Why is Fitness Culture so "Toxic?"

[@HybridCalisthenics]

Hope you're all having a good day!

[@thriveda]

🙏🏼💜✨

[@september3343]

I hope you are having a good day sir

[@aravindana.c320]

Good day to you sir

[@sayefmotawasset]

Hope you are doing well too! Love your videos

[@stevejackson9952]

So some people in the fitness community are very unwelcoming and very bossy to new comers. I truly love your approach. You remind me of the " Not you're average Joe's " commercial

[@SpokoR3]

I love how this channel isn't just about physiological fitness but also psychological.

[@Zyrdrakyll]

one is necessary for the other to work, really

[@terryenby2304]

The brain is part of the physical body, it’s not possible to have a body that functions without a brain. So to help the brain and body work their best together is the best way to have a happier, healthier life.

[@asdfghyter]

@@Zyrdrakyll very true! in both directions!

[@greenarrow219]

Fitness is great for the body and mind, so many channels forget this.

[@jesusisking3814]

Spiritual too. If you die tonight, do you know where you're going? Did you know that Jesus Christ is THE Truth, the life and the only way to Heaven? Revelation 20:15 ''Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.'' Through Jesus Christ, God offers you a FREE gift - forgiveness. All you need to do is repent, turn away from your sins and evil ways, from now on put your faith completely in Jesus Christ and be obedient to Him. Biblical explanation of the Gospel: God doesn’t want anybody in hell, but you must understand why we deserve hell and why those who refuse to live under His authority will go there. He gave us the law (Ten Commandments) not to make us righteous, but rather to show us our sin (Romans 3:20). God gave us free will and since Adam sinned in the garden, sin is the nature of our flesh and we ALL have sinned. (Romans 3:23) The law demands death to those who sin (Romans 6:23). Since we have all sinned, we all deserve hell. Revelation 21:8 says that all liars will go to hell. Yes, even if you have lied once in your life, you are sentenced to hell - that's how high God's standards are of moral perfection because God is holy and righteous, there is not one sin in Him. For someone to be justified before holy God they have to be sinless, that's why everyone need Jesus Christ - for He lived a sinless life, died on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day. None of us are good in God’s eyes, because for God good means moral perfection. We all have broken God’s commandments, we all have sinned in our lives so none of us are good. ‘’For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.’’ (James 2:10). Our carnal mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's moral law and it never will (Romans 8:7). We hate the thought of God for the same reason a criminal hates a policeman - we know we have sinned against God and are guilty of it and we don't want to be damned. No good works will ever save you. You can't earn salvation by good works, because God will judge us for our sin. Good News is that Jesus Christ lived a perfect, holy, sinless life and He died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried and He was raised from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’’ (John 3:16) We aren’t saved by our good works, but only by the grace of God through faith in Christ. ''For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Jesus said ‘’it is finished’’ (John 19:30) just before He died on the cross, which means He paid the fine for our sins (past, present, future) to be forgiven only IF we repent and trust in Him. This is how you can get saved from sin and hell - repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ. Get to know Him by reading God's Word. So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Luke 11:13) ''What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!'' (Romans 6:15) ''Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out'' (Acts 3:19) Repentance is a turning away from sin and all evil works, and it always results in changed behavior (Luke 3:8). Biblically, a person who repents does not continue willfully in sin. While sorrow from sin is not equivalent to repentance, it is certainly an element of scriptural repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). Do not play a hypocrite. ''God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.'' (1 John 1:5-6) (John 3:3) Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." If you have repented and have genuine faith in Jesus Christ then you will receive the gift of Holy Spirit and be born-again spiritually. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14) Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36) ''You will know them by their fruits'' (Matthew 7) If you have been truly born-again with the Holy Spirit and He has regenerated your heart, you will desire righteousnes - to do what is good and righteous in God's eyes, to seek God everyday in His Word and prayer, to strengthen your relationship with God. You will no longer desire to willfully continue living in sin but will want to obey God out of your love for Him because of His amazing grace revealed to us through the death and resurrection of His Son. ''Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.'' (2 Corinthians 5:17) ''For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.'' (Eph 2:10) You will have a testimony - of what your life had been before and how has it changed now when you have surrendered it to Lord Jesus Christ. As a declaration and affirmation of your faith in Jesus Christ, get baptised in water because He commanded us to do so. In John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.'' ''Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'' (Matthew 28:19) ''Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.'' (Acts 2:41) ''And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also - not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,'' (1 Peter 3:21) ''We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.'' (Romans 6:4) ''Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.'' (Colossians 2:12) Please get right with God and get to know Jesus Christ personally today before it’s too late, because there’s not much time left! "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’’ (Mark 13:32) Get to know Christ through God's Word - Bible. At first I recommend reading Gospel of John and book of Romans. God bless you! Jeremiah 29:13 - ''You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.''

[@robertjr8205]

One thing I hate is when there are those who mock or record or laugh at others who are obviously beginners. If they can’t do certain amount of weight with the proper form, I see a lot of people laugh at them or be pissed bc they’re doing it wrong. I think people tend to forget that we were all beginners once.

[@mnzrk]

Yeah. When you see someone doing too much weight with a bad form, you should encourage them and never criticize, because they are beginners and need support.

[@krulak292]

tbf I mostly see supportive people who rush to the aid of others, but there's always assholes like that everywhere

[@choccie_chip685]

Social Media features all assholes. When you train and there are no cameras around everyone is genuinely helping each other

[@klaudinegarcia8932]

That's my fear working out in the gym. I'm so paranoid I can't stop thinking if someone is recording me behind my back and making fun of me and posting it on social media and the whole world making fun of me. That's why I'm constantly checking my surroundings to see if there's anyone filming me. Even if someone isn't recording me to make fun of me and they're filming me because they're impressed by how very flexible I am. I still don't like being recorded because it's an invasion of my privacy and boundary.

[@greenarrow219]

I have recently experienced that negative attitude towards me when I was unable to do a bodyweight move called a side kick through. The guy there was why can't you do it, useless. It's not toxic gym culture it was just that particular person was a dick head. With practice I can now do that move. I have been gym training for many years, your always learning new things. I always try to help others if they want advice on training.

[@Man_Who_Found_Peace]

If everyone in the world were as pure as this man, it would be a way better place. You're a true role model, Hampton

[@allisonbrownlee]

He reminds me of the scripture: Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. Alma 48:17

[@outandabout259]

You can start from yourself, I'm trying that too. I think most people could be better and without trying nothing will change.

[@kotak4420]

we should all try to be like this man.

[@bigbay1159]

/Hyperbole

[@tylerrichardson3034]

​@@kotak4420 bs ha

[@sirrivet9557]

I think one of the biggest problems in the fitness community is the lack of understanding towards people who are unfit. Pe in middle-school was genuinely traumatizing because I just couldn't do most of the exercises and instead of giving me easier exercises the coaches and kids acted like I was fuckijg insane or faking it. To make matters worse I had autism and anxiety and so when they yelled I literally couldn't not cry. And then they yell at me for crying. And wonder why It doesent stop.

[@sirrivet9557]

Also just a general lack of understanding of life conditions. Part of the issue with fitness for me is im poor and often don't have enough food in the house. When I started doing physical activity through tech theater I almost immediately dipped into being 10 pounds underweight.

[@excalibro8365]

Teachers not giving a damn about students well being. Nothing new about that.

[@ingevankeirsbilck9601]

I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm on the ASD spectrum as well, and whereas I always had great endurance and muscle strength for a girl, I'm really, really inflexible. As in, worse than a lot of men. The same teacher who would admire me for my basketball skills etc, would scold me whenever we had to do something that required flexibility, including swimming first thing Monday morning. She thought I was just pretending to be so stiff. I kept thinking to myself, why would I pretend to be bad at some sports but great at others?! Do you think I enjoy being yelled at by you?!? Some non-autistic people really have issues applying logic.

[@gliiitched]

Yeah, it's condemnation of the disabled and people who are okay with being unfit. Usually the toxicity also comes with a hell of a lot of transphobia.

