Toil is man's allotment; toil of brain, or toil of hands, or a grief that's more than either, the grief and sin of idleness. -Melville

Recently, I finished reading Keith Richards book Life, a great piece of work by the man who refuses to die. In one chapter he details his detoxification from heroin while exiled in Jamaica. He colorfully describes the experience as going “cold turkey in paradise,” a great line that, strangely enough, made me reflect on the current state of not only the fitness industry, but also human beings in general. In a figurative sense, cold turkey in paradise aptly describes the state of contemporary society. After all, we’re clearly fatter, unhappier and more maladjusted than our ancestors. This led me to the question, how do we, as human beings, better manage our existence and ultimately our happiness? The answer, my friends, is through exercise.

For the past several years, the fitness industry has experienced a dramatic change. We’ve seen a small exodus from the big box gym to independently owned microgyms. Microgyms are undeniably hot, which is a bit of a surprise when considering they offer fewer amenities than chain gyms, lower visibility (industrial parks, low rent districts and garages), Spartan training, medieval equipment and often a higher price tag. Yet waves of recreational athletes have made the switch, in search of direction, results and, in some cases, a sense of purpose.

For decades, the franchise model Globo gym has dominated the recreational fitness landscape. These facilities offer lots of square footage, plenty of amenities and low entry points, all of which usually come with an ironclad recurring billing contract. The gyms themselves house a cluttered array of do-it-yourself style machines, little or no supervision, and watered down group fitness classes. The results, like the experience, are often bland, leading to poor customer compliance and, ultimately, a feeling of being unfulfilled.

In stark contrast, microgyms are thriving. Their clients are seeing dramatic results and attendance is high. The typical microgym client is not only happy; they’ve become a business asset by actively recruiting family and friends with a missionary-like zeal. The microgym segment of the fitness industry is clearly filling a need, which leads us to a bigger question: What are the microgym clients getting out of their training that the Globo gyms aren’t providing?

Before I answer that question, it’s important to understand what most microgyms are all about. First, all microgyms are not created equal. Some offer well-trained professional staff and others offer slack-jawed dimwits and everything in between. This fact leads us to a strange phenomenon in regards to the quality of the product. Many consumers have become fanatical about “their” gym, regardless of its quality. This reality leads to a larger question: Why would a consumer not only accept a subpar training experience, but also actually sing its praises? The answer is complicated, but it directly corresponds to the human condition.

Simplified, the human condition is a person’s quest for the meaning of life. It primarily deals with the sense of curiosity and the need for gratification, while simultaneously addressing the inevitable thoughts of isolation and our anxiety regarding the inescapability of death. I’m sure you’re asking yourself, what does this have to do with a gym membership? Well, in the case of microgym, it turns out quite a lot.

Hard-Effort Training: A Surrogate Activity

You know the guy. He probably works a few cubicles down from you and he’s a fitness fanatic. On a daily basis he spews out, in painful detail, his hardcore training regimen and constantly raves about how awesome his gym is. In all reality, the microgym that your fanatical co-worker has been raving about probably espouses some form of hard effort training. I’ve covered hard-efforts in a T-Nation article, Your Cardio Makes No Sense. In a nutshell, hard efforts are just what they sound like; they’re sweat-fests that result in an end-state of light-headed hypoxia, nausea and fatigue. Sounds great, right? Maybe. If you’re one of those people who have never really enjoyed exercising, you may view this outcome as proof positive that fitness fanatics are truly crazy, but for many exercise enthusiasts, these hard effort training sessions have led to a form of zealotry and fanaticism that can only be interpreted as cult-like. The million-dollar question is why? It’s just exercise, right?

The reality is, whether they understand it or not, microgym goers and their hard-effort training offer more than just exercise. For many, they act as a powerful psychological ointment. These hard-efforts result in chemical changes within our body (dopamine, anyone?) that literally helps us manage being human. However, there are subtler and less literal factors driving the hard-effort addiction. These factors, in my opinion, are biological in nature, yet science hasn't provided us with much viable evidence of their existence. In fact, the ideals I’m about to discuss were embraced by three of the oddest of bedfellows, Aristotle, Jesus and the Unabomber.

Aristotle, Jesus and the Unabomber

I know, I know, just hear me out. Microgym training fills a void for many human beings by providing a sense of autonomy within a group, purpose, pride, excellence, and even what may be the most needed component for humans, fulfillment. Experiencing these feelings regularly via exercise often leads to an increase in one’s perceived virtue or character. These are ancient ideas proposed by both Aristotle and Jesus, but it was the Unabomber's manifesto that triggered a real connection for me, primarily relating to his concept of surrogate activity.

Yes, the Unabomber is insane, and yes, he lived as a hermit on the edge of civilization. However, throughout history, those that have lived on the outskirts of society often have the best views. I certainly don’t condone his actions, but the guy did get into Harvard when he was 16 and I think the ideas behind his concept of the power process and its expression via surrogate activity are spot on. These ideas could offer some small redemption by helping people understand “why” they are drawn to train the way they do. After all, as the science writer Robert Wright observed in Time magazine, "There's a little bit of the Unabomber in most of us."

