A few questions about the gym

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hello all

I recently (mid-January) joined a gym. I go between 1 and 3 times a week. While I am therefore not completely wet behind the ears, I am not yet as at home at the gym as I am (say…) sat on the sofa drinking wine, so I have a few ‘What’s all this about?’ style questions for those who are more gym-savvy than me. I realise I could ask these questions to the people actually at my gym, but would rather not for fear of looking silly/getting beaten up.

(For context, this is a large newly-fitted out gym in a suburban area, as part of a larger leisure-centre complex. It is not for hardcore fitness enthusiasts per se; it has a mixture of clientele, most of whom seem to be 20-50-something suburbanites)

1. People who do weights, rather than people who go on the machines…

Most people, myself included, go around on the machines. But a few people sit/stand/crouch/kneel in a variety of positions and lift/push weights around. Are these guys more hardcore/better/more experienced than those of us on the machines? Why would someone opt to do weights instead of machines? Are they *better *in some way? Or just different? It certainly *looks *like they are more serious.

2. People who pound the machines really quickly

The aforementioned machines have little LED displays which show you how fast/slow you should be lifting/pushing, and time your rest periods in between sets; the idea is to encourage you to do the exercises in slow and steady movements. I usually follow the LED lights pretty religiously. Most do. But some don’t: they pound the shit out of the chest press/whatever really quickly a seemingly random number of times, doing it way faster than the LED lights recommend. Are they being recklessly irresponsible? Or do they just have a different set of exercise objectives which demand much quicker reps?

3. Expensive gym attire

At the gym, I wear a white T-shirt, tracksuit bottoms (Americans: I believe you call these ‘sweat-pants’?), and black trainers (‘sneakers’?). They work for me. But many of my gym-going peers wear quite serious kit; we’re talking spandex-style body-hugging stuff which looks a) expensive, b) uncomfortable, and c) unattractive on all who do not have olympic-athlete style physiques. What’s the deal, here? Does this kind of kit enhance performance in some way? Is it simply a way of saying to others in the gym ‘Look at me - I take this more seriously than you do!’, or is it a way for people to say to *themselves *‘I’m going to the GYM - and to get my head into that space I’m going to dress up in my GYM COSTUME!’?

4. Punchbags

There is a guy who punches a punch-bag quite a lot. It looks like he is good at it; I presume he’s had some kind of boxing training. Is punching a punch-bag exercise in its own right? Do you get muscly from hitting things?

5. The guy from the other day

While I was starting off my warm-up run on the treadmill, the guy on the treadmill next to me (see #3) was getting psyched up by doing stretches and putting gloves on. He was looking intently at the mirror, and breathing really deeply. He then put his treadmill on at 0.99c and stood with his feet either side of the spinning rubber. Every 20 seconds or so he would leap onto the treadmill and pound it for 10-20 seconds, before jumping up and putting his feet either side again to rest. I (who was jogging along at 8mph) was amazed and intrigued in equal measure. Was this a serious athlete who was doing some arcane expert training? Or was this a particular breed of douchebag? I should note that I jogged away happily for 10 minutes - he was finished in about 3.

6. The ladies on the leg-press machine

There is pretty much a 50/50 gender balance at the gym, and while the men tend to hog the weights, other than that different areas are not really gender-segregated. This is apart from the leg-press machine - the women are all over that. It is usually the one that I have to wait the longest for, and it is 80% of the time women who appear to be on it. Why do girls like the leg-press so much?

7. People who socialise at the gym

I don’t chat or make friends with people at the gym - I’m in my own little bubble and only really communicate when it’s strictly necessary (like ‘Is this your water bottle?’). Most are like me, but some go to the gym with a group of their friends - and travel around the various areas in their groups, engaging in chat/banter. This doesn’t really annoy or concern me, but it strikes me that exercising in this way must be logistically harder and less efficient. It must be difficult to maintain a conversation while finishing your 3rd set on a vertical traction machine, and there is inevitably a lot more hanging/waiting around while you essentially stand around in a group watching one person exercise. Yet, people do it - am I missing out on something here?