[@thenuggywuggy8389]

@@excalibro8365im very happy to say i had some pretty good teachers in middle school. and pretty much all the gym teachers i had cared about how the kids felt. i have a wrist problem so instead of pushups, my current teacher lets me do planks instead. and my gym teacher in middle school was able to relate and get along with everyone else easily.

[@dill_pickle_85]

gym culture might be toxic but this guy sure as hell is not

[@akyo_zynk]

Sorry but everyone has a dark side we never see, his actions throughout social media are great motivators but still... not everybody is pure

[@Violet_Odorata]

@@akyo_zynk It's important to not put people on pedestal sure, but people can form honest compliment based on honest observation.

[@tymondabrowski12]

@@akyo_zynk not everyone has a dark side. Some might have like a greyish side, worse than what they show, but way better than dark sides of other people. Hampton sounds nicer than some others but yes, we can't really conclude if he is always like that. But his channel is still very positive and encouraging.

[@akyo_zynk]

@@tymondabrowski12 that's exactly what I meant

[@bush3126]

​@@akyo_zynk What really matters though is if you accept and control it, you can have the most evil demons but can still be a really cool and fun person with some self control.

[@lavenderhoney3208]

This channel brings back my faith in humanity. My 14yr olds gymn teacher called her fat, told her she needed to work out and ' lose that flab' because she wore hoodies all the time. She is under Dr care for being underweight due to a autoimmune issue. She is underweight, brutally so. When I confronted the teacher she said it was my daughter's fault for not ' showing off her body' 🤢 Now this channel is my go to for all of us.

[@helenkeller9182]

I'd be glad to spit in the face of this "teacher". How many of those idiots are responsible for teenagers' food behavioural disorders? And how many times fat-shaming led to irreparable damage, both physical and mental?

[@danicatempleton6745]

I just want you to know that if you wanted to report this higher up, this is something any respectable administration should take pretty seriously

[@ManiaMac1613]

That teacher should be fired. She's a disgusting human being.

[@bigbird4481]

report the teacher once you ask other parents about this, have them ask their kids if the gym teacher has said anything like this to them. if a few kids say their teacher has said inappropriate things you have a case, if the school doesn't do any investigation on the teacher you can threaten court and that will light their butts on fire

[@phiuzu5487]

​@@bigbird4481100% support what you said.

[@ElyseofEndrion]

What I dislike is that a lot of people in this industry will say: "you're making excuses - if you wanted it badly enough, you would acchieve it". I always use(d) this sentence to beat myself up even when I was really fit and didn't have chronic pain. I often ignored my boundaries because if I did not, it made and still makes me feel like I failed. Now I have fat pad impingement and therefore I'm in a lot of pain and my mobility can be pretty limited due to fluid build up. Of course I could ignore the pain and give it my all, making my problems way worse. How is that going to help? I'd like the fitness industry to be more like you: gentle and offering a realistic starting point, from which you can climb your way up. Healthy challenge and kindness to your body..

[@helenanilsson5666]

Yeah, I'm not too bad off weight-wise, but I'm super inflexible and don't really have an amazing range of motion. I have definitely dropped exercises because they're just unrealistic for where I'm at, for where I'm likely to be for the rest of my life considering I was just as inflexible as a child and I'm in my 30s now.

[@probably_not_jim]

Fitness became a lot more fun for me when I stopped focusing on what I looked like and started paying attention to what I'd like to be able to do. My dad is super into weightlifting, so I've been doing that to spend time with him. I did my first triathlon with my mom last year. I go for walks with friends. Being able to do stuff is fun. I'm still not thrilled with the way I look, but that's okay. My body feels better, and it's getting stronger, and that's enough.

[@auricia201]

Doing it for the health benefits is the best way 🙂 Someone may achieve their ideal bodies but at the cost of their own health (even if they did it with exercise) While if we put in the work just based on health instead, our looks will improve anyway as a by-product 🤷🏻‍♀️ Sure, we won't get the "ideal body" (whatever that means) but who will care about that if we are happy and doing our best for our health?

[@kiraeckard7625]

I made the same mental switch recently too and its wild how different I feel. Plus I honestly look better aesthetically than I did when I was focusing on just the workouts I thought would give me the ideal body. But I really just feel so much better that I can do more stuff and no longer feel exhausted when I go to events where I'm walking around all day. When I was just working out for looks-it was so easy to quit and beat yourself up for not looking the way you wanted as soon as you wanted. If you're doing it for health, it's so much easier to recognize how you feel when you aren't being consistent and want to work out again to feel goof rather than just beating yourself up for not being hot and being afraid of the timeline it will take to look that way.

[@realdragon]

That's my goal, to be able to do stuff in general. If I need to run then I don't want to run out of breath after 20m, I want to easily pull myself up etc. I want to be fit and mobile in general

[@Skoopyghost]

Fitness is to me is being able to run a marathon, or be able to play a sport without pulling a muscle. I seen it many gym bros pulling muscles, or being gassed the first second playing futsal.

[@julians9763]

The fitness industry has focused too much on favourite celebrities and body shaming. When a person is in activities that keeps them physically fit ,they don't need to go to a gym of fitness. centre. We have to take fitness and nutrition in our own hands. If the fitness industry and culture was so influencial, we would not have a global obesity epidemic. The reason we should be fit and look after ourselves is because we don't need to attract lifestyle illnesses.

[@briarwentling5435]

You got me thinking of how I've treated one of my friends. I was a super skinny cross country runner in highschool, and then covid hit and I gained a lot of fat weight. Ever since then, I've been working on getting leaner, and I've discovered rock climbing, so having a lot of strength in that area is something I've been working towards. I think, coming from a cross country background, I prefer endurance over pure strength, so I don't train for muscle mass, I train for lots and lots of reps (3x25 diamond pushups for example). I'm realizing that I have an image of what I want to be, and I project that image onto others. I have one friend who's like a body builder and values raw power over leanness, so I constantly make fun of him because even though he's stronger than me, he's far from lean. I need to learn to stop projecting my own values onto others. I need to focus on how people are improving themselves in the way they want, and not the way I want. Thanks for the wakeup call.

[@musicjewell9329]

We all have different meat suits and glad your are seeing each of our own uniqueness

[@AhviMa]

Great to see some gentleman being humble.

[@joshishere96]

Black coffee, plenty of water, intermittent fasting and resistance training. That's it. Who cares about reps? Or how much weight you can lift. I'd rather maintain a body shape like Jet Li throughout his action movie prime rather than act all macho looking publicly retarded. I love pizza too much to try to be perfect. And pop culture can get lost. Stupid SJW personal trainer sore losers.

[@HolaMindy]

Good on you for being open to changing your mindset! That's very adult and I'm sure your friend will value the kindness.

[@zibix4562]

Damn that is some self reflection and I'm here to see that

[@KSGomez88]

This was such a thoughtful take on fitness. I know for me, I was chubby growing up and my my mom was my soccer coach. She would say "you'd be better if you lost weight". I dropped soccer then started over-exercising. I stopped eating too. Now, 20 years later, I'm married with 2 children and I'm bulimic and still hate my body. I never got the help or support I needed.

[@TheWhitepantheress]

I'm so sorry you are going through this still. I've battled anorexia. There is help and support out there but it's not always easy to access. You are worthy of support and happiness.

[@KSGomez88]

@@TheWhitepantheress thank you so much! I feel desperate sometimes. And I've turned to alcohol to cope with emotions I don't know how to deal with. And that justifies my purging (in my mind, ha).

[@TheWhitepantheress]

@@KSGomez88 I am studying psychology and this is the kind of thing psychologists train to help with, but if that's not accessible there are groups like alcoholics anonymous and groups for eating disorders that aren't perfect but might help you with having contact with others who can relate to your experiences. When we don't know how to cope we can turn to ways of processing emotions that are self destructive and that doesn't make you a bad person in the slightest. You just need some help and support so you can learn some new things to try. I really hope you can find that help, I'm certain you have the potential to feel amazing and do amazing things ❤️

[@inlinechris]

Why not just exercise and eat normally?

[@KSGomez88]

@@inlinechris Helpful! I'll give it a shot!! 👍🥴😉

[@SarelleSirius]

99% of people who insult people’s bodies online are not doing it to help or shame the person into a healthier lifestyle. You hit the nail on the head. They are doing it to validate themselves and bring the other person down.

