How the (male) ego stops him dead

This post is mainly targeted at males, but I have no doubt at all some females are just as guilty in the same or similar ways. Have you ever been into a gym? You know that guy. That guy in the back screaming and jerking his whole body for what seems like a 3 minutes period. If you see this happening, don't miss the chance to look around. Many people will be eyeballing him, with that "wow, he sure is strong" look on they're face. If possible, try to find out when this guy usually works out and get there before this point. I say this because many people like this are pumping their egos, not their muscles. They get high off those looks and the occasional "good job man". Sometimes it's less obvious. I am not even saying that there is anything wrong with the occasional grunt or yell to push yourself through those last few reps, but sometimes, those "last few" were the first two. Once again, whether on the beach, gym, or anywhere else, you may have heard one of those guys talking about how much  he can bench. Well, sometimes they have to tell people because they don't look it. They don't look it because they did it just to say they could, not because it was the best weight for his/her body at the time.This is a vicious circle.

Don't fall victim to this.
There is even a Biblical proverb on it, "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips." -Proverbs 27:2

Don't let yourself receive more than you deserve in this area. If you need to go around telling people, it is a little lame and far less powerful than showing it (with good form or none) or at least looking like you can. Make yourself work and tweak if you want this attention. There was a study I heard once about people and a project. Two groups. One group was allowed to tell everyone about they're progress and goals and the other was told to keep to themselves until finished. Equal time, yet the first group told themselves they were finished before the time was up, it was fine the way it was. The second group certainly was not behind, yet they worked up to the clock. I guess group 2 still had their reward to look forward to. Attention for doing good is good, but do something good first.