Thanks to all in advance :slight_smile:

2

  1. Theoretically (to me, I don’t do free weights) you can do a wider range of exercises with free weights than with machines, which allows you to target specific muscles or groups of muscles.

  2. Not sure. There is such a thing as rapid reps at a lower rate which, I believe, increases endurance and power rather than raw strength.

  3. Your instincts are correct, these are all about looking dedicated (or looking good, if you actually have that kind of body). That said, there are some specialty fabrics for shirts that I like to wear (loose) because they help deal with the sweat better than cotton does.

  4. I believe punching bags (the small ones that go back and forth in rhythm) has to do more with coordination and conditioning rather than building muscle.

  5. No idea. He probably misunderstood something that someone said once or is under tutelage from a moron.

  6. I believe some ladies are obsessed with their thighs and are willing to put in some time so they don’t jiggle. Leg presses make the tops of the thighs more muscular. I always found ladies on the side leg presses, which firm up the inside and outside of the thighs.

  7. This is why I avoid times like Saturday morning when there are a lot of classes. People invariably hang out after class to socialize because they only see each other in class once a week. They tend to stand in the way of anyone who wants to use the weight machines.

This is all just part of gym culture in the US, and apparently the UK. You have to learn to work around it or it will drive you nuts.

3

Dedicated gym rat here.

  1. Weights vs. Machines. I do both. Free-weights tend to develop more peripheral muscles, since you need to stabilize the weight. For example, I do one-arm shoulder presses while seated on a flat bench. This is as much of a “core” exercise as a shoulder exercise. Machines are more proscribed, so the are good for isolating a single muscle group. You are also less likely to get hurt on a machine, since they tend to have safety stops (think leg press vs squats).

  2. Pounding the machines quickly is typically an example of bad from. Watch those people and see if they are using the full range of motion, or on half-reps. Still, it might be OK for gaining endurance, if you did the exercise correctly.

  3. I wear ratty tank-tops. Some people like to have nice clothes - I don’t see the point at the gym.

4)Punching bags. An excellent full-body workout. It’s both aerobic, and strength training, but you aren’t going to set any bench-press records doing it.

  1. The hyper speed guy sounds like he was doing “Interval training.” It’s an effective cardio training technique. I usually do it on the bike - 15 seconds at max effort, 45 seconds rest.

  2. Women on leg press - It’s a great way to get a very nice butt.

  3. Socializing - I will admit it. I do it. I work out of my house, so the only place I get to meet people is at the gym. Since I tend to come at the same time every day, I get to catch up with my “peeps.” It makes my workout partner crazy.

4

1. People who do weights, rather than people who go on the machines…

Free weights are better for full range of motion and working out little stabilizer muscles.

2. People who pound the machines really quickly

No benefit to pounding the machine

3. Expensive gym attire

Some people are more comfortable in higher end gym stuff. Personal choice. For some workouts, you want technical fabric, less chafing and it wicks the sweat away.

4. Punchbags

Boxing is a hardcore, amazing workout.

5. The guy from the other day

You are supposed to stand on the side rails until the belt is moving (better for the machine). He was doing speed intervals.

6. The ladies on the leg-press machine

Because it’s one of the machines that we often feel capable at - unfortunate. Women really benefit from lifting heavy things. Also, nice butt.

7. People who socialise at the gym

It’s like anything - some people like a “community” to work out with, some people just like the idea of going to the gym.

5

My question: why do so many people spend their limited gym hours staring at their cell phone? People at my gym do this. They’ll do a set of lifts, taking about 30 seconds, then stand around checking their messages and texting for five minutes. While still retaining possession of the dumbbells that I would like to use.

6

I blame Facebook.