[@Eletrocinese]

Ive tried changing myself out of shame several times in the past and never actually achieved anything Now im in a much better place and i can happily say im healthy and i only managed that once i started my self improvement journey out of love for myself

[@agonsfitness7308]

Funnily enough for me it was a mixture of shaming and self love. I shamed myself because how could I disrespect myself like that by eating junk all day and sitting on my ass. I shamed the hell out of myself and it gave me the kick I needed.

[@greenarrow219]

This channel and another called the bioneer you might enjoy. They both have positive attitude towards fitness and health and realistic goals. Train for your physical & mental well-being. That will last your lifetime

[@holger_p]

To get rid of shame, you expose yourself to others and try to ignore reactions, get self-confidence. As well as, if you have fear of flying, you expose yourself to flights, to overcome it. You get used to it. Shame or Fear is always something mind related.

[@MichaelaRtoS]

I find when people are being negative, especially when they have good intentions, it's simply okay to say, "I appreciate that you're trying to help, but I personally don't find that helpful." I'm in a situation where I tend to get a lot of advice from people who don't actually understand what I'm going through and their advice simply doesn't apply. So I use that line a lot.

[@bobthebuilderday6leader]

This is such a kind way to put it. I’ll be practicing saying this more.

[@littlemoth4956]

This is where "didn't ask" comes in clutch

[@kyloluma]

This. It's so important to just be kind to people. You don't feel better by being mean to the other person, and the other person appreciates that their advice wasn't relevant, and apologies. Even if that doesn't happen, it's not your problem.

[@helenanilsson5666]

@@littlemoth4956 Idk, I mostly see "didn't ask" spammed in youtube replies (by bots or bot-like randos, not the person making the videos) so for me that has a very immature connotation. I guess it would work if a stranger walked up to you in the grocery store to give you advice out of nowhere, but of often does that happen in your life?

[@johnslike6512]

I love that Hampton treats every perspective with dignity and gives credit where it's due. That is a skill that is extremely rare, and direly needed today. Thanks for what you do, Hampton!

[@realdragon]

I think it's more of empathy than skill, because you try to understand second person no matter what they do instead classifying them based on the only action you see them doing

[@joss3136]

Thank you for this video. Personally, I experienced a lot of toxicity. When I signed up at a new gym, the trainer asked me how often I used to work out (twice a week) and what my goal would be (go three times). And he just looked down at me and went, 'well you gotta start somewhere'. I mean, I do my best to find the time with a regular job and a family. Another girl in the gym was standing next to me saying how she would consider herself fat if she weighed over 60kg. I was a bit heavier than that at that time while being shorter than her and this comment really hurt at lot. It's these looks and comments where people really make others feel bad. The most welcoming experience I had was at a gym that was more like a healthcare provider. There were some really fit younger people, but also elderly people, people on rehab after surgeries or with visual impairment etc. So everyone just went there to work out, not to show off or to fight their own insecurities by belittling others. I wish this would be more common among gyms.

[@auricia201]

That last gym you mentioned sounds awesome, it's great that you were able to find such a place! And you can totally be healthy working out 3 times a week, that gym guy forgets some people aren't there to "completely change how they look" When I first started at the gym, there were some pre made workout plans to choose from, and it was kind of hard to pick one, it was either "muscle building" or "weight loss", and I wanted neither, I wanted a well rounded workout routine that would have it all, cardiovascular, strength, mobility, flexibility.... I ended up choosing the muscle building (but ended up losing weight 🤷🏻‍♀️😅)

[@SugarandSarcasm]

It’s the body shaming and the perception that you have to be basically “pre-fit” that definitely turn me off of gyms. The fact that they’re expensive and I can’t afford it is secondary to that stigma.

[@Ender-dx2me]

Damn you sound sensitive, grow some thick skin mate, those weren’t even insults tbh.

[@auricia201]

@@Ender-dx2me no one talked about insults, but those comments show the wrong mentality people have about fitness 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@catsarethebestpeople5790]

That first gym trainer... 🤦 I hope you walked away and got your money back. Your fitness and health goals should be your own - nothing to do with comparing to anyone else. Hope you're going well now. 👍

[@toxicink72]

Hampton, I know you may not ever read this KZbin comment.. but I used to not be able to do more than 3 push ups. Now I can do 22 in a row because of you. I appreciate that you're a kind and strong mentor for me with your channel. I think more people should strive to be like you. I genuinely want to say thank you. You're an amazing role model. Even though I think I am a few years older than you, you're someone I want to be more like. Much love, god bless.

[@user-nv7ig3fh2y]

You put the work in my friend well done 👏💪

[@realdragon]

Awesome, consider trying to do harder push ups like bringing your hands closer together or elevating your feet a little either on wall or putting them on box

[@HenNgTr]

I switched to rock climbing last year after 12 years of weightlifting and all the body dysmorphia melted away. Really glad to have moved away from that. My physical health feels so balanced, it’s way more social, and my insecurities have really gone down since.

[@nzkid2599]

❤❤❤awesome

[@alecwesterbur2977]

I love this for you 👊

[@inuhundchien6041]

The lack of focus on aesthetic helps tremendously.

[@jerrymylove1754]

Interesting

[@ShermanKyle]

Rock climbing being so much more about “form follows function” makes it feel so much healthier than chasing a given aesthetic

[@terryenby2304]

I am severely disabled and I have been told not to lose weight quickly or I will have to be tube fed again. You and Ben Carpenter are about the only fitness people I watch. Because I want to be healthier in the body I have. I don’t want to be a muscle machine, I just want to be a happier person with better control over my wheelchair/crutches. I just want to feel less exhausted when I can make a small routine and stick with it. I just want to be a stronger, healthier version of me, not anyone else. None of us know how long our lives will be, but the more complex our health becomes, the worse outcomes we have. So I really want to have as much physical health and mental health as I can. I want to enjoy what I can now, and prepare what I can for the future.

[@kathysharp7551]

If you are also interested in eating healthy to feel better, you may enjoy some of the guest speakers on Chef AJ's channel(guest range from MDs, chefs, psychologist, life coaches, etc.) I learn a lot there and feel a sense of community that is similar to the happy feeling from this channel. And, with the dietary changes I've learned there and implemented (always a work in progress), I have more energy and feel more joy... didn't expect the joy bit, but I'll take it ;)

[@terryenby2304]

Thank you for sharing more ideas in the comments :) I’m working on very very small things like adding vegetables back in to my diet (about a teaspoon a day right now) and trying to gently build up my arm muscles for my wheelchair accessibility :)

[@Haze_Loto]

That is the best approach to excercise. I actually started with the mind of improve my health issues more than just look sexy in front of the mirror. Now I am 6 months excercising 3 times a week and I feel great.

[@m0L3ify]

Same, I'm not severely disabled, but I have a hidden neurological disability that affects my coordination and the signal from my brain to my muscles. I just want to be fit in the body I have so I can get better at the tasks I have to do each day, but I watched 2 videos about how to use the iPhone Fitness app and one about proper walking form, and suddenly my entire KZbin feed is a funnel into toxic diet and fitness culture. I worked so hard to remove myself from it over the past couple of years, but just searching for 2 pieces of basic info about how to improve my basic daily activity feels like I'm caught in an avalanche of eating disorders and body shaming. Time to go erase some watch history...

[@greenarrow219]

@@m0L3ify hi mate, I would like to suggest a you tube channel called The Bioneer. It's very very good, definitely not toxic and very positive channel. Personal I consider it one of the best out there. You might find something good from it.

[@HanaTheRussell]

three main things you didn't touch on i think make fitness culture toxic: (1) monetary ambitions- fitness gurus being more focused on making money, getting brand deals, getting views, than actually helping people the most effective and healthy way possible (2) ableism- i was a d1 athlete in college. it was a hardline no-nonsense no excuses get it done attitude. then my health fell apart and i became disabled. my d1 days did SO much bad to me that took years of therapy to undo. people in disabled bodies have different fitness needs and most most most fitness gurus don't account for that. (hampton isn't most gurus) (3) feeling of superiority / lack of understanding that some people just don't care about exercise- some fitness people think that this is some enhanced way of life and if you're someone who works out, that automatically makes you healthier and more disciplined than someone who doesn't. when that's not necessarily true.

