I was going nowhere and it wasn’t fun. In fact, I can’t imagine many more frustrating things than sitting in traffic, moving at the speed of a snail for what seems like an eternity.

Luckily, I knew what I could do about it – and it didn’t involve going into “Monster Truck-mode” in my Honda Civic.

I simply had to train and make sure I didn’t miss a day.

I’m lucky enough to get to train at the EliteFTS compound – just look for the weakest guy in there and wave – and it’s also about 10 yards from my office.

That makes it convenient in that respect, but also in the respect that I can keep my sanity.

When I train, traffic no longer becomes a problem. Instead of leaving for home at 5 p.m. – and arriving at some point before sunrise while I rage in traffic – I can train for 60-90 minutes and have a peaceful drive home.

The benefits are endless. I can get intense training done in an unbelievable environment, push myself to new levels and not worry about wondering what to do when the thoughts of running someone off the road creep into my head as I’m ripping the grip off my steering wheel.

Not that there’s ever a good time to miss a training session, but now I really don’t have any possible excuse. I can’t rush home at 5 p.m., because there’s no rushing involved when my brake gets more work than the accelerator on I-70.

In fact, having the opportunity to miss all of that rush-hour mess is all the motivation I might ever need to train.

Sure, it may seem unconventional and you may say I shouldn’t need such peculiar circumstances to get in solid training sessions. Perhaps you may be right, but whenever that motivation is waning, I now have the perfect fallback plan. I either train or I sit in traffic. Considering I would rather ram my head into a concrete wall than sit in traffic for any amount of time, I’ll take the training.

I’m also not alone. I posed this very question – “What unique ways or circumstances make sure you get in the gym?” – to our EliteFTS athletes and readers, and I got some very interesting responses.

Take a look:


EliteFTS sponsored athlete Scott Yard:

My career – the dreaded insurance business – was very in tune to the economy and unfortunately suffered the consequences with the economy’s downfall.

Once I realized I was in need of a new career path, my choice was based on two things – my family and my training.

I declined various higher-paying job and waited until I found a job with hours conducive to my kids’ schedule and my training schedule.

I sacrificed about $10,000 per year to be sure my training schedule stayed the same. I miss the money, but I haven’t missed a workout.

Your responses:

  1. "Whiners get me fired up and I head right to the gym." - Chris Jonesy
  2. "If I don't train, I stay the same. If I train, I'm a stronger person each day." - Ryan Readinger
  3. "If I don't train, I feel ill and bored. If I train, I feel better." - Brodie Marshall
  4. "Having two heart attacks! If I don't train, my blood becomes concrete!" - Bill Morgan
  5. "I have two kids now. Training is MY time." - Nathan Pozderac
  6. "If I don't train, I hate looking at myself in the mirror. If I do train, I'm tired and in pain — but damn does it feel good." - Mike Monaghan
  7. "I bought a powerlifting gym. If I don't go I lose my ass." - Brandon Braner
  8. "I have my own pro power gym in my home! I lost my brother on 9/11/01 in the WTC. I lift heavy to be the best Fire Chief I can be in honor of him!" - Jeff Taormina
  9. "It puts my mind where it needs to be. I feel stronger." - Teresa LoSchiavo-LaBanca
  10. "Going when it's sunrise I have the whole gym to myself. It's bliss." - Tom Potts
  11. "I'm an older, more experienced guy that came back to college after a two-year break in the "real world" building guitars. I can't stand the stupid bullshit drama these children make for themselves, and I'm surrounded by it.
    When I have a bar in my hands that weighs more than twice my bodyweight and I'm about to pick it up off the floor, I can't think about anything else but that. It's a beautiful thing." - Ray Holt
  12. "It's 5 a.m. — I can sleep for one more hour or actually do something!" - Mike Dixon
  13. "The fact that my gym becomes crowded after 11 a.m., so I always make sure I'm in there by 8:30. That way I have the whole gym to myself — small price to pay for sanctity." - Carl de Wijer
  14. "If I workout before work I get that stress release I need and I don't kill my boss. So, I workout to stay out of jail." - Majorie Dan Leary
  15. "If I drink a pot of coffee and take GTE, ephedrine, yohimbine, extra caffeine and whatever stimulants are on hand, I have to go, have to." - Brian Kehler
  16. "I manage a gym and work typically 9-plus hour days, so when I don't train in the early a.m. I find that I tend to wanna kill my staff or members by midday over some of the idiotic things that they do. I'm too stressed/ tired/ exhausted to train by the time my shift ends at night, which, of course, leaves me more cranky for not lifting. Not good. But when I do train, I usually feel pumped for the whole day and the b.s. doesn't seem to bother me as much (which is also better for my staff as well). I guess it's all about the stress release." - Josie Ambroise
  17. "When I don't train, I remember how crooked our politicians are here in pi. When I do train, I head back home dead tired and I forget them and sleep soundly like the world is a good place."- Aaron Alfred Dela Cruz
  18. "If I don't train, they win." - Kyle LeBlanc
  19. "An angry Gordon Lake and four other girls who hold the deadlift record I want." - Erika L. Medlin
  20. "I have to compensate for the amount of beer and oreos I consume." - Mike Chorzelewski
  21. "To stay somewhat sane, let out anger." - Dylan Ford
  22. "It's the only way I can get stronger and get rid of my anger..... so i train!" - Corey Smash
  23. "My gym is in my garage so I have no excuse." - Will Callahan
  24. "If I don't train I fear I'll become weak, and this this thought torments me. If I train, I feel stronger and at the end my hands are white from the chalk — and my mind is white for the happiness." - Giuseppe Zangari
  25. "I work in a jail facility. I train so that when the day comes that an inmate tries to kill me I will be ready for him." - Dave Webb
  26. "Training keeps me centered. I work 14-hour days and can't make it in during the work week. I'd sit through hours of traffic to get my training in. With all the BS going on in daily life, I HAVE to make time for some hard and heavy training. The stress and b.s. have more than enough time to interfere with my life. Every pound of muscle and strength gained is one more piece of armor." - Martin Arters
  27. "What else would I do with my own gym? My clients keep paying me to train them for some reason." - Mark Rogers