In life there will always be someone who is faster, stronger, has better technique, fitter, leaner than you. The concept of “social facilitation” is based on these facts. It is well known that performance is improved by the mere presence of others. At Pat’s Gym, we capitalize on social facilitation to improve the performance of our clients.
I don’t like the theory of “social facilitation” because the ultimate objective of performing an exercise or engaging in a sport should be to express our full potential whether or not peers are watching. However, I am a realist and can’t ignore reality. Without an audience and without peer pressure, many people would never do anything that is difficult or personally challenging.
At Pat’s Gym, we understand the power of social facilitation and we use it as a positive force to improve the performance of our clients. Our coaches recognize that we all perform differently to some degree when we are in front of an audience. For example, I try to organize training sessions so certain individuals work together and work harder because of it.
However, you need to be careful with social peer pressure because it can negatively impact performance. When someone is performing an exercise or engaging in a sport, the balls-out effort can undermine or short-circuit technical execution. The distraction and perceived pressure of an audience can cut into technical skills that have not yet been mastered. When an athlete has not yet mastered the skills or movements, there is insecurity.
Of course, the negative impact of peer performance can be overcome through training. Those who experience the smallest negative influence are those for whom the action is well-learned, automatic and unconscious.
At Pat’s Gym, we are always trying to elicit better performance from our clients. But, all clients are unique. Some people perform better when observed or motivated by a friend while others choke. Some do better when they have to say, “I’ll prove your wrong” to someone who doesn’t believe they can do it. And some can only overcome self-imposed limitations when they see someone else doing the same activity. In these cases, our coaches will work along side the clients. Our coaches at Pat’s Gym are trained to recognize these differences and use these differences as motivators to help our clients improve their performance.
However, I don’t want to mislead you and say that our coaches are always the perfect fit for every client. At times, the match isn’t right. At times, a client requires a different touch than a specific coach suggests. In those rare cases, I work with the clients and coaches to identify which coach can develop the trust that is necessary. Sometimes, if we don’t have a coach that is the perfect fit I will work with the client to find one that can come into the Gym or I will introduce the client to another gym. Simply put, picking up shit and setting it down is easy compared to being the right influence at the right time. In order for you to capitalize on social facilitation and use it to your benefit, the fit must be right.
My philosophy on coaching, which all the coaches at the Gym must buy into, is that trust must exist between the coach and client. When ego sabotages progress, it is the coach’s job to rein it in, to guide and to be a guide. A coach won’t be able to perform this job unless there is trust.
Working out at Pat’s Gym is not easy. It’s about you wanting to improve your performance, whether it is feeling good, looking good, competing or being a top performing athlete. If you don’t want to improve your performance, we can’t help you. Believe in yourself enough to build and cross the bridge. All of the good stuff is on the other side, but you have to make the decision to cross the threshold. Go for it!
