No phones in the gym
A small, radical habit
A quick note: Writing regularly is, alongside work, a pretty challenging feat, and I think I could start off pretty much every post on this blog bemoaning the lack of recent posts. Suffice to say, I am still *thinking* about writing more on here, without applying undue pressure.
Historically speaking, I’m not a natural gym goer, or at least that was my self-conception up until February 2022, when I first started going to the gym near my house.1 No one in my immediate family has much interest in the gym, and I wasn’t particularly sporty in school, especially after selecting my non-sport GCSEs.
Fast forward to 2026 and I absolutely love going to the gym, and the weekly work time structure I’ve created2 means that I can go twice every week without so much as an internal “ugh I can’t be bothered”, at least in the vast majority of weeks. As a person of routine, incorporating two gym sessions is ideal, and feels totally natural.3
My workout stays nicely regular: a 40 minute treadmill run on the “cardio boosting” routine, comprising two-minute segments across various speeds and gradients; and then 30 minutes split between tricep and bicep workouts, plus stretching my legs and body. I could do more (and I could do less), but I find this general plan works well.
As time has gone on, I’ve become more “strict” about my diet, too, by which I mean I actually now consider what I eat and its nutritional content over just “this thing looks tasty and is quick”. The effect on my physique has been pretty satisfying to watch, especially after I added in the runs on a weekly basis, and I definitely feel more ‘vital’.
The basic premise that exercise takes time to manifest is annoyingly true, and there are definitely no (healthy) shortcuts to success. There is a long way to go until I have the same physique as other people in the gym, but my progress over the years is noticeable enough to easily see it.4
For the past year (or probably more like 18 months), I’ve been completely addicted to omelettes, a topic I’ll explore in another post,5 and I think this has provided the basis for a decent crack at getting “good” at the gym. The work I put in to grow my muscles actually, well, works; my extremely long arms are much bulkier in recent months.
All of this is a sort of preamble to the topic I want to discuss today: I never – and I mean actually never – take my phone into the gym.
When I tell people this, many people are aghast: How? they ask, and some days I do wonder the same; when the workout drags and Capital FM plays songs I’m not vibing with, things can get pretty tough. Add in a few pints the night before and, well…
On the most basic level, you’re far more aware of your surroundings when you aren’t protected and shielded by headphones; commensurately, other people’s actions have a much bigger impact. Navigating these realities is part of the dance.
There’s a regular at the gym, a man probably in his late 40s or early 50s, who runs on the treadmill on maybe the 20 speed setting,6 and it makes so much noise, while being completely out of sync with my own (slower) stride. Every time he does this – basically every Thursday – I have to actively rebalance myself and focus on my own breathing, and my own run.
A lot of people at the gym watch videos on the treadmills with no headphones, or have loud conversations on FaceTime. Anyone who has used public transport can imagine the scene, and the internal questions of Should I say something? Inevitably, I don’t.7
Ultimately, though, these are small prices to pay: working out without headphones helps my mind wander in a way that I never could with music or, God forbid, a podcast blaring straight into my ear canal. There’s a peacefulness, an almost meditative quality, to running for 40 minutes with just ambient sounds.
I’m not really the type of person who can aimlessly stare out of a window – probably more because of my self image as ‘someone who can’t do that’ – but tens of minutes go by when I’m peacefully without smartphone, ensconced in the gym.
After the run, I find it’s easier to cool down and, when standing at racks of weights or machines, I find it easier to manage my breathing and prepare for the next set, in a way that I just wouldn’t under the influence of delicious phone scrolling.
Now, some people might wonder if an enclosed room – a large room, yes, but an enclosed space – is the right vehicle for this practice. Surely the countryside would be better? or even a park? Running ‘open-eared’ in a gym is sadistic, some might say. You need to hear nature.
To this, I say: probably, but my strong preference is to run on a treadmill, so as to a) control my breathing more easily b) avoid running into random people and c) to ensure the workout is taxing in the right way. The part of London I live in is very flat, and research shows that incline runs are by far one of the best forms of cardio.
Under these conditions, the logic of having no phone in the gym makes sense. Maybe too much sense…
I made the decision to leave my phone in my locker almost by accident on the first day I went to the gym, back in early 2022. There’s a mandatory induction session to get acquainted with the machines, and in a split second I just left it.
A fairly radical act, looking back at it, but one I’ve stuck to easily. Everything and everyone can wait; there is no need to reply too fast.
In an age when we are all hopelessly addicted to our phones8 – and I wholeheartedly include myself here – one simple decision nearly 4 years ago has ensured I’ve had two carved-out times per week (around 2 hours 20 minutes in total) during the working day when I’m away from my phone and any screens.
The thing that has struck me most is how normalised it feels now; there is never really a time during my run or workout when I want (or need) to look at a phone.9 Everyone else in the gym is constantly looking at their phones, something you only notice when you’re living “outside” of this, at least for a brief moment.
If my phone was there, you can be sure I’d be looking at it, absentmindedly.
Now, a lot of people track their workouts on their phone, as well as listening to music and so on, and I definitely don’t begrudge that. But I think the unintended consequence is the gym becomes like every other space: one smoothed over by the presence of a beautiful iPhone display and its ever-changing array of images.
Freeing yourself from it, freeing yourself from The Rectangle, is liberating – and there really is no better place than the gym, where your hands can be occupied, and your body physically tired and reeling.
Anyone with a laptop job spends an incredible number of hours hunched up inside, a state that I think is unnatural historically speaking, and any way of breaking out of that, even for a moment, should be celebrated and encouraged.
Next time you go to the gym, try it out. Perhaps you find that it’s not for you. Even so, you will have spent an hour in state more open to mindful contemplation, noticing things about the world, your breathing; overhearing snippets of conversations; and practicing a small rejection of how things are.
Good luck, and thank you for reading.
The beautiful, amazing, awesome Better gym on Shoreditch Park.
Essentially, I work 9 until 3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a 90 minute break before another hour, so I use that. (“Created” is a little strong, but it works nicely.)
In weeks where I’m injured, or can’t go to the gym for some other reason, I now feel bereft at having 90 long minutes to fill, until I inevitably manage. But it shows how quickly your mind adjusts to new routines and patterns.
This is, perhaps, one of the curses of the gym: your own familiarity with your body really clouds any progress.
Suffice to say, for now, that my recipe for a 6 large egg omelette, with cheddar, freeze dried chives, and salt/pepper, creates a delicious meal that genuinely keeps me full from c.10:30am until my dinner at c.6pm. A neat 900kcal and 60g protein does that.
For reference, something like 12 mph, which is very fast over longer than a short sprint.
I realise that a solid retort back to me would be: You put on headphones…
The average UK person spends about 4.5 hours per day on personal devices, rising to something like 7.5 hours per day across all devices.
One small caveat: I do use a smartwatch, an Xiaomi model I originally got to review, so there is a screen to look at periodically, but the watch’s main function is to show me my heart rate and other basic statistics from my sessions.