[@spitzhorneule]

Very important comment, thanks for sharing

[@kathysharp7551]

I have found some fitness places that are less like that. One of my favorites is to join a place that teaches a physical skill like self defense or areal fitness. People drawn to those places seem to be really nice, know their imperfect, and egar to learn and help others learn. (caviots, some places don't cultivate that culture, so pick wisely). Also, community rec center weight rooms (except maybe Friday and Saterday evening when all the younger guys go to get their pre-party pump) tend to have down to earth, older/mature people. And the desk people are generally friendly and welcoming also. Maybe go observe a few of those kinds of places if your looking for a better fitness environment. As your comment demonstrates, the environment/culture we are around can effect us profoundly. Find healthy ones, and we are WAY happier. 💛

[@erinlikesacornishpasty4703]

Idk about the ableism. That must be a new, young gym culture thing. I grew up in aerobic dance classes and NO ONE was ableist. The instructors often demonstrate three levels of the activities for those who are less able, moderately able, and very physically able. They would even note anyone with specific disabilities and work with them individually. I also knew weight training coaches in old school gyms who were like that. It seems bizarre to me that in today's culture, which is hyper focused on inclusion, it appears the ableism is worse. Maybe that's actually a condemnation of whatever "inclusion" is than so called ableism. Fyi, I'm a chronically ill person and have always had to modify my exercise and physical activities to accommodate my illness. I'm partially blind because of the illness. It's a skill to advocate for yourself, especially in more physically active areas, but it works out so much better when you do. And, it also helps a lot to realize that "mean girls" are just sad, lonely people, and we don't need them to like us to be happy.

[@inuhundchien6041]

@erin OP talk about gurus so presumably they are talking about youtubers. and they were once in college sport which is very ultra competitive which is far far faaar different than a fun dance class.

[@kathysharp7551]

@@erinlikesacornishpasty4703 I think the inclusion bit is interesting. In my experiance, our society is hyper focused on speaking inclusion but practicing exclusion. I tend to avoid people who speak inclusion (finding too many of them judgmental and hypocritical) and seek out people who don't say it but actually practice it. I'm sorry so many people are having trouble finding the latter group 💛

[@NoLimitSquad]

Gym bro here. I see a ton of "tryna be like you bro" irl💪which is great! It seems as soon as we leave irl and go online, it turns upside down. Not all the time but most. It's bc people have otherworldly confidence behind a screen. Just my observation over the years. We definitely need to uplift online lot more☹️

[@HybridCalisthenics]

Makes a lot of sense! It surprises me how different some people act online.

[@karlarosas1424]

Honestly, I think the toxic thing here is the internet and not much the so called toxic communities.

[@fansee1368]

The lack of consequences for saying anything in social media is what made us like this. When no one cares if you're being an asshole except the people you're hurting, the cycle never ends. If any of them said that stuff in real life, they'd definitely get slapped lmao

[@wisteria3032]

the two are probably connected. If I am trying to be like you and fail I will want to make sure it's your fault. Take me. I hate exercising. My ideal vacation is sleeping. I do walk a lot but if I run for 10 seconds you will find me throwing up on the side of the road. I am not overweight but it's still too much for my muscles. mostly because if I had any less muscles they'd be in the negative numbers. And I am lazy. I know exactly what I should be doing, which exercises, when, how... but I am not going to. So obviously when I look at you I will want to be like you - but I don't want to get there. too difficult. So let's make this your fault. How dare you! you probably don't have a life and spend your life in the gym. you're sooo dumb. not like me. I have so many things going on, how could I have the time. Why should I be valued less than you huh? Are you trying to force me to get a fit body? Why isn't my body considered beautiful enough? Obviously because idiots like you set stupid standards that are unreachable for normal people with a life. Also you're probably an incel. And of course this masterful interpretation of what Hampton was explaining about insecurity can only be done online - no one (almost no one) is stupid enough to say something like this in the face of a person who can bitchslap them into next wednesday.

[@riverman6462]

@@fansee1368 That's why I am fine with a little bit of internet censorship. Not over the top censorship "You can't say anything about us or we'll put you behind bars" stuff. But nice , "Don't say this shit it might hurt people" stuff that some progressive countries like Germany and France are already doing

[@terryfinley7760]

One reason I was drawn to your videos is that I can get into super good shape without ever stepping into a gym. No crowds. No waiting on everyone to get out of my way. No ego’s to deal with. Seriously, it takes enough time to work out without the drive, and waiting to use equipment. With your method, it is free, and you can do it at home saving time and money. And less stress! Thank you sir!

[@whatever3145]

As someone who had an emotionally and physically abusive upbringing and has developed inflammatory illnesses and personality disorder due to that, shame does not motivate anything positive in me. I didn't make an ounce of positive progress in my life until I learned that things I was shamed for were not my fault nor in my control. When you're raised to be ashamed of your very existence, you hide from it. You dig deeper into darkness and you give up on life itself. As a former addict, I have similar thoughts about the concept of "rock bottom." I believe love and care to be actually motivating, in a more sustainable way. Really appreciate this conversation.

[@lsmmoore1]

Yep. I'd figure shame is like this: if it's going to work, it's going to work within a short period of time. If it doesn't work after that, it becomes a trap. Sort of like what I saw in one of the later issues of American Girl Magazine in response to someone saying they were told to ignore bullies - "if ignoring is going to work, it will work within the first week or two" - in other words, if ignoring the bullies doesn't work, try something else. As surely as if shaming doesn't work as fitness motivation in short order (probably similar time, give or take a couple weeks), try something else. Though of course anti-bullying approaches and fitness motivation obviously have somewhat opposite goals (since of course you can't stop bullies with love, and the only thing that worked in my personal experience, since the ideal options of running and walking away weren't even options for me because my school was controlling enough to make even some strict schools seem free-spirited, was being willing to show them that if I fought back they might not come out of it all that favorably - and of course that isn't a solution I would recommend as a go-to because it only works if you actually have some ability or instinct for fighting that the bully doesn't have more of, because if you don't have the ability to overcome or put a hurt on a bully and you try fighting anyway they'll only target you more, and also because fighting, if used, should be a stopgap and not an ultimate solution to everything, even if it's effectively glorified threat displays like I used because I wanted to at least try methods that wouldn't technically get me in trouble first).

[@TheBioneer]

What an excellent video! Extremely nuanced and balanced and positive. You’re creating big positive ripples! 🔥

[@HybridCalisthenics]

Thank you, brother! Love what we've been putting out too!

[@indiomie]

Toxic culture is one of the reasons why i almost quit trying to improve my body... I was really shamed at my local gym for being unable to squat even just the bar or just from the sheer sight of a fat man running/walking on the treadmill. I still don't know how people say that people in the gym are the nicest of people because in my experience, they weren't... it simply felt like going back to highschool, being bullied as the fat guy. I have since funded for myself a home gym with spaces for both free weights and calisthenics (most of which are thing you hampton started for me) 1 year hence and i am still somewhat fat, less bloated but still fat. many bodily functions have been regained in the process though, I can actually stand from my bed on the floor using just my legs! 1 thing's for sure though, i will never step again inside or near a gym ever again... my 1 month stay at my past gym has ruined each and every gym for me.

[@Lazyfoal]

Im sorry to hear that. People shouldn’t make fun of you for going to the gym and trying to improve yourself. Everybody starts lifting very little anyways. Some people are just dicks

[@auricia201]

Glad you still managed to keep exercising despite that bad experience! That's real strength and balance!

