Ep 80: Gym Culture - What’s Changed, What’s Broken and What Still Matters

Apr 3, 2026

In this episode we unpack our own experiences of gym culture, how it has evolved over time, what has genuinely improved, what has become worse and what still matters if a training environment is actually supposed to help people change.

We discuss the good, the bad and the absolute nonsense of the modern gym world - from community, standards, coaching and belonging, through to phones on equipment, performative fitness, poor etiquette, influencer culture, gym anxiety and why so many people still feel lost when they walk through the door

We also explore:

• what makes a gym feel alive vs dead
• why some spaces help people grow and others keep them stuck
• what should and shouldn’t be acceptable in a gym
• why gym anxiety matters
• where gym culture is heading
• and what a genuinely great gym culture should actually look like now

A straight-talking conversation on effort, confidence, identity, behaviour, belonging, standards and why environment still matters far more than most people realise.