It goes without saying; a crazy man first presented us with the power process. You may have heard of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Insanity aside, he believed, as do I, that “human beings have a need (probably based in biology) for something that we will call the power process. This is closely related to the need for power (which is widely recognized) but is not quite the same thing. The power process has four elements. The three most clear-cut of these we call goal, effort, and attainment of goal. (Everyone needs to have goals whose attainment requires effort, and needs to succeed in attaining at least some of their goals.) The fourth element is more difficult to define and may not be necessary for everyone. We call it autonomy and will discuss it later.”

The concept of surrogate activity is a powerful one. It directly confronts the fact that humans no longer need to toil for their basic biological needs. Evolutionary psychology talks at great lengths about this phenomenon. In a nutshell, we no longer need to hunt or gather in groups for survival. However, the need to do so may still reside deep in our DNA and, when not fulfilled, it results in feelings of unhappiness. This lack of activity has led many westerners toward an unsettling state of human deterioration. The power process attributes this terrible state of man to a lack of goals that require physical effort, which can result in boredom, depression, over-eating, sleep disorders, guilt, anxiety, excessive pleasure seeking and, in some, anger. All of these are byproducts of extreme mental stress caused by societal norms and, in some cases, technology. So, it makes sense that when we train hard (surrogate activity) it fulfills our paleo-esque cravings to simply “work” and, in turn, it helps to quiet some of our inner demons.

Surrogate Activity

In his manifesto, the Unabomber described “surrogate activity” as, “an activity that is directed toward an artificial goal that people set up for themselves merely in order to have some goal to work toward, or let us say, merely for the sake of the ‘fulfillment’ that they get from pursuing the goal. Here is the rule of thumb for the identification of surrogate activities. Given a person who devotes much time and energy to the pursuit of goal X, ask yourself this: If he had to devote most of his time and energy to satisfying his biological needs, and if that effort required him to use his physical and mental facilities in a varied and interesting way, would he feel seriously deprived because he did not attain goal X? If the answer is no, then the person's pursuit of a goal X is a surrogate activity.” So what does all this mumbo jumbo mean?

For me, the concept of surrogate activity helped me to better understand and share why I participate in ultra-marathons. After all, I’m 6’3”, 220 pounds and, when compared to an elite ultra-marathoner, I’m slow. I’m naturally predisposed toward power sports, but I’m old, so lifting and running is all I have left. This is where ultras come in. But, I’ve been asked, ad nauseam, why would I subject myself to hours upon hours of painful physical and mental training in order to simply “complete” a race?

The answer should be obvious. Racing and training act as surrogate activity for me. It’s always been difficult for me to explain “why” I choose to participate in these suffer-fests. The truth is, they give me a sense of autonomy, a purpose, a goal. This gets me outdoors and provides introspective time alone. In the end, ultras give me a strong sense of fulfillment, while providing a primal calming effect. This sense of fulfillment can also be quantified as character. Obviously, an increase in character is a good thing; it makes me a better dad, husband, friend, coach and, ultimately, a better human being.

The Sloth-man Prophecy

So, how can someone of such low character (Unabomber) inspire me to recognize the importance of virtuous training? The answer rests in the foggy memory of my past as a Catholic schoolboy (insert crass joke here). In all honesty, I’m not exactly a steady churchgoer, but a friend of mine recently gave me a book, After You Believe, that deals with the concepts of virtue and character. The author, N.T. Wright, describes character as the power of right habits. In the strict sense, character is what happens when someone makes a thousand small choices requiring effort and concentration in order to do something good, but it doesn't necessarily come naturally or automatically.

Sounds a lot like training, right? By repeating training acts over and over, we build character and, eventually, a long-term commitment to a healthy activity that becomes second nature. This second-nature activity may provide a clue to true happiness. I believe that training and sport help to fill a void left within us by our ancient forefathers. After all, from a purely anecdotal standpoint, the unhappiest people I meet are often the most inactive. Part of the issue here is that they have always viewed exercise as a quest for physical aesthetics, instead of a necessary component of being human. We need to move; we are not designed to behave like sloths. It’s pretty clear that this type of behavior blocks genetic expression and encourages disease (mental and physical).

These ideas are not new; they’ve been around forever. As I’ve alluded to before, I distinctly remember character being espoused by my coaches as a child. Having character was foundational to my ideas of team and sport. I find it interesting when I speak to clients nowadays and see how their eyes light up when they talk about their childhood sports. It’s obvious to me that these are happy memories about their childhood athletics. This is another important point; it seems that, as we age, many of us drift further and further away from the simple enjoyment activity once provided us. This is where the group exercise and hard-effort training effects play a role and, most importantly, it’s where community comes into the equation.

Communal Efforts

Over the past several years, it’s been difficult for many fitness professionals (myself included) to come to terms with the fact that many consumers are attending poorly run, sweatshop-like gyms in lieu of better available products. The gyms I speak of often put little forethought into planning and programming training sessions. Many of these sessions, unfortunately, have a tendency to end in injury. So, why are these people who are supposedly seeking health, fitness and happiness willing to accept a subpar and dangerous product? The answer lies in the need of people to toil as a community.