[@alejandroc7357]

I get annoyed seeing ego lifters using bad form with too heavy weight, then walk around like they are the shit. Also I got tired of people spending way too long doing their sets and being on their phones, taking up all the machines. Or the douchebags that do curls in the squat rack 😂. I just work out at home now

[@yannikhellmuth7165]

Maybe try some different gym when ure in the right headspace. Maybe take a pal with u :) In my experience (i have a abo for multiple gyms via my company) there are vast difference between gyms in clientel and management. Have a great day and a nice next workout ^^

[@sq5]

I'm so sorry you went through that. Even when I was a personal trainer, I wouldn't set foot in a gym because I was subjected to that type of behaviour as well. It's disgusting and I'm so mad that this type of bullying still goes on. No one should ever feel bad about the way they look, or be humiliated by those around them. What on earth is wrong with people?? I'm very glad to hear that you are still exercising and seeing fantastic results in your strength and overall health though. After such a bad experience, it would have been very understandable to give up, but you didn't, and that's awesome. 😊

[@Snuzzled]

Your comment section is (almost) always super wholesome. I find a lot of people supporting others on their fitness journeys, no matter where we are right now.

[@philippegagne5869]

This reminds me of my gym teacher back in cegep (am in Quebec). She was an excellent example of a positive fitness person. 1. Her course was based on the idea that at the end of it we would have surpassed ourselves from the beginning of the semester in strengh, balance and cardio, not on beating others up. 2. She never shoved around a bullshit diet on us, just the basic more fruits and vegetables, lean protein, legumes, whole grains, etc. 3. Not only was she super energitic and fit, but she was also a very positive figure whoe never bullied people for their weight.

[@BombShot]

I still hate that some influencers say that "Anyone can get any body type." My body, without "gear" cannot achieve bulk at all, my body wants to go in a lean direction, and it took Noel discussing how unachievable certain bodies are for anybody, and how everyone is different, and while you can do whatever you want, it's not always healthy to achieve what's "perfect" in your mind. On the topic of shame being a motivator, for me it didn't work. Shame made me have so much body dismorphia that I almost developed a binge eating disorder because I wanted to be bigger. After I realized it was happening I stopped excersising all to gether. My relationship with fitness now is way healthier. I only have 3 real goals, feel better, be able to do airsoft to my fullest potential again, (being able to play all day with 15-20 pounds of water, cameras, and gear,) and starting to learn advanced movement, like parkour, free running, or maybe even some rock climbing. I think for me, finding something that makes fitness worth it is more about having a realistic goal that you want even though you don't want to work out. I don't want to do cardio tomorrow, but if I can't jog for an hour on a treadmill, I can't run around with all my gear, so I'm going to do it. I don't want to do pullups, but if I can't get a couple of pullups down I won't be able to vault things or climb ledges effectively, so I'm going to do it. That was the real key for me.

[@auricia201]

About your first statement, that makes me so mad too! Things like "I want to weigh X" whether it is above or lower what we have. How can people know if their body will be healthy (and stable) at that weight? What if they need to keep going to the gym 3h every day just to maintain it??🤷🏻‍♀️ I agree with what you said, let's focus on health goals and being able to do activities we like, and let our body do it's own thing

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

I love your goals so much. That sounds like a really fun life :)

[@AyalahW]

I feel like every culture/group out there is toxic these days. I follow lots of YTers that review fragrances and yesterday one of them did a video badmouthing other reviewers on their opinions of fragrances. I never imagined there could be drama about perfume. Some people aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy.

[@wilcrynetham]

Which yters do you recommend for fragrances, and making fragrances?

[@AyalahW]

@@wilcrynetham my favorite is Eva Monroe. No drama. Very knowledgeable and she now makes clothing too so that’s a new bonus! :)

[@HansBockwurst1]

Jeremy Fragrance is the best!!!! Pooooowwwwer!!!! 😂😂😂

[@oz_jones]

There is a joke about their sh*t not stinking there.

[@erinlikesacornishpasty4703]

Many algorithms promote the drama based on market research that suggests rage bait content engages more viewers. It's why so much of it seems toxic.

[@GygaxGirl]

I've seen a lot of chunky people who were exercising being made fun of, and I've seen people throw stuff at them as well. I'm not a gym person, I've just seen this happen to people walking or running past my house. It would be nice if more people were like Hampton.

[@eftichismalandrakis]

Tf? That's not normal 😅

[@meredithf4604]

I read a comment of a woman who was told she couldn't wear the clothes she was wearing, it was against the gym rules. She pointed out that another girl who was thin was wearing the same type of outfit. Thin girl wasn't happy she pointed it out. Things like this and people laughing because I don't know how to use the machines are why I stay away. People are awful, and with cell phones, they'll record you, take your picture and put you on social media for all their jerk buddies to also laugh at you.

[@okishop3477]

I just feel like exercising and going to the gym has become really popular. Being popular usually can attract negativity/toxic behaviors and with social media being so prominent in our life. It is more visibly shown. I think the take away from this is everyone is choosing to have a healthier life and with great influencers like yourself (Hampton) there can tend to be negative ones. Have a beautiful day everyone 😊

[@heidipoppleton3638]

You are definitely the antidote to the toxic fitness culture- I am a health coach and I send your videos to my clients a lot for this very reason!

[@gmeister3022]

You are a gem within the fitness industry, and I am super grateful for your presence. Especially during these days, where many people lose themselves to low self-esteem and commit actions that end up hurting them because of it (such as taking PEDs). One point I especially want to highlight is that fitness isn't a replacement for self-worth, which is something I find myself telling others at times, myself. This is very critical to understand that for anyone who is interested in living a (psychologically) healthy life.

[@pe5220]

Trauma awareness and being informed as to what it is, is sooo necessary. Truth be told trauma isn't just an isolated group, we all have some trauma but by in large instead of knowing ways to healthy cope we hide it/pretend its not there/ get defensive. Everyone benefits from compassion and grace.

[@live-wire5174]

Always appreciate your very intelligent analysis my friend.

[@kimchiplz]

Thank you for always spreading empathy, friend. I found you on TikTok and followed on KZbin since, and these longer videos are really so wonderful to watch.

[@getpsyked]

I was feeling overwhelmed everytime i hear about fitness. I want to get on some workouts, but when I cant do it out of self hatred. And then I found you. You made me love fitness journey

[@MegaChoo2]

The ped gym culture on social media is insane. Appreciate your natural fit approach.

[@graphingwhale4585]

So many insecurities out there, so many problems. Would take dozens, if not hundreds of videos to talk about them all. For that, I am really happy you explained the "Healing yourself so you can heal others" concept. You're an amazing public speaker and I'm always happy to hear your uploads!

[@SR388_Zebes]

The yelling thing is true af. My brother got in shape through "football culture" (for lack of a better term) and he tried it on me. That doesn't really check out for me so I just ignored it labeling it as "little brother being annoying syndrome" but once he calmly explained things and taught me stuff, I lost 40lbs. He really was trying to help but he had to learn that the "Hank Hill you're a loser" teaching style isn't universal lol

[@patrickcorcoran4828]

I'm trying to improve my fitness and I spent a while looking at youtube fitness channels. I was fed up with what I found and I searched for, "Fitness videos without toxic masculinity" and this channel was the first that came up. This has been a great resource as I try to get back in shape.

[@BlackWestCoast]

I go to the gym, headphones blasting, in and out, barely ever noticed "toxicity" until i saw that the internet blew it way out of proportion lol

[@TheWhitepantheress]

I send everyone your way when they want to get started because you are so healthy and supportive in how you communicate.

[@TheWhitepantheress]

Follow up, locally I've found lots of people to be very supportive and I'm also aware of the kinds of negativity that are out there, especially in online comments or the people who film larger people working out and share that to laugh at people. Fitness could be a positive space that helps people without running them down, I've had very very fit and strong dudes be nothing but supportive so it's not impossible. It does require the insight you are calling for.

[@sethfeldpausch4337]

This was such a great video! I think there IS a lot of insecurities in the fitness community because ultimately, nobody has all the answers. The human body is complex and no single lifestyle is gonna work for 100% of people. A lot of the "toxic" content creators simply get upset because they think they have it all figured out, but when people criticize them and tell them that some of their logic is flawed, they don't want to believe it because their methods worked for them, so they assume they will work for EVERYONE. At the end of the day, nobody has it 100% figured out; the best thing we can do is give healthy suggestions that people can try, and if it works for their body and situation, then GREAT! But if it doesn't, then oh well, they can move on and try another suggestion.

