Phones must be banned in gyms.

I don't like mobile phones. There, I have said it. I don’t like seeing them in the hands of children, I fear seeing them on the table when I am eating dinner with a friend, and I am offended trying to have a conversation with someone and witnessing their eyes moving to their watch when a message comes through (yes it’s the same). Why do I harbour such an old man mindset at the supple age of 38, probably because my ego is telling me that they are bored being with me and the distraction on their device is more interesting. Be more engaging Tom, the truth hurts!?

But aside from my personal flaws and pet peeves about the environment our children are growing up in, my expertise is in creating athletes and developing coaches. My arena of knowledge is the gym or the sports field, and my passion is making athletic development happen. We use technology in our facilities and as a learner of science I am a huge advocate for AI in medicine and the development of technology in healthcare in its multiple effective forms. But a mobile phone in the gym is not an advanced technology, it is a distraction and for this reason I loudly propose that all gyms in the world ban mobiles phones with immediate effect. Has it happened yet?

No. Why not? Because gyms of every variety, size, and location have become an accepted place for people to take photos, pretend they are working hard but they are really just sitting on the Bench texting someone, or bring their work baggage with them. And who are even worse than the members who are distracted from their training but are ultimately paying clients old enough to make their own choice about effectiveness of their membership fee? The coaches who care more about the people who are NOT in the gym instead of the members that are paying for their attention and expertise.?

The gym model has been pulled through a hedge in the past 2 years and we can blame a pandemic for some loss of service, but now that doors are reopening the responsibility is back on us. If the gym model doesn’t improve and the industry doesn’t reflect on controllable areas of progress then we will be left behind and in 5 years still be blaming Covid for closing.?

My case for banning mobile phones has three hypotheses;?

Firstly gyms must deliver safety. If mobile phones are proven to distract drivers as much as being drunk (which they are), what makes us think that a member with a phone in their hand on the treadmill is any safer than if they had been drinking at lunch? If you let alcohol affected clients train you would rightly see the door quickly, but we let clients Squat in the same neurologically distracted state as being inebriated - safe? I argue not. Equally consider the trainer that is on the floor and by job specification and training responsible for your safety and execution of exercises. If I was about to try to attack a PB I would not want to see my spotter checking Facebook, nor would I expect to see a PT messaging someone when they are being paid to coach someone.

For safety’s sake, ban phones in your gym.

Secondly, gyms sell scientific results, or they should. Leaner, stronger, faster, lighter members after training with us than before. Put simply athletic development relies on accurate manipulation of Work - Rest ratio, and intensity. Train too light and you don’t get stronger, train too slowly (too much rest) and you don’t get bigger muscles. With a mountain of evidence of the ‘Switching Effect’ of mobile phone distraction, it is impossible to defend the maintenance of intensity and diligence to rest times when your athletes keep stopping to see what that ping meant. Labouring this point further, development in the gym requires neurological and mechanical adaptation, you cannot become a better athlete without both. Now whilst you might be able to buy a machine that contracts your muscles for you you cannot ask that same machine to enhance your decision making. If you are actually in the gym to improve and you truly want to see progress then you can look forward to an increasing complexity of exercises; start with a Goblet Squat progress to Olympic Lifting… However, evidence confirms that cognitively we cannot do two things and learn, therefore if you are Snapbooking a mate when you are in the gym you are severing the pathways you are going to need to train your brain together with your muscles.?

For results sake, ban phones in your gym.

Thirdly and passionately, it is just impolite and silo’ing you. Feel free to raise your hands and admit you felt more connected during 2020 and 2021 but we would expect you missed the community, your friends, your colleagues, and your shared spaces. The gym is a community and a place where together you should be pushed, encouraged, motivated, and celebrated through improvement. A gym is not companionship, it is an accountable community led environment. If you care more about the email you need to send or the Youtube video you need to watch then do that first and when you come to the gym leave your phone in your bag and make eye contact with the humans around you. No one wants more isolation.?

For manners and friendship sake, ban phones in your gym.?