Although it is the holiday season, it feels a little like the movie Groundhog Day. Just like last year and the year before, you have run into the same exact problem.
The problem is you have a couple of different gym friends, and “different” in this case is the keyword. They are both very important to you, but because of their differences, the two require separate holiday gift lists, and that just plain old takes a lot of planning and time.
That said, we’ve got your six and have put together one single list for you. But that one single list will perfectly apply to both of your close gym friends.
So you have these two friends, they both go to the gym, but for very different reasons. Your one friend — let’s call him Dave — is a very serious lifter. He has competed, he knows his sport, the history of it, and he also works with other lifters helping them to get strong(er). Dave is the real deal, and the list is very much geared toward his goals in this sport.
Your other friend — let’s call him Brad — is very serious about how he is perceived as a lifter. He is all about the socialookatmedia aspect of the gym. He has never competed, has no total and no real clue about this sport, but he wants to look like he does, as building his followers and his number of likes are his real goals in the pseudo-world of thumb-scrollers.
The beauty here is this one single list will serve you perfectly with regard to both of your gym buddies. And it will do so regardless of how polar opposite they are when it comes to why they go to the gym.
Stick with us and read on as the pragmatism of this list will become self-evident in mere moments.
1. Bench Boards (specifically the three-board)
Your gym buddy Dave is going to love this gift. The three-board is great for Dave as he loves to train in his old canvas bench shirt, and the three-board allows him to really work the lockout aspect of the shirted press. It is also great for his raw training. Dave can hit higher reps and sets on his hypertrophy days, and when the weight is getting tough, you can put the three-board on Dave’s chest, and he can bang out a couple more reps really emphasizing his triceps.
The three-board is pragmatic, fits in Dave’s gym bag, and if nobody is there to hold the board on Dave’s lighter days, he can simply place it under his T-shirt, and the shirt will hold the board in place for him as he bangs out some mini bands or chains to bench press for a few sets and reps.
Now, as much as Dave will love this gift from you, so will Brad. In fact, Brad finds the three-board so utilitarian that he literally uses one from his gym each and every time he is there and uses it for multiple sets. Brad, too, finds the three-board to be his favorite as does Dave, but as Dave and Brad are very different, Brad’s reasons for being so enamored with the three-board are different albeit no less important to him.
Brad uses the three-board when he benches, too, as the three-board is the perfect size and weight to hold Brad’s brand new three-camera lens iPhone. Brad can place his phone safely and securely on the three-board so he can then film either via landscape or portrait as the three-board gives Brad the versatility he really needs. Then Brad can easily remove his iPhone from the three-board and post to his multiple socialookatmedia sites.
Brad sees the promise of the one- and the two-boards, but the three-board, that really works for him, as he knows there is enough weight and area with the three-boards to keep his iPhone safe from falling off, or more importantly, from missing the all-important perfect angle of the shot.
Because there are three-boards, there is that extra amount of surface area for Brad to get the angle of his iPhone just right for all of his sets and reps. Really, if you think about it, this gift you are getting for Brad is also a gift, albeit indirectly, for all of his adoring socialookatmedia followers. It is truly the gift that keeps giving.
There it is, your first gift on this list. One single item that serves perfectly your two very different friends at the gym. OK, moving on...
2. Strong(er) Embroidered Flexfit Hat
This gift is a phenomenal gift for both of your friends. And here is why. For Dave, this hat is great because it allows Dave to train with the bill pulled low over his eyes. This is a must for Dave when he is training as Dave likes individuals, but he hates people. There is wisdom in that statement if you think about it for just a moment. With the bill pulled low, Dave can focus on his training, keep his mind right, block out all the distractions in the gym, and get after whatever set and rep he is chasing at that moment.
Dave also likes the logo on the hat. Strong(er) is a statement with multiple meanings for those who are serious about their training but also their place in life and when setting forth to attain goals both as a person and as a powerlifter.
Lastly, Dave likes the fact that this hat is available in size XL, and this is great for Dave as he has a significantly bulbous head. No medium or even a large hat will do for Dave, so the strong(er) embroidered flexfit hat in size XL is awesome. As for the color, Dave likes to wear black and always will always wear black until of course they come up with something that is darker. So, score another win for you with Dave as gift two is a flipping hit and that makes you happy, as Dave is a good friend to you.
