"Where have all the athletes gone?"Observations on Gyms

[fitforever]

I wanted to come up with a catchy title to get your attention.
Not that my musings are worth a read. Been wondering what others experiences has been like at gyms. I've only been going to a Gym since November but I've noticed not many people there look like they are in really good shape. I've stayed away from gyms for years thinking they would be full of super fit athletes. And I'c feel out of place. What I'm finding is somewhat different. I think gyms are a much safer places for overweight and out of shape people. That's the way it should be. I just don't have anyone but a few folks that I can talk to about my workout. Mainly the personal trainers and a few lone runners.

As I'm starting to train for my first race I tend to run allot. I do take 2 step classes a week (that's all they offer) and have a weight routine as well. Being kind of quiet it takes me awhile to really get to know the other people. I'm starting to think athletes use gyms mainly for their weight workouts. The step classes seem to have a few more buff gals. But I never see them at other times. I also notice that very few men do a cardio workout. Or not much of one anyway. I guess all the athletes are at home working out with Cathe tapes or running and biking the streets.

I'm interested in what you've experienced at gyms. I suppose each are different. Lora

 

[honeybunch]

As much talk and writing of books that there is about fitness, I'm convinced that most people are fitness "wanabees." Meaning they hope that just buying a book will get them fit, or buying a tape and putting it on the shelf will get their desired results.

It's TOUGH to be in shape, and it requires a certain amount of work, organization and creativity. Eating right takes time and planning, and so does working out. It takes time to create plans that work for you, and not many people want to do the work making a plan, then working their plan. People buy gym memberships, then don't come.

Maybe the mindset is more that exercise is punishment, and eating right is sacrifice. Actually, eating WRONG is punishment on your bod.

Lots of brains need to be rewired and retrained into thinking that eating right and exercise is work, but VERY worthwhile. How do we get the message out? Deb H mentioned that lots of the younger gals in her classes don't like to work hard. I suppose these same ones go home and lament that they exercise every week but still have weight problems.

I guess it's just like anything else....if you want it bad enough, you'll find a way to reach your goals. "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." That's how it works. You could think of this as a kind of mini-classroom, with our Cathe as head-mother-professor, and the rest of us as the cheerleading squad.

How wordy I can be at 6:00 am!!!!!!

 

[fitforever]

You hit the nail on the head.

Hi Honeybunch,
That is so true. I'm amazed at how few people really workout hard. The eating part has always been hard for me because I have a husband and two kids still at home that don't like healthy food. I try and try. Went out to lunch yesterday and had a wonderful vegetable dish. Made me even more excited to get my vegetable garden in. I LOVE vegetables.

Well I need to get ready to go to Step class. Glad I love working out. It's great fun and it makes me feel so gooood. Lora

 

[wendyloo]

Hi, Lora--
I had a completely differnent experience at the gym I used to go to. When I lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, I was a nany for a family who was fortunate enough to have a family membership at the local YMCA. They added me for free, so for about 2 years I would wake up at 5 to go to the earliest step or sculpt classes (and the one fateful spinning class!) that they offered. These classes were jam-packed full of incredibly in shape and beautiful people (except for me and my friend, who were just semi-in-shape and just mildly attractive ;-) ) Now, mind you, the people who went to these early morning classes were probably the most comitted, because I did have occasional mornings when I could go around 9 or 10am, and there was a difference. I felt that way wherever I went in Charlotte, though--everyone was so beautiful.
It could depend on the gym, the location, the city, etc. I would think very in-shape people who are comitted to health are willing to pay more for a gym with excellent instructors, huge variety of classes, great facility, etc. (which describes the gym I went to), whereas those who aren't as comitted don't think the money is worth it. There was no way I would have been able to afford the membership--I was extremely lucky to have it given to me!
As I read back over this, I hope it doesn't come across in a way I didn't intend. I'm ABSOLUTELY NOT saying that only people who are attractive are comitted to working out. NOR am I saying that people who cant' afford gym memberships are not comitted to working out. NOR am I saying that people who CAN afford gym memberships are necssearily attractive OR comitted to working out. (!!!!!) I'm just saying that maybe the people in Charlotte who went to those early morning classes were very comitted, and that's why they all looked so fit.
Wendy

 

[SusanR]

The gym that I go to has a good variety of people from all levels of fitness and body sizes. Yes, we do have what I call the muscle-heads (the big buff men) but most of them are down to earth really nice guys. None of the women wear fancy little outfits. Most of us wear regular or bike shorts and exercise bras or T-shirts. Maybe because we are a town of about 50,000 people are a little more down to earth and nobody feels uncomfortable. Some of the classes I go to have quite a few men in them sometimes up to half. I really like my gym. Eveyone is nice and not snooty.

 

[kristina]

Da Gym

I've been a member of one gym or another since I was about 16.
My experience is probably skewed because we are talking Southern California and Las Vegas; lots of athletes still here!
Definitely, few guys take step and aerobics BUT many do Body Pump, kick-box, tae-box.
Very few people stick with it. There is a core group of about 40 of us that are always there...everyone else just poops out after a few months and stops coming, it seems. There is a new "wave" about every three months, only one or two of whom seem to stick and join the core group. It's a little "gym family," we rarely see eachother outside the gym, but these are folks I've worked out with for 6 or 7 years.
Definitely, tho, the new trend is for gyms to target and cater to the regular folks out there and try to make the gym a less intimidating place.
Some gyms seem to have a great "group exercise" schedule while others have next to nothing.
I have found that 99% of the people in the gym truly are not looking at you. Everyone is into their own thing and most folks are really nice...but nonetheless it is pretty intimidating when you first start going.
I have noticed an increase in the percentage of overweight/just starting out folks in the gym in the past five years or so vs. the Arnolds and the Corie Eversons and the Pamela Lees.
I think the industry is really trying to coax the much larger consumer base found there in the non-athlete who wants to get in shape