Training Without a Phone Feels Weird at First. Then It Feels Like the Only Way.
I liked doing Trilogy posts series to be honest, playing Devil’s Advocate, writing some contrarian opinions that might sting a bit, so for this series, I’m going to tackle something I’ve been noticing a lot on different online forums which I’d say it’s the big elephant in the room now: The Smartphones and the relationship with exercise! Another area of our sacred lives that has been totally permeated by this social phenomenon. In this first Post, I’m going to establish my core idea and get some things out my chest, just for my peace of mind! Next I will cover some psychological issues to reframe the issue and lastly I will do my best to provide a new framework for this so we can all start to turn things around!
What’s the difference between listening to a podcast on the treadmill and scrolling between sets?
One is a tool, the other is an escape. A podcast during a 45-minute treadmill run is a reasonable trade. Scrolling Instagram for 20 minutes on a machine you’re not using, while a TV show plays unwatched in front of you, is avoidance. The difference is whether the phone is helping you stay or helping you leave without physically walking out.
The Gym Used to Be the One Place You Could Disconnect. What Happened?
What is it now, with people and the cellular phones at the gyms and even while running, biking and even swimming! Do people really need to listen to Podcasts while they are in the pool swimming? Yes, I saw it couple of weeks back. What are we really trying to escape or avoid? What level of numbness is required in order to avoid our thoughts and emotions? I mean, some are scary sometimes and really weird for sure, but it’s part of our humanity, not good or bad, not right or wrong! Our thoughts are just there...nothing else!
This is something that has been bugging me for a long time and it’s a simple question, one that I want to understand, and perhaps people can help me or tell me what is the answer or insight I’m looking for. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m the one that’s completely out of sync with the new reality, so please point it out and correct me.
Coincidentally, I was away on vacation last couple of weeks and I went to train at a local gym where my parents live, and all over the gym machines were little stickers stating the obvious:
Do not spend too much time looking at your phone, let other people train as well...the problem is, it becomes like a vicious cycle, because everybody is doing the same thing!
So, in the end...nobody gets to do anything, or a 1h gym session becomes a 2h one and nobody has that time to train! Or, you just end up doing a workout you didn’t feel like doing, working some other body part or muscle group you weren’t mentally ready for that day, say…Leg Day! and leave the gym a bit frustrated and unmotivated.
The Sober One at the Party Always Sees Everything. I'm That Person at the Gym.
Honestly, I really get it, during a treadmill run, I mean, it’s boring as hell, so listening to a Podcast or Audiobook is cool! Even today, I saw a guy walking and having a meeting at the same time, it’s nice to get those steps in!...but here’s the thing, since 99.9% of the time I train without a phone, just me and only me, I’m able to notice many things, interesting things. I pay attention on my rest between sets. It’s like when you were the sober one and all your other friends were totally wasted and you got to see everything they said and did clearly!
I recently I saw a woman doing sit-up/ab crunches while trying to send a text, but I don’t think her text came out so good! ;) Something else I saw the other day, people put on their TV show, but they can’t even concentrate enough to watch it while on the treadmill...they need to pick up the phones just to scroll, not checking a training plan. Not logging a set. Just… scrolling.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth nobody online seems willing to say out loud:
Your phone isn’t the problem. Your life is just boring. And that’s the actual thing worth fixing.
Now, I know that sounds harsh. Bear with me here.
The real question is: The fitness world has documented so far that scrolling hurts performance. But has the fitness world explained why people scroll specifically at the gym. See below some examples.
https://barbend.com/smartphone-addiction-ruins-gym-progress/
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9030624/scrolling-at-the-gym-a-fitness-trend-or-time-waste/
I think about this a lot in the context of training. The athletes I see scrolling between sets, or sitting on a machine for 20 minutes without doing a single rep; they’re not lazy. I genuinely don’t believe that. They just have no idea what they’re doing there. No program. No goal. No reason compelling enough to make the next set feel urgent. So the phone fills the gap. Of course it does! What else is going to?
Think of someone preparing for their first Sprint Triathlon, or working toward a specific lift, or tracking progressive overload week over week. Those people don’t scroll between sets. They’re mentally in the session. The goal makes the phone irrelevant. Specifically for Triathlon, during an Ironman event, it is prohibited to use any kind of headphones or similar. People in general ask me, what did you do 7h and 30min on your bike in my last Ironman? How do you run 3h or more without anything else? Without a phone? but therein lies part of the solution...
What Actually Works, Direction Over Discipline
What actually works is having something real to build. A race on the calendar. A number to hit. A reason to show up that exists outside of the four walls of the gym. Once that’s in place, scrolling starts to feel like a waste of time you actually value. That’s a completely different feeling than guilt, and it lasts a lot longer.
So before you download another screen time tracker or leave your phone in the car; ask yourself the harder question. Not “how do I use my phone less?” but “what am I actually building right now, and does it excite me enough to protect my focus and my precious attention?”
If the honest answer is nothing much, that’s not a phone problem. That’s a direction problem.
And direction? That I can help with, so stay tuned for the follow up Posts!