Much like the three-board, both Dave and Brad will love their hat, but again, just like the three-board, they do so for very different reasons. For Brad, the Strong(er) embroidered flexfit hat is a superior gift as Brad too loves everything about this hat.
First, like Dave, Brad loves the bill of this hat. Not to block out all the visual distractions and annoyances Dave uses the bill to block out, but because when Brad spins that hat around backwards, he can have the bill cocked just a little bit to one side or the other. Brad knows that this is the visual indication to his fan base that Brad is now in full gym mode.
When the hat gets spun around, this means Brad is 100 percent Lincoln Hawk, and that means he is gettin’ serious in the gym. It means the three-board has been put in place, the brand new iPhone’s perfect location has been honed in on, and one of several carefully chosen filters are awaiting to be applied to the masterpiece being filmed. None of that happens without the strong(er) embroidered flexfit hat being spun backwards to set the tone for the video.
Brad, like Dave, also likes the size choices, and his choice is small, as a small hat does not take as much attention away from his Insta-smile. Plus, Brad knows from his followers that the fewer and/or smaller the clothes, the better.
Yup, we are on a role. Two of the exact same gifts chosen for two totally different gym buddies and with the same single outcome, holiday joy as the gifts were well thought out and well received. Moving on to Gift 3.
This third gift is a biggie. It is a little more costly, but both Dave and Brad are worth it, and besides, the holiday sale price was killer good. This single gift choice will be loved by both of your friends as it will mean so much to them, but again, for totally different reasons.
3. Texas Deadlift Bar
Let’s start again with Dave. Dave will love the shiznit out of this bar. First, as Dave is a competitive powerlifter, he knows that the meet is about the biggest total and a strong deadlift is of critical importance toward this end.
Dave loves the 27mm diameter of the bar for a couple of reasons. First, it means a heavily loaded bar will give a few inches prior to coming off the ground and that means less stress on the back and more kinetic energy when the bar finally comes off of the ground. Dave also likes the 27mm diameter as he goes hook grip to prevent from tearing a bicep off. Most of Dave’s muscles and/or tendons have been torn off and either put back on, left dangling, or replaced.
Dave also likes this bar because he knows that all serious competitions where a deadlift bar can be used will be using this bar. And he knows the rule of training with the equipment you will compete with.
Lastly, Dave likes the fact that the bar is 7.5 feet long as that means room for lots of 45-pound plates. Dave can deadlift quite a lot as he trains all of his deadlift and that means the all too often forgotten eccentric of the lift.
When Dave sees that you got him the Texas Deadlift Bar, his eyes will tear up just like they do when he cracks open and sniffs from a brand-new ammonia cap. Once again, you have made your friend Dave’s holiday more than special.
Well, as happy as you have made Dave with the Texas Deadlift Bar, it pales in comparison to Brad’s jubilance. Brad will lose his mind when he opens this gift. Like Dave, Brad has always wanted a Texas Deadlift Bar.
Brad, like Dave, likes the 27mm diameter, but not so much for the bend of the bar and kinetic energy, nor the hook grip rationale, but for the plain old fact that Brad has the littlest hands at the gym. Brad also likes the 27mm diameter because once Brad has locked out his deadlift, he likes to slam the bar to the ground.
Brad is pretty observant, and he knows that if you have a weak pull, you’d better slam the bar as that will make people look at you and your backward-spun hat and not your itty bitty pull. Brad knows this is important, and he makes sure to slam the bar down after every set that he films on his iPhone which sits securely on his new three-board, as Brad knows the socialookatmedia people prefer a loud slam over a heavy pull.
Well, we are three for three. Both of your lifting buddies are totally satisfied, and we pulled off this holiday season of gift-giving for two with the help of just one single holiday shopping list.
But before we go, and because Dave and Brad mean so much to you, let’s get them both the same last gift. Let’s call it their New Year’s holiday gift. But this time, we will name the gift and you will comment on why Dave and Brad, for different reasons, both like this New Year’s holiday gift.
4. Rehband 7051 Original Knee Sleeves
Now, based on what you know about both Dave and Brad, comment below on your reasons why Dave will love this gift and the completely different reasons why Brad will also love this gift.
We look forward to reading your reasons for both.
Happy holidays.
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