Get Pumped with Leviathan: A Gym Bro’s Review

Yo, what’s up my fellow gym rats? I just finished reading this book called Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes. I know what you’re thinking – “Dude, why would you read that? It’s not about gains or fitness or anything like that.” But hear me out, because this book is actually pretty relevant to our lives as lifters.

So, first things first – what’s this book about? Well, it’s basically a big ol’ philosophy text that talks about how people naturally have a tendency towards violence and competition. According to Hobbes, the only way to prevent total chaos is to have a strong central authority that can keep everyone in line. It’s all about the idea of “the social contract” – the idea that people agree to give up some of their individual freedoms in order to live in a stable, structured society.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – “Ugh, philosophy, who cares?” But think about it like this – we’re all here in the gym, right? We’re all pushing ourselves, trying to get stronger and faster and better. And sure, there’s a lot of mutual support and positivity in the gym (or at least, there should be), but there’s also a LOT of competition. We’re all trying to outdo each other, whether we want to admit it or not.

So, how does Hobbes fit into all of this? Well, think about the gym as a microcosm of society. Without any rules or structure, it would be total chaos in here. People would be fighting over equipment, hoarding weights, and generally causing a huge mess. But because there are gym rules (usually posted on a sign somewhere), we all know what’s expected of us. We know to wipe down equipment when we’re done, to put weights back where they belong, and to generally be respectful of other people’s space.

In a way, we’re all agreeing to the social contract of the gym – we’re giving up some of our individual freedom (like hogging equipment for hours on end) in order to have a more harmonious lifting experience. And that’s basically what Hobbes is talking about in Leviathan – the idea that we need to give up some individual freedoms in order to have a more stable society.

But enough about philosophy – let’s get back to the gym! I want to hear from you guys. What did you think of Leviathan? And more importantly, what did you do in the gym today? Did you crush a new PR? Discover a killer new exercise? Share your triumphs and struggles in the comments below, and let’s keep pushing each other towards greatness.