Alright, if you read our last post or you've already been filming your training, you may be wondering whether you should be posting your footage on the Social Medias. In our previous post, we reviewed the reasons you may or may not want to film your training. In today's post, we'll do a deeper dive into one of those reasons by reviewing some pros, cons, and considerations you should take into account when deciding to share your training with the world. A link to our previous post is provided here: https://www.craftedstrength.com/post/to-film-or-not-to-film-your-training
PROS
Community & Connectivity
Social media is a great way for you to connect with others who share your interests regardless of where you are in the world, so long as your part of the world has access to the interwebs. This creates a sense of belonging and provides a support group for those who may not have access to similar minded people in their local area. Or, perhaps you're an introvert in-person like me but an extrovert online. In that situation, social media allows you connect with people in a way that isn't as natural or seamless for you in-person.
Another neat thing about social media is that it is self-regulating in the sense that people will only react to your posts or follow you if they relate to you, or if they want to be a part of your fitness journey. If people ARE NOT interested in what you have to share, they'll keep on moving. If people ARE interested in what you have to share, then they will likely engage with you in one form or another.
Consistency & Accountability
Some people find that sharing their training online gives them a sense of consistency and accountability. If you are highly motivated to post your training online, then you will likely also be highly motivated to get your training done, even if you can list a million legitimate reasons why you shouldn't train on a given day. That feeling of community can help give you that extra nudge you needed not to skip training.
Inspiring Others
You never know if what you're doing can inspire another person. Maybe you're doing something you've never done before, and sharing your trials and tribulations with the community. Maybe you work 2 jobs, have young kids in school and are a single parent trying to get your training in. Maybe you're someone who started their fitness journey later in life, maybe even way later, and are showing the world that aging athletes ARE STILL ATHLETES. Whatever your circumstance, there is likely some aspect of your situation that someone can relate to or that they find inspiring. If you can inspire just one person to make a positive change in their life, don't you think it's worth it?
Knowledge Sharing & Elevating Human Performance
Closely related to inspiration, sharing your knowledge and experience helps to elevate human performance. You probably don't remember, but there was a time when running a 4-minute mile was impossible, until Roger Bannister did it in 1954. Now, there are over 1,500 athletes who've run a mile in 4 minutes or less because they knew it was possible. Maybe you're not running a mile that fast, but maybe you're pushing the boundaries of another aspect of human performance in your basement dungeon, and sharing your craft could inspire others to do the same? Maybe you found a way to execute a movement more efficiently or program athletes more effectively? Elevating yourself, and showing others how you did it so that they can elevate themselves, is what the strength community is about.
CONS
Anonymity
Posting your training online exposes you to the world. If you are worried about certain people finding out about your training, perhaps employers, you may not want to share it. If you do want to share it for the reasons noted in pros above, but still want some anonymity, you may need to take extra steps to retain your secret identity. This includes things like not indicating location, perhaps not showing your face, and other measures which can make posting more stressful than enjoyable.
Exposure
Although I have been fortunate not to have experienced this myself, you do expose yourself to haters and trolls. If you do allow comments on your social media, be aware that there are people out there who like to discourage and provoke others. If you are not someone who can handle that situation in a positive and productive manner, you may want to think twice before allowing comments or exposing yourself to the world.
CONSIDERATIONS
Purpose
How many training logs do you see that just die on the vine? Maybe they started social media just for fun and eventually grew out of it? Maybe they weren't sure what they were going to do with it? Maybe it was more work than they wanted to put in? Whatever the reason is, some accounts seem to just disappear into the ether, but having PURPOSE will reduce the likelihood of your account doing the same.
Your purpose, no matter how simple it seems, is important and can evolve over time. The purpose can be as simple as creating an online training journal to document your journey, or as complex as building a brand and community. Whatever your reasons, it's important to have a purpose so that you can manage your expectations accordingly. If your expectations are aligned with your purpose, you are more likely to keep sharing with the world.
Expectations
If you're posting a video of your very first bench press, without any context or information, at a weight that isn't pushing the limits of human performance, and expecting to get 1 million followers, I hate to say it... but you need to adjust your expectations :) I know that was an extreme example, but it reinforces why having a purpose for posting your training is important.
Your purpose, as evident by the time you put into developing and sharing your content, will have different thresholds of engagement from the online community, and you should adjust your expectations accordingly. All else being equal, the more time you invest into your content, or the more value you add, the more likely it will have the impact you are hoping for.
CONCLUSION
The choice to post your training can be a difficult one, so I hope this post helps you make an informed decision. Below is a summary of the things YOU should think about before posting your training for the world to see.
PROS
Consistency & Accountability
Inspiring Others
Knowledge Sharing & Elevating Human Performance
CONS
Anonymity
Exposure
CONSIDERATIONS
Purpose
Expectations
Do you have other pros, cons, or considerations!?!? Be sure to share and comment below!
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