Mirrorless gyms for better mental health
I’m writing this article as a person who found himself looking in the mirror way too often when working out. And no, not to “check my form”, but simply because it was very pleasing to my ego to watch my arms while I do pull-ups or to see my reflection right after a set of ring dips when my chest is twice the size comparing to when I’m not training. While it always felt satisfying and very innocent, I started to realize that it’s just not healthy at all and I was slowly slipping down the slope of one big sickness that has been plaguing gyms across the whole world - body dysmorphia.
Why do gyms need mirrors?
Let’s ask ourselves this: who will benefit from mirrors at their gym and why? In my humble opinion, most gym-goers will not gain any benefits from having them. Instead, I firmly believe that every person who goes to the gym will drastically improve their mental health by seeing themselves less while working out.
Why fewer mirrors at gyms = better mental health?
Let’s say you joined the gym to improve your health and life quality. But after noticing your refection (thanks to a giant mirror in front of the dumbbell rack) you find yourself not satisfied with the way your body appears to look. Or maybe you weren’t happy with your body before joining the gym. Either way, you now start training hard every week until months or years later you reach great results - now your muscles are looking much more defined. You look so fit and strong! You radiate with confidence after each workout. Great, right? But there is a catch - you will most likely never be entirely satisfied with the way your muscles look. Why? Because they can always look “better” and deep in your head you know that, so you’ll keep coming back to the gym to chase and maintain this new “perfect physique”. But perfectionism will never be reached because your body can always look a little better. It’s a game where you are guaranteed to lose. One thing you ARE guaranteed to win though is body dysmorphia.
History of mirrors in gyms.
Let’s go back in time for a minute to figure out why and when gym owners decided that it’s a good idea to put mirrors all around their facilities. The answer is the rise of bodybuilding in the 1960s-1970s. Prior to that gyms weren’t that popular to begin with and those that existed focused on sport performance for gymnastics or track and field for example, none of which require mirrors to improve performance. In bodybuilding on the other hand everything revolves around the way your body looks: its symmetry, size, definition, etc. When bodybuilders who actually get on the stage to perform in competitions do their prep, they must work on their posing. They must spend hours in front of a mirror or video camera flexing all the right muscles as hard as possible while holding poses that judges will request. It’s actually brutal work. I know this because I competed myself in 2017 in the men’s physique show. It’s so incredibly hard to pose the way they do - it is a workout in itself.
Do bodybuilders need mirrors?
Do bodybuilders really need mirrors when they work out and are not focused on their poses? I think yes, they do need them. I believe bodybuilders just like me like to check themselves in a mirror when training. It gives them satisfaction and motivation to train more, to train harder. So let’s not blame bodybuilders for having mirrors in their gyms.
But it’s important to ask a few more questions here. Do bodybuilders often struggle with body dysmorphia and very frequently even take the route of taking performance-enhancing drugs to get bigger despite their negative effect on their health? Do regular folks who don’t care to become a bodybuilder need all the mirrors when training? I’ll let you think of the answers.
Replacing Aesthetics with Performance-based training.
So what is the solution? Is there a way to get stronger, healthier and have fun at the gym while not focusing on the looks? Will the entire fitness industry collapse if gym owners remove the mirrors? Of course not. Goodall Performance Training is the answer.
Do you realize that you can go to the gym and have a blast while increasing your strength, getting your joints and tendons bullet-proof, all while improving general health? To switch to this kind of training all you have to do is sit down and write your fitness goals based on the priorities dictated by your current (or desired) lifestyle. And after that just pick out of the endless list of various performance based training modalities. Here are some great examples:
Calisthenics: master your bodyweight while learning fun skills like handstand, muscle-up, front lever, human flag, pistol squat, etc.
Olympic Weightlifting: develop maximum explosiveness while getting your whole body stronger than ever.
Regular Weight Training: focus on exercises like squats, bench pressing, deadlifts, etc., that will help you stay strong and fit.
Cardio Training: get your heart supercharged by getting on the treadmill, rower or bike (with an amazing option of training outdoors)
Asana Yoga: drastically improve your mobility, balance and general strength
The list of such training regimens goes on, but the key here is to figure out which of these and many other training modalities will fit your needs or simply resonate with you more. Performance-based training is satisfying, produces results, is good for your mental health and… it will still make you look great.
Does performance-based training need mirrors?
Please note that none of the examples I suggested require mirrors. As a matter of fact, such training modalities will greatly suffer from having mirrors. Why? Because it will be a major distraction. Try doing a handstand, heavy barbell snatch or balance on one foot while checking yourself in the mirror. Not a good idea. Of course, there are many exercises and poses that you can do while looking in the mirror, but the bottom line is that doing that is not going to help you improve. And please drop this “it helps me check my form” - you are just checking yourself and/or others out.
Let’s start a mirrorless gym revolution!
So now that you know that starring at yourself in the mirror at the gym is not good for you, please go to your local gym and ask the manager to consider removing those body dysmorphia-inducing things. And if they say no, than do some research and find gyms that prioritize performance other bodybuilding.
In closing…
One curious observation comes to mind. Over the years I’ve had many dogs and you’d think they would be really curious and excited to see their own reflection. So to see their reaction I’d bring them to a big mirror. And guess what, none of them knew what was going on and had zero interest in what they saw. How beautiful is that? How fortunate are those animals to not identify with that which they see in the mirror. I wish to be like that.