events further. People are even willing to lend support gear if it is needed. In many sports you may see this sort of camaraderie at grassroots level and less so in the pros, however, in strongman this support is consistent right up to the World’s Strongest Man and the highest professional competitions. During these competitions, you see someone finish a yoke run/stone run etc. and immediately they are shouting, cheering, encouraging the competitor in the opposite lane. I just can’t see Exeter Chiefs cheering on the Harlequins to convert a try, or Manchester United cheering about an Arsenal goal!
You don't have to be a huge gym rat to take advantage of the benefits of exercise. Just getting out and about on your feet makes a huge difference. There is plenty of evidence showing just a simple walk outside can have a dramatic effect on your mental wellbeing. Taking a break from all the screens, letting your eyes focus on something further away from you than a laptop and getting blood flowing around your body, is sometimes all you need to do to de-stress and reset. You don’t need expensive equipment or fancy facilities in order to reap the benefits of exercise, just a pair of shoes and somewhere to go, so there really is no excuse!
Here are some fantastic resources if you need to reach out for your mental health:
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