Based on the material we’ve covered so far, autonomous surrogate activity simply isn’t enough for some people. These folks need more. They need a community to act as opium of the masses. This client needs to be part of something that’s bigger, that offers the appearance of working toward a greater good. This idea, again, could be attributed to the remnants of communal “work“ that’s hiding in our DNA, possibly related to our ancient ancestors’ communal efforts. Whatever the reason, I think it explains the aforementioned behavior of “sticking with it,” even when “it” clearly isn’t working. It’s important to recognize that these clients’ behavior has nothing to do with fitness. It’s more about sweating and socialization than actual training; this is an issue because attainment of goals is a necessary part of the power process. It should be obvious that it’s hard to attain goals without actually having goals or a plan to achieve them.

Maybe I can provide a better picture. In my freshman year of high school, our football team stunk. We only won one game. But, we were a team, which in the simplest sense of the word means we toiled together for a common goal, the group’s greater good. This comes with the obvious ramifications: a sense of family, camaraderie, caste structures, and accountability, which was fulfilling. It goes without saying that only quitters would have bailed on the communal effort, even though we clearly weren't fulfilling our objective or goal, which was winning. Now, if we hypothetically remove the goal of winning and take a look at the activity from a logical point of view, it would have become, in Allen Iverson’s word, simply “practice!” In this example, it makes no sense to continue to toil for no reward. Training is no different. We need goals.

To some degree, this is what we might see with the crummy microgym. The client’s sense of competition, community and purpose is what compels them to profess the greatness of “their” gym. Some gym owners have used this to their advantage and project guilt on those who quit, rumbling on and on about family, etc. It’s become downright clan-like in many major cities throughout the U.S., which is a shame, because they’re only fulfilling some of the criteria set forth in the power process.

Understanding the process

I think a basic understanding of some of the topics we’ve addressed is important for any gym goer, owner and trainer. I hope these ideas can act as a powerful tool to help someone who is currently inactive or those that have fallen off their game, by providing them with the framework to take the necessary steps toward a healthier life. I think everyone in the fitness industry can benefit by recognizing that the training process encapsulates both physical and mental challenges. Ultimately, it’s hard to slay one without the other.

So, you may be asking, what’s the first step? If we think of training as building a house, the foundation needs to be solid. This is accomplished by embracing one of the many excellent barbell strength programs (Ex: Wendler 5/3/1) available. The most important part of this type of training for the average Joe is the sustainability and steady gains they provide. In this regard, it’s important to understand that long-term gains are sustainable long term. The hard effort crowd often misses this simple fact. It should be obvious that a strength and conditioning program requires some strength training.

As a businessman and a realist, I like strength training because it leads to a higher client compliance rate. As a coach, I embrace it because power is dependent upon it. Strength training acts as a powerful mental tool because improvements are objectively measured, unlike aesthetic changes that are fairly subjective in nature. For example, the average soccer mom may not see immediate aesthetic change from training, but the quantifiable increase in strength can validate the power process.

When clients embrace a strength-biased approach to fitness, it leads to the overall durability of the body, which is important when doing hard effort training. Most of the hard effort crowd would do well by implementing more strength in their programming. This approach would allow hard effort clients to better handle the rigorous conditioning sessions they experience in their micro-gyms. Most importantly, strength training jives well with the power process because it provides clients with goals that require physical effort in order to be attained. This outcome acts as a powerful mechanism of fulfillment that is needed by all humans who seek long-term happiness.

As I’ve alluded to before, another important part of training is work. Work acts as the mortar that binds the mental and physical components together. This is probably most obvious to those who have found themselves unable to train, possibly due to injury. These are usually trainees who've built a second nature work ethic through years of doing the right thing. In more cases than not, when these clients are unable to train, it’s the mental burden that becomes crippling. These folks may become depressed, angry and despondent when their training routine is upset.

This is incredibly important to take away because the reality for most of us is that when we can’t train, we aren't happy. So, take the time to build good habits, find a gym that offers well balanced programming and support, be patient, and find a place where like minded people train and focus on long term sustainability in training. Use the power process as a guide. If you have no goals, you can’t put forth a true effort, and no effort equals no results. This is a guaranteed recipe for disaster when it comes to training. I think it’s important to embrace training as a surrogate activity. It’s deeper than running and lifting weights. In this regard, training may act as one of the missing links necessary for true human happiness.

I encourage you to share your training accomplishments and some of the theories presented here with those who need a push. They are the ones who can benefit most, and you can help them make that change. I also hope the grizzled veterans out there can use these ideas to help cope with time away from training. When an incident prevents you from training, find surrogate activities like coaching or mentoring in order to stay connected to the community of your brethren. Now get out there and train with purpose, and enjoy life through exercise.

Eric Auciello is a caring nurturer and a member of several 12-step programs, but he is not a licensed therapist.