[@klaudinegarcia8932]

I work out for my mental health and physical health because lifting weights relaxes me (and it's fun too!). The last thing I need are mean people mocking me, acting entitled and making me feel unwelcomed in the gym. Besides my home the gym is the second place I feel happiness and peace.

[@splashthefly9039]

I once responded to a guy who hated women (yours truly is a woman) with compassion and understanding (online, all of it was online) and he wasn't angry at me. He couldn't believe that I was female and one of his last lines to me was along the line of thanks for listening and understanding, I'll think about it, I wln't promise anything, but thank you. I felt that that was a win. I sometimes wonder of he's okay, how he's doing. I hope that he hasn't as much hate in his heart.

[@ash47837]

I've been trying to motivate myself to workout and go to the gym because my health has gotten worse over the past few months. I can't help but look at myself and hate what I see in the mirror, wondering if I'm not "motivated enough". Turns out, it was my negative image of myself that was tearing me down, rather than lifting me up. Thank you for making this video, I hope you continue to make amazing content.

[@strayorion2031]

I think this theme around shaming overweight people is really important, fat activism is about learning to love your body, and then improving based on the love you have for yourself even if building that love takes a really long time and postpones working on your body for a while, the moivement promotes the priority on you feeeling okay inside your body, and then working on that body, and I feel a lot of fitness people feel jealousy towards that love the movement promotes, rooted in a feeling of "I couldnt love myself when I wasnt fit, why should YOU, you should be ashamed as I did and do fitness the same way I did", and then mask that jealousy under a mask of "Im just worried about your health", thats why they love to cherrypick on the people who actually dont want to better themselves in the movement, to promote the thinking they are the ones worried about you, when in reality all overweight people know they should be healthier, they know it at the back of their mind every single day, they dont need someone else to "worry" about their health and remind them of that, positive reinforcement has been proved time and time again to be far more effective and healthy than negative reinforcement

[@gliiitched]

What I find most absurd is that they cherrypick the people who literally have no qualms with themselves being fat, and saying they're promoting it to everyone.

[@vaska1999]

There's a basic misconception in fat positivity circles about what causes people to become fat or obese. The assumption is, it's because they hate their bodies. But that's false. People become fat or obese because they overeat. And many people use food as their pacifier, reaching for food to try to regulate their feelings. Emotional eaters need supportive psychotherapy. They don't hate their bodies but the fat that's making them look ungainly and that's making many everyday activities a pain, difficult or embarrassing. And because it's based on a wrong assumption, the fat positivity movement isn't really helping overweight and obese people -- either to be happier in themselves as they are or to lose the extra weight they're carrying.

[@abbykoop5363]

I appreciate that you brought this up. I recently saw another video on this subject as well. I used to get really hurt by strangers saying mean things when I made a comment. Sometimes I would try to defend or explain myself, which just seemed to egg them on to be meaner. When I realized that no happy person would do that type of thing, and they must be incredibly miserable, I was able to let those comments go.

[@dawnfoster6530]

I agree that sometimes folks are just unhappy and lash out. It happens to us all and, if we could just be a bit more forgiving well, what could become an issue just fades away....

[@aheestar]

Your an exemplary human. I congratulate your parents. Also congrats to u!!! I realise I am motivated by fear and insecurities. A lot of the time…This isn’t sustainable . Awwwww the cycle of pain, sometimes the trauma in my cells react before my awareness of being triggered.

[@brianleung8912]

Replying to 8:55 People always quote Confucius when they say to "repay malice with kindness" {以德報怨 ) But the entire quote from Confucius is actually 以德報怨 ,何以報德? Which means "repay malice with kindness, then how do you repay kindness?" The full quote is "以德報德, 以直報怨.... 以德報怨 何以報德?" Which means "[we should] repay kindness with kindness; and repay malice with justice.... If we repay malice with kindess, then how do you repay kindness?"

[@NovaCascade]

The fitness industry has the same problems as the cosmetics industry. They're both based on looks, and as such they lend themselves to a metric multiton of schemes to squeeze out the money out of people who just want to look and feel better. It breeds a certain type of toxicity that is just the absolute worst, the one that preys on people's insecurities and judges their physical appearance unintentionally but a lot of the time intentionally.

[@gretchenlitwiler2444]

I think one of the most toxic things in fitness culture it the push for kids to be in sports, but as adults there are almost no sport options unless you are a paid professional. I feel it is much easier to be physically fit if you can do it with a group of people (At least that way you gain some accountability) but, i live in a small city and short of driving an hour to the major city near by, I cant even find adult ballet / Dance classes

[@musicjewell9329]

I disagree I think having kids in sports is wonderful. There is numerous adult sports here in phoenix. We have kickball, flag football and lots of others. Sounds like your just upset you love in the boonies. Joined meetup and start your own group might be your calling. Have a great weekend

[@RaviStarr7]

Depending on where u live, there are sports options for adults.

[@MrsSheffield]

I think I love your fitness channel because it’s not just about the outside Esthetics of it, it goes deeper.. it’s not fake, look good in Lululemons, and drink that $20 water bottle, and have those expensive workout doodads…etc… So I commend you for that, keep it real…simple.

[@tamorerose4681]

I see you friend, the real toxicity is you trying to distract us with all this empathy to not notice the sun set while you were filming once again! thanks for doing your best (successfully) at being the coach we all need right now

[@lindoquatro]

Love it dude. My fitness journey was launched from pure vanity after someone called me "soft", and it has shifted and morphed from there. Your insights aren't motivational or disciplinary but something outside of both Something ethereal And I appreciate what you do for people.

[@aaronyork3995]

Negative motivation: optics and vanity! Attachment to appearance. This feel this impermanent goal is a recipe for suffering. And is perhaps the greatest motivation for most.

[@elihaugen2971]

First time in a long time where there is talk about training and training culture that I really feel reached me. 🙂 The way he talks about these topics feels to me calm but balanced, fun, easy, and even though I haven't trained much in years I could understand the psychology. And it actually didn't trigger any of my challenges in any particular way. So now I know this channel is right for me both physically and mentally. Because it won't make me over exercise or eat too little. Which is something I am very happy about. ❤

[@skyboomer2127]

Two years ago I walked into my local gym a plump old man and have experienced nothing but kindness. Some people lift weights and grunt, a few will talk your ear off if you let them, both are okay. I’m still old but not so plump. Toxic gym culture for me happened in Jr. High gym class, damn, glad thats over.

[@CackleCake]

In my experience, when you motivate through shame, you’re burning toxic fuel. You gotta learn to let go man. You can do it, stay strong ❤️

[@chuckmaddison2924]

In Australia now, there is an ad on TV by Dove. It's a great ad it's warning young girls and families about the toxic beauty industry and peer pressure.

[@biggsdrasil]

Lots of love for you, bud. Always love your work. I appreciate that you look at fitness from many perspectives. Mental and emotional fitness are just as important

[@adamswierczynski]

I was a bit heavy, and lot a lot of weight and got fit my first year of college. The difference in how I was treated by people as I became more attractive left me feeling horrible. At the time, I wish I could have never known there was a difference in how people regard me based on how I look. I took this awareness and tried my best to give everyone the same positive regard. I think this also backfired in a way because so many people thought I was attracted to them just because I was treating them how I would want to be treated. Maybe the people at the top who were once lower on the totem pole feel that their being put on a pedestal is deserved and those who do not put in the effort have earned their maltreatment. I think that the guy in the video is right about spreading positivity. We should all seek to normalize feeling welcome and welcoming others.

[@igormitrovic9285]

I'm always impressed by how you articulate your thoughts, not only in a single sentence, but as a whole, are. The way you think through a whole topic and isolate the essential is amazing, any mental fitness tips? 😂

[@Phillipgraves869]

I don’t think fitness culture is toxic, I’ve been weight lifting since 2017 and been to many different gyms in different cities. People usually keep to them self. Thing is you’re going to encounter rude people everywhere. You just gotta ignore it. It’s life.