7

I blame clueless bad manners. Like my pet peeve, the guy who leaves his gym bag and stuff all over the bench while he is off somewhere, either the sauna or the shower (but if it’s the shower he sure takes long ones). It’s the same kind of failure to realize there are other people in the world besides them.

8

Regular gym user here.

For me, as long as someone isn’t 1. doing something to needlessly hold up a machine / get in the way or 2. something unhygienic, I absolutely don’t care what others are doing.

But anyway, I can answer at least some of the questions.

Free weights tend to exercise more muscles than the machines (because muscles for stabilization are also required). Whether this makes a significant difference is debatable but I have yet to meet someone with impressive musculature who never uses free weights.

There are a lot of “schools of thought” on the best technique for doing reps. There’s a degree of fad to this, but OTOH there’s plenty of evidence to say that varying the technique helps; doing longer sets with lighter weights sometimes, doing fast reps with very heavy weights to build strength vs slower weights to build mass, and so on.
If getting big were as simple as following a light everyone would look like The Rock. It’s not that simple.

But also in many cases it’s just ignorance of how bodybuilding works. Plenty of the guys at the gym are using incorrect form, not enough weight and way too fast reps because that just feels like an intense workout.

Not much of a mystery there. Shapely legs and butt are known to be attractive things for a woman to have – big biceps and traps less so.

Working out together in groups can be very effective in staying motivated and getting feedback. And generally the rest period for most exercises is similar or longer than the time it takes to do a set, so it interferes less it might seem.

Apart from these kinds of groups going to the gym together, very few people talk at any time, so I find the gym generally a very unsociable place.

9

If they are hogging the weights for five minutes in between sets that’s just rude. Actually, not just rude, it’s inefficient and a sub-optimal workout. If you are exaggerating for effect, and they are on their phone for only a minute or two, they may be using fitness tracking apps and/or resting between sets. In which case, the rudeness is somewhat debatable - I work out at home, so I don’t know the standard gym etiquette.

Is it rude to hang on to a set of dumbbells when resting (a reasonable amount of time) between sets? The downside of giving them up in between sets being that you might not get them back in time for an efficient workout.

10

1. People who do weights, rather than people who go on the machines…

As mentioned, free weights work the stabilizer muscles more, and allow a lifter to impose his or her own patterns of movement into an exercise, rather than being limited to the groove set down by the manufacturer. That having been said, do the exercises you enjoy, because you are more likely to stick to it. That is much more important than the difference between free weights and machines.

2. People who pound the machines really quickly

There is some evidence that doing an exercise explosively recruits more muscle fibers, thus training to be stronger in that lift. Not necessarily bigger, but stronger. Always lower the weight under control, though.

3. Expensive gym attire

No one who works out in the same gym as me will ever be the worst-dressed person in the room. Wear whatever the hell you like. Exception: hot women. I need something to look at between sets.

4. Punchbags

Hitting the heavy bag is another way to workout.

5. The guy from the other day

There is some evidence that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is better for fat loss than steady state aerobics, because it raises your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories between exercise sessions. It is also often better if you are training for sports other than distance running/cycling. Again - do what you like.

6. The ladies on the leg-press machine

Leg presses are easier than squats, because you don’t have to move the mass of your body above the hips, and you don’t have to balance the weight. It also tends to be easier on the lower back.

Women tend to lift too light (and men too heavy). They don’t want to “get muscles that are too big”, which is much like not practicing the piano for fear you will turn into Liberace. Most women couldn’t get big muscles if they wanted to.

Leg presses are fine. If you don’t like waiting in line, go over to the squat rack with the big guys.

