The Gym Culture and Laziness

I think that people are more different than we realize in terms of what works for health and fitness. You have to do what works for you. I have tried doing exercise dvds at home and I just can't seem to get into them. Running just hurts my legs and makes me cranky. But I know these work well for other people.

I walk long distances and go to the gym for cardio and weight machines three times a week. Every non-gym day I try to walk at least a half hour a day, sometimes much more. I don't have a car and I do all of our grocery shopping. That is what works for me.

I was losing weight when I was just walking, but going to the gym took it to a whole new level for me. I'm really muscular now, my body is getting really toned, my posture is better when I walk and it's easy to keep my stomach in, it feels natural.

I also just fit into my "goal dress" that I have had for a couple of years without being able to fit in it. I wore it to dinner and it was a wonderful feeling.

Melsky!
That's great!! Sounds like you really understand.

I agree with you about gym culture. Another POV is that I'm one of those people that would love to work out outside more often, but I have two young children. I go to my gym because they have an excellent Kid's Klub. I get an hour to myself, and my kids get to play with other children.

I do think that it's kind of sad how the gym culture seems to have divorced itself a bit from practical applications, going for just looks.

It's interesting.. if you go and read any old books or pamphlets about strong men and such, it wasn't just about lifting heavy things. It was also about being able to do a handstand and climb a rope.

Why is it that "gymnastics" is thought of as something just for preteen girls? Acrobatics as something to be done in a circus? It took a movement like Yoga for people to want to be flexible again. Women are afraid that lifting weights will make them huge, etc. In short, the collective thoughts on "physical culture" are pretty out of whack..

Personally, I want to be well-rounded. Not fat, not body-builder big, flexible, strong, able to do basic body strength and acrobatic things, etc.

I like feeling like I'm doing something will exercising, so I've gravitated more toward bodyweight stuff. Got an aparatus with a pullup bar, dip bars, etc. Why use a pulldown machine when you can pull yourself into the air?? I think having the mentality of a kid at the playground isn't a bad thing!

That stuff combined with pushups, v-ups, supermans, squats is a nice foundation. I mean, if you get a Door Gym for pullups you can use chairs for dips. That's a nice workout at home for way cheap.

Right now I'm doing HIIT on a stationary bike for 15 minutes a couple of times a week (up to 185 heart rate at the end). HIIT has a good reputation for cardio health and weight loss though it isn't the most fun in the world (but it's quick!).

You can be creative with cardio and do stuff like the DDR dancing game (which is pretty intense on high levels both for body and mind).

It was funny. I saw a video a while ago called Thug Workout. Besides the crazy machismo, they were actually smarter than a lot of people. These were guys that got buff using playground equipment and park benches and stuff. And outdoors with fresh air no less!

Learning some basic tumbling will help with balance and not getting hurt during falls. Handstand is good not just for balance but strengthening (some people do handstand pushups!). Basic breakdancing moves like the 6-step and 3-step work a lot of muscles. I just find it frustrating that people feel like they need to sit at a machine and do reps..

Lastly, speaking of the "gyno machine". One of the more effective ways of stretching is an isometric method where you tense the muscles being stretched, then release and stretch futher, tense again, etc. Guess which muscles you tense when learning the side splits? By the time you're close to full side splits, the amount of weight bearing down on the inner thighs is considerable. That's a sure way to kill two birds with one stone, gaining both flexibility and strength.

Ok.. sorry for the long post. :)

Shawn Fumo said:
Why use a pulldown machine when you can pull yourself into the air??[...]

Those of us who want to build a big back focus completely on form and isolating out the arm. Once you take the biceps out of the pull-up, you're suddenly a lot weaker. Also, assuming you want to build a big back, you need to touch the bar to your solar plexus on the pull-up. Only bringing your chin up to the bar is like doing bicep curls through only half the range of motion. I, personally, don't have the lat strength yet to do full pull-ups to the solar plexus, so I'm working up to it with the pulldown machine.

Shawn Fumo said:
By the time you're close to full side splits, the amount of weight bearing down on the inner thighs is considerable. [...]

Are you going to equate isometric and isotonic exercises? What you're describing is PNF stretching, and it does build up strength, but in a very different way. Also, you shouldn't recommend PNF stretching without mentioning that it should only be done every 3 or 4 days, much like weight lifting.

Shouldn't be this complicated. Do what works. I started running daily at age 14. Through the years I've been a runner, a fast walker, a "gym cardio rat", a biker and a hiker.

Now that I'm 43 and suffering from pre cancerous lesions all over my chest and arms, I am sorry for all the years I worked out in the sun, when I am perfectly happy in the gym.

The thing is, get the heart rate up doing what you find fun and what you will actually DO. The goal is to exercise until the day we die, so there just can't be specific "rules" that some people make up just because they prefer one way or the other.

I do my weights at home and always have. That will never change. But, unless I'm going out after dark, I no longer work out outside. I sweat all the sunblock off in 5 minutes. But as far as walking normal pace throughout the day, I will always do that. I never drive if I can walk (but not if I am doing it for "exercise" and sweating my sunblock off).

Just do what works for you, and not the next guy. Considering most people don't exercise, we who do need to support each other.

Ryan, thanks for the response. I probably shouldn't have written when I was in a ranting mood. Was more flip and simplistic than I should have been..

I guess my point with the pullup comment was more about it being helpful to find ways to make things more fun and that a machine isn't always necessary. I think most people probably isolate too much. Those that only use machines would probably be more suceptible to injury from not strengthening the stabalizing musicles.

But if you know what you're doing (as you obviously do!) and are isolating something specific for bodybuilding or other purposes, that's another ballgame. I didn't mean to suggest there's never a reason for a machine.

One thing on the pullup to chest. I just want to mention that one could stand on a chair to start things off (as I did for chin-ups), but of course it's harder to judge progress than a machine would be.

Good points on the PNF as well. You're right that PNF isn't something to take lightly and I shouldn't have just thrown that out there without saying more about it.

I hadn't thought about the difference between isometric and istonic. Something for me to research more on.

My biggest piece of advice about both exercise and diet is to be extremely skeptical of what anyone says, and that definitely includes anything I say! :) Whenever I feel like I start to get a handle on things, I realize there's quite a lot more I have to learn, that I've made wrong assumptions, etc.

wow I just paid today for 12 months at a gym I had better keep checking comments here
thanks guys

I walk/run to the gym and walk/run back. it's a mile each way. That way, I kill two birds with one stone! :-)