[@austinhernandez2716]

I was always bullied in school, especially gym class, and that's stopped me from exercising. I have social anxiety, used to be extreme, but now mostly under control with therapy and medication. The memories are still with me though, I always dreaded gym class and still have a fear of it today I want to change though. All I want is to be healthy and happy

[@talkgooder]

A good definition I heard of shame back when I was going through recovery was 'guilt is feeling bad about what you did, shame is feeling bad about who you are'.

[@omarabrody5469]

I used to berate myself about not working out. I felt ugly and was ashamed of not working towards my "goals" but it didn't motivate me. It made me hate the gym and fitness. I was paralyzed by guilt and shame. When I started being a bit kinder to myself and look at workout not as something I NEEDED because I wasn't "good enough" but as something that I could CHOOSE make me healthier, live longer and most importantly something FUN, that's when I started to workout and enjoy it. Now, it's a game where I challenge myself. How many pushups will I be able to do if I keep at it? One day I'll be able to do pull ups! Next up, handstand! Etc. Once I let go of the pressure to look perfect, working out became fun.

[@malikstellar]

I think only toxic thing is social media influencers (not all of them) that make people think bad about themselves, like "I'm not enough", "I'm not capable of taking risks like them", "maybe I don't have smth that they have". When we stalk them we see like everything's perfect, they're more disciplined than us, they can achieve their goals easily when they post their "glow ups" (that's another cringe that makes people hate themselves). That drives us to another extreme. I think the best thing they can do is love and help improving our body insecurities in a good way instead of saying "the reason you're single and nobody wants to have a good time with you is your body". Like why would someone love me for my body it's not ok valuing people for their body. Fitness is for healthy lifestyle it's not a thing that makes you look hot when you're naked.

[@Mr.Plant1994]

A lot of people think David Goggins has toxic ideals, and while I’m never trying to push myself to the insane levels he did, I find him very very motivating. I have grown 10 fold in my endurance running goals because of his motivation, which has carried over into my calisthenics routine, my stretching, and even in my reading. I am becoming a better person overall because of people like him and people like you. Thank you for being apart of the journey where I’ve bettered myself.

[@JP-ve7or]

That's interesting! Myself, I have mixed feelings about Goggins and the things he does to himself. But there is something very motivating and no-nonsense about him that reaches me when softer approaches don't.

[@stephenchung8233]

Your words are wise and considerate, mentality is way more mature compared to most of the famous social media influencers.

[@CeresIsABetterPlanetThanPluto]

5:06 -- This is a great point. Watching "Physical 100" on Netflix I was struck by the mental strength differences in all of these elite athletes. Some trusted their bodies because they respected what their bodies helped them do. Some pushed their bodies because they wanted to prove they were good enough. Both were incredibly tenacious but there was alot of pain that came with the latter. I absolutely loved the guy who bowed to his body cast. That was just a great lesson for me.

[@socialanimal2061]

Man I lost track of my life and I'm so depressed with so many problems floating around, suddenly I remembered your channel but forgot the name of it, after searching for so long I found it. It's like I found my brother I lost. Watching your videos make me feel better. Thank a ton for your motivation.

[@lanzelol1859]

I can only speak for the german fitness scne but I never experienced any one who discouraged me from going to the gym. Nor did one tell me I am doing a wrong routine (form is a whole different matter and I am glad they corrected me in that regard). I only experienced welcoming people who either mind their own business or a very helpful and nice once you talk to them.

[@rodrigoluizdesouza789]

Last year, when I decided to start working out, one of the biggest motivators for me was this channel - and to be honest it still is to keep me going. To be more specific, I remember seeing your video on pushup variations. Back then I couldn't do not even one single rep of the standard pushup. So I came across your video saying that people should start doing wall push ups and then progressively change to slightly harder variations. Turns out that today - seven months later - I can do declined pushups quite easily. And the weightlifting has helped me a lot with my running training. I'll be on a 10k race in 2 weeks. One year ago, when I tried to go for a 10 min walk my legs started to hurt A LOT. Also being on a fitness journey helped me to overcome anxiety and depression, and I can assure you that this channel is one of the sources I rely the most. So, I just wrote this message to let you know that I really appreciate your channel and all the stuff you put out. Keep up the good work!

[@aaishahbong3824]

Interesting! I remember at one point early in my efforts to be fit that I broke down and cried in the middle of doing some difficult exercises. My trainer was very compassionate and helpful so I work through it...but there is, for me, a shame in allowing myself to become so unhealthy and I think as a culture people believe everyone can easily change their lives but in reality discipline, consistency and determination are not qualities that are nurtured in our society. Finding the correct trainer or environment is key so be picky and know what you need to help you be successful and be kind to yourself. No one is perfect and we all have our own journeys. Have a great day!♡

[@joelonsdale]

Love your positivity!

[@HybridCalisthenics]

Thank you! Appreciate you Joe!

[@darrengillespie1258]

So i'm watching this video trying to give myself a push to finally go to the gym and a lot of what you're saying about toxic culture is ringing true for me. I have been before but years ago so i basically know nothing. One of the big ones stopping me from taking any positive steps to address my fitness is my anxiety. It seems now almost everyone at the gym is shredded, when I did go to the gym I didn't see anyone like me, and I don't even consider myself to be crazy big (I'm 5 foot 9 and 14 stone) but just seeing these plastic cut outs of people there did nothing for my motivation, it just made me feel shitty. People would come up to me and tell me I'm doing something wrong or with bad form, I know if you do this seriously that is important but I just wanted to be able to go in, survive with my anxiety for an hour, and get out, and the constant stream of what felt like nitpicking just put me off. I very much felt like Po from Kung Fu Panda asking for a Level 1, and everyone around me was at level 9 or 10. Since then even though I work a fairly physical job, I'm a potato, on my days off I tend to do very little (again anxiety makes my skin crawl at the thought of even going to the park for a walk) and I eat like shit (home-cooking just far too much of it). Two very common tactics I've had used against me is to make me feel shame (things like "well if you want to get fit you just need to get off your bum and stop being lazy") and shouting from the one PT I had. These didn't help motivate me at all, it did the opposite in that I would feel more anxious when being motivated by my PT, and retreat further into self hatred when someone would try to use shame to motivate me. I'm aware this is all in my head, I don't want my life to stay this way but just cant seem to muster the strength to quash my anxiety, the last time I attempted to go to the gym I panicked at the door and ended up having to do deep breathing exercises in the hallway to calm myself down, and I haven't been back since. Does anyone have any advice that might help? As said the shame tactics do not motivate me, they just makes me feel even more hopeless with my situation. Thanks in advance.

[@darrengillespie1258]

Just to add, my anxiety isn't just uncomfortableness or dread, the most apt way to describe the feeling when I attempt to go to the gym is like being in a bath of dead cockroaches, even though you know they can't hurt you it feels absolutely unbearable, every ounce of effort goes into just remaining in the environment your in, seconds seem to take hours to pass and you can't focus on anything but your revulsion and hatred of the situation you're in

[@littlemoth4956]

As much as I wish you could get the help you needed, literally all of this is self-enforced and is you being the emotional/endurance equivalent of a shriveled raisin. I understand "grow a pair" is both toxically masculine and entirely unhelpful, but I really can't think of many things other than that. I mean ffs you get panic attacks at walking around, and that anxiety is never going to go away because you're too petrified to face that fear and realize you're freaking the fuck out for no reason.

[@bkelsey6692]

When people internalize EVERYTHING THEY SEE, they are bound to disappointed by life itself. The entire community shouldn’t change based on the woes of those who are too insecure to change themselves instead of everything else around them.

[@kenfreeman8888]

0:03 Now I'm trying to figure out the elephant-rhino-trenchcoat connection... That made me laugh many times as I kept re-reading it.

[@LiLiBi01]

I just block social media influencers whom I feel are not giving off good vibes. Instead I want people like this dude in my life. Love your look on life - and your workout tips. Keep it up!

[@landi2244]

I really respect your view of gym culture from experience. Thank you!

[@novemberchild3002]

Re: responding to hate with love. It's a good outset, but we must also not forget that setting boundaries is important too. I didn’t allow myself to feel angry for the longest time, but I've since learned that when I get angry is when people push my boundaries (thanks, therapy). Doesn't mean I go around screaming at people (though sometimes I want to 😂), but it sure helps me to stand my ground when it matters.

