Anon owns a gym
(midwest.social)
GreentextCardio - you occupy the machine for a minimum of 20 mins, and it’s unusable by the other patrons, no turns in cardio. A dumbell, I “effectively” use it for a minute or 2, and then the next one can pick it up.
If you know, you know
You are using dumbbells wrong.
Maybe I’m unversed but I rarely see the “be me” format used in this way to satirize other people and I’m here for more
berrypicker as fuck
Mainstream gyms are attracting normies. Normies who come with casual goals and for a sanitised experience. They want people who come sometimes and then carry on paying but never really use facilities. Half the people in normal gyms have never actually done any reading into how yo do exercise or what they're training or how to avoid injury. Even the treadmill runners don't have a plan.... They just run till they're a bit tired and sweaty.
Weights gyms are different. Muscle heads intimidate normies. I used to seek out weights gyms and they would mostly be dark, dingy places. "Rough" looking places with "rough" looking people. Many have attached UFC or boxing training. People tend to come in groups and spot each other. There's grunting and weights banging. You may need to wipe someone else's sweat off a bench. The music may be non-mainstream. It's scary for the uninitiated.
I love normie gyms. There's multiple treadmills, bikes, and all sorts of machines, but only one cage and only one bench - and they're never taken, even when the gym is busy!
I can just go in, even take both and no one bats an eye, it's amazing. And the gym is a 5min walk from my house!
My single experience in a scary weights-only gym was getting told by some beefed up roider that I train like a (very rude word for vagina that I couldn't find a good translation for). My current gym has a split of about 60:40 between weights and cardio in favor of weights and the atmosphere is so much nicer.
When I was younger a friend convinced me to go to one of these gyms. We'd go stupid early in the morning, like 5am. There would be one other group of people that would go that early in the morning. After like a year of going I was in the best shape of my life and I'd get the nod in the morning from the other group.
It felt really good, but then I got a new job, moved where I was living, and a particularly cold winter rolled round. Went to my car; ready to go to the gym, and the door was frozen shut. Decided to skip it and climbed back into bed. It all went downhill from there and I now regret not having kept it up. I hope that the other morning group is still going 14 years later.
No one understands this more than me, and this isn't directed at you or anyone in particular, ain't here to judge, but in case anyone needs to hear that it's okay to slip, don't let being perfect stop you from being good enough.
That's something I needed to experience and practice to appreciate, unironically.
My friend has a saying about this. He says, "Even when you give up, don't give up."
10% effort is always better than 0. If youve given 100% in the past, 50% can feel like 0. Dont let it be, but allow yourself to go below 100
My best decision was to start going, my worst decision was giving up. My 2nd best decision was to start going again a year ago. I won't say I feel great, but I feel better than I did before.
I wish I had one of those weights gyms in my area. At best any gym might have a single squat rack and there's almost always someone using it.
Eventually I gave up and decided to stick with kettlebells at home. That being said, home workouts are tough to keep up with, especially with my schedule. There's been lots of starts and stops over the years
If you have space (like a garage) then buying equipment for a home gym works best. An Olympic bar and a squat rack and some plates and bench will get you started on every body part exercise you need. And this costs less than a year's gym membership.
I've got the above and slowly added dial-in-weight adjustable dumbells. A weighted belt and abs wheel.
Pro tip: secondhand weight equipment is just as good as new and less than half price. It is hard to damage weight equipment. Space is the limiting factor, otherwise buying your own equipment is far cheaper than a gym membership. Home gym also saves travel time, lowers the mental barrier by reducing friction for attending, and the biggest bonus is not having to interact with humans. I've got a TV in my gym for my Jellyfin TV shows as well while I work out. Super happy with it. Highly recommended.
Oh, I'm aware. Unfortunately I rent and also don't have the space for it.
Look, i know this is a shit post but 200 treadmills is just not enough. How are members going to feel comfortable doing their cardio unless a super majority of the cardio equipment is free?
Urinal rules, you have to have at least one treadmill between you and your neighbor
Gyms should save money by having a fake nonworking 3d printed treadmill between each set of real ones.
They should do this with urinals too
absolutely no barbells
dumbbells go up to 45 lbs
Usable muscles are more important than visible muscles, and cardio is more important than usable muscles so...
I never understood why people go to studios to do cardio. Just take your bike or your running shoes and go for the park. So much better for psyche and purse than paying 40€ a month to run in a stifling room looking at a gray wall.
Better to combine both things: Run to the studio, do strength training there and run back home.
That really is dependent on how old you are. As you age, you want to build and maintain enough strength to keep yourself mobile even as your body ages and degrades. Strength training, particularly full-body barbell workouts, can't really be beaten in that regard.
Sure cardio is still important. But it doesn't do the same job. You need both cardio and strength training. And cardio can be really cheap - buy some shoes and run outside or on a treadmill at home.
There's no point to gyms with 100 treadmills and almost strength equipment. The priorities are way too distorted
Don't forget never getting kettlebells over 20kg.
My condo gym has kettlebells over 20, but only 1 kettlebell of every weight. To do jerk or clean-and-jerk you need a pair with the same weight.
Above 20, just use the free weight pole.
"Ok." Proceeds to do kettlebell swings with the Olympic pole and some weights on either side.
Are we still doing "crossfit bad" jokes? Because I feel you're setting me up for one here lol
