What are the pros and cons of having a big ego in the gym?

Question

Dr. Mitchell Tanner, PT, DPT, CSCS · Answer

What are the pros and cons of having a big ego in the gym? There's not many pros, but I suppose one of them is that when you have a big ego, it can drive you to compete really hard, and when you are pushing the limits of what you are capable of, having that ego-driven competition can be helpful and push you to do things that you might not have otherwise tried. It can motivate a lot of people. Outside of that, a pro can be that when you have a big ego and it drives some of your decision making, especially if you are trying to compete, there is always someone better at the sport who is going to perform faster, stronger, whatever, and eventually you are going to get humbled. Having a big ego can lead to that hard lesson learned that can teach humility, which has tons of value. Outside of that, having a big ego in the gym, the cons are so much more than the pros. You're going to miss more lifts, you're going to accumulate more fatigue than is necessary, you're going to make poor decisions and potentially injure yourself at higher rates because of those poor decisions, as well as when you have a big ego, you're less likely to be willing and open to learn from other people who might be able to help you become a better athlete, but if you have a big ego, you'll never know. Finally, if you have a big ego, you're just not being the most well-rounded person that you can be and humility is a blessing. Being able to take a step back and recognize all the areas that there are to improve and be open to everyone is always going to be better than being ego-driven.

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"What are the pros and cons of having a big ego in the gym?"