[@tylerhare]

My journey in fitness definitely began as a desire to change my body. Body dysmorphia was something I grew out of very recently and there definitely were some negatives for many years associated with it

[@Rose-ok7bt]

You seem like a really good person. Thoughtful and kind.

[@mariebisbo6819]

I think one of the most toxic elements of online fitness culture is that a lot of fitness influencers (you not included) promote very rigid and un-nuanced approaches to diet and fitness. As a result, a lot of their followers will promote this same approach. Fitness and diet are complex and context-dependent, and there's no one magic approach. I see a lot of people changing what already works for them to fit with some fitness influencer, when in reality both approaches could be valid. There is also a lot of negativity towards people who don't follow certain approaches. For example, intermittent fasting can be a really good approach to diet, but it isn't the only good approach. And you can get benefits from many different types of training splits and exercises. We need to stop thinking that if something worked for us, it will necessarily work for someone else. The vast majority of us are not experts and we can do real damage by tearing people down for doing things differently. And in any case we don't need to be perfect, or anywhere near it, to live long healthy lives.

[@dalecomella2385]

I am so heartened by this channel having millions of subscribers!! The truth of humanity is simple... And childish, which is a good thing. The reason why we rumor, criticize and cast judgement is because we all want to Love and be loved. We want to know that we're not alone in our messiness... Which actually opens the possibility of us supporting each other out of our hidden messes, that aren't really hidden at all. A hidden wound festers. An exposed wound can be cared for and healed. When people stop hiding their insecurities and actually verbalize them (not for manipulation sake), it gives others the chance to love them, flaws and all... And in return, the lover is loved. But not at this stage of humanity. We're in a love drought and some people's insecurities are so strong that they drink in the admiration of others and hoard it out of fear that their self esteem cup will never be full enough to share from... So they don't feel that they have any to pour out into others because then they'll just feel insecure again if they make other people feel better about themselves. But i think children in their natural state want to be connected to each other and they are bluntly curious about each other's differences, which can lead to insecurities and a feeling of being judged.... And now we can see where acceptance and inclusion of each other at childhood would mitigate the need for people to find acceptance later in life through toxic identifications, which perpetuates the cycle of insecurities driving our actions. Thank you for your channel, Friend!

[@m.israel2209]

I feel like I was always negative to myself when trying to get in shape. It used to work, now it is much harder to get motivated and all I do is give myself negative feedback without working out. Motivation has hit rock bottom. I see ppl talk about motivation or see how inspired they got from an event in their life and I see that as inspiring but just that starting part can get intimidating when I have been out of shape for 4+ years. During those years my weight has fluctuated so much, starting at 196 getting down to 181, and getting up to 188-190 because of a severe ankle sprain.

[@mwpierre]

There is so much wisdom in this video. The ideas transcend fitness and speak to how we motivate or diminish others.

[@ann18o96]

Toxic fitness culture for me meant that it seems like a closed community, hard to reach ressources and suggested workouts were already too extreme for a beginner like me. It seems like people constantly looked down on you, no matter where you search for ressources or help. It felt like "If you can't do xy, then don't even think about doing fitness. You're not one of us!" Personally for me it's also the assumption that "as a woman" I want to reach my gym bunny goal and god forbid if I plan on building arm muscles. Because I personally don't fit that stereotype, I was really annoyed and hurt to see there's two options: the "normal" workout and the one for those woman. As many places are - I thought of gym culture to be very heteronomative with gender stereotypes and such. At least that was my personal experience trying to learn about fitness and build healthier habits. I'm not saying that this is some objective truth or anything. And I don't think most people who are like this do it on purpose.

[@gusmonster59]

Whenever someone says I don't care about whatever because I can't do xyz, I challenge them to learn basic hula moves. Hula, tribal and belly dance area lot harder than they look. They are more about awareness and control than pure strength. Nothing shut 'em faster than being unable to do what looks like a simple dance move. 😅 I always make a point of saying - You can't do this move because you don't know how to. Just as I have to learn how, or build the strength, to do xyz. We all have start somewhere. PS - Men do those dances as well, so they have no excuses.

[@catholicdudes7713]

My family does get fat, and it’s part of their genetic unfortunately. At least I am in shape trying to take care of myself, and I don’t mind helping others trying get in shape.

[@Javagawd]

Hats off to you, Bud👍... you've brought forth in words what many of us know but couldn't vocalize as effectively as you have.

[@RG-xl7ql]

Gym culture is actually one of the most positive I’ve seen, but when too many people get involved in a community it always becomes toxic. Not promoting gatekeeping, just analyzing the way things are…

[@marc1829]

Hampie! I love that it is SO alien to you that anyone would intentionally make another person feel bad. I've been baffled by this trend for years, and your response clarified the absurdity and ugliness of that response for me. Love Ya, Hampton! 😍

[@mohammedadilkhalifa]

One of the first things I did when I wanted to turn my life around was to stop lying to myself. And when I did that I started facing my insecurities head on and working on my problems which in turn helped me start in the right direction.

[@arizona5234]

It definitely depends on the gym. I generally observe more exhibitionistic and antisocial behaviour in large commercial gyms. I often see people trying to show off or just sitting on their phones while occupying machines. However, I had great experiences in a small gym which catered to working professionals and elderly people. There, everyone minded their own business and I didn't feel judged or underdressed. I also had a surprisingly good experience at a CrossFit gym, everyone was very friendly and encouraging despite being so much more athletic than me. It was really eye-opening. I ended up leaving the gym because I prefer working out by myself and with machines, but I'll always appreciate how welcoming they were.

[@LiquidFlower]

I loved how the sun set on this video whilst also sharing a profound truth. I am hurting and I should take responsibility for this before I snap at my loved ones because they triggered me with some words. I should respond with more love and trust not only towards them but also towards myself. Thanks for this video 💜

[@ly776]

As a senior citizen who has gone to the gym most of my life, I have not found toxicity at places where I go. As an old person, frankly, I'm mostly ignored but folks are polite. By contrast, I do find that many people who are in the fitness industry on-line, are quite narrow in their focus. As you mentioned, presenters are often exceptionally fit creating the false expectation that their particular piece of advice of the week, will lead you to look like them. Perhaps that might be true with some teens or young adults, but less likely not as you grow older. I think so much more could be done to talk about the mental health benefits of exercise, and also that it can help maintain better health when one gets older. I do find your videos to be much better than most at showing how people to work there way up to more physical activity, without making them think that they are a failure if they can't do a one arm pull-up. Also, you don't presume that some people, even if old, can't do some harder exercises. Keep up the good work.

[@supercasstiv6732]

Thanks Hampton for reminding me and us all regarding this issue. Have a wonderful day.

[@xiloptea]

Something that annoys me in the fitness world, is the "Oh you shouldn't do that exercise. That one is bad". I have heard that every exercise is bad before and you should do X instead. I will just do what works for me.

[@Scottlp2]

A. Some exercises are harder on the anatomy eg standing rows b. Short vs tall people will have different experiences of eg squats vs deadlifts c. Exercises you like and have good form can work well for people eg I’m weird and enjoy good mornings (though not going for 1rep maxes).

[@An.Unsought.Thought]

Okay but some exercises are really just not productive at all... like the plank. It's only good for increasing the time you can hold a plank but it doesn't do anything to actually strengthen your core, like hollow holds, L sits or leg raises, etc... Sometimes it really is a good idea to talk about optimizing your progress with the best exercises. Sure there is some trial and error for everyone, but while some fitness influencers are just trying to clickbait there are people genuinely just trying to help. And some exercises are definitely more prone to injury than others for the same muscle groups.

[@hatsunemiku8007]

@@An.Unsought.Thought see ive heard the plank is good, but then i see a guy in youtube comments say its bad and then i get confused, i think this is what the guy is talking about

[@missano3856]

But there are some exercises that offer very little benefit and substantial risk of acute or chronic injury.

[@missano3856]

@@hatsunemiku8007 Planks aren't dangerous just not that good.