7. People who socialise at the gym

I go to the gym to lift. There is a regular bunch of us who are there at the same times every week, and we train together but we do more lifting than talking. I am also ugly, badly dressed, and intimidating. For some reason, not a lot of people interrupt me when I am training. :eek:

Regards,
Shodan

11

I read over the entirety of this thread before formulating my own response. A lot of your questions were answered very well by people already, so I won’t repeat any of them. A few things to add that I didn’t see mentioned:

Re. expensive gym attire: You do want to wear clothes that won’t get in your way while you’re working out, are flexible enough to accommodate your range of motion, and are breathable. As long as the clothes you are wearing fits that description, you’re good to go. If you do find your t-shirt or sweatpants restrict your range of motion in some way, then you might want to look at the high-tech options. If they don’t, then don’t worry about it.

Re. ladies on the leg press machine: Just want to add that while people up-thread have been saying it gets you nice legs and a nice butt – squats will get you better legs and a better butt.

Re. socializing at the gym: Let me tell you, when you get serious about lifting, it can really be hard to try talking about it with your coworkers, or people you see in some other setting. Some people think of it as a sort of vanity or dumb jock thing, and don’t look at you with much respect when you want to talk about it. And a lot of people very enthusiastically and authoritatively offer you the latest thing they read on Yahoo News, but when you’re a serious lifter, your breadth of knowledge and information is far beyond that. Serious gym-goers often understand more of the lifting terminology, and can offer advice that is more specifically targeted to advanced lifters and special segments of the population. Lifters at the gym often offer good advice. But often, it’s just nice to socialize with someone who “gets” you and your hobby.

12

  1. Machines may be for people who are not sure of their form. I do Body Pump which uses free weights, so I’d rather do that than the machines.

  2. I started out in sweatpants and old t-shirts, but now I wear tight moisture-wicking leggings and racerback tees. You can find some really cute stuff online, and we have an outlet store nearby. My recent purchases for racerback tees have slogans on them. One says, “Everything Hurts and I’m Dying” and the other one says, “I Hate You, I Hate This Place, See You Tomorrow.” DON’T SKIMP ON THE SHOES, whatever you do.

  3. Is Tabata training. You go balls to the wall for twenty seconds, rest for ten, lather rinse repeat. I’ve done it in spin class for six and nine intervals (depending on how bad the instructor hates us that day :D) and in Boot Camp.

13

  1. Machines are harder to do wrong enough to cause injury. Free weights, especially used for the big compound exercises, hit more muscles at once (including all those stabilizers) and have the added benefit of having both concentric and eccentric phases (eccentric being the stimulus of controlling the weight back down). Given that free weights require some training to do with proper form those doing free weights tend to be those who are more serious. Of course you have the idiots, injuries waiting to happen, there too.

  2. No idea for the machines about velocity of movement but with other forms of training explosive movements are a different stimulus. In general a relative novice would be best off doing slow to moderate and moving to including the plyometric/explosive training as they advance and when they are absolutely sure they can do such with proper form. I’d suspect those doing such on the machine are also doing it with poor form and being reckless.

  3. I’d wager that the fancier clothes correlate with being a less serious gym rat.

  4. Punchbags require coordination. Are boxers muscly? Why yes they are! BTW jumping rope boxer style is great as HIIT (high intensity interval training sometimes aka Tabata).

  5. That guy? Yeah a particular breed of douchebag. Jumping on and off a treadmill moving at high speed is not doing HIIT; it’s risking serious injury. Very very different than standing on the side rails and getting on as the treadmill has started to run at slow speed. There are many safe ways to do HIIT (see jumping rope above), including on a treadmill, that way is not among them.

  6. I defer to other answers about ladies and leg machines. I’d only add in the guess that of the serious gym rats men may be more likely to move to squats for lower body than women are.

  7. My 15 year old daughter just got her way in having us join the local gym. Her motivation for that is specifically to work out with friends and take classes with them. And that social connection gets her there. I personally prefer my basement set up. My major motivation? I don’t want to socialize when I work out and I always see people I know there. I guess short bald and funny looking does not intimidate like Shodan does. Probably not much different from people who like to cycle or run alone vs being part of a group that meets up regularly for rides/runs.

14

They might be using a workout app and recording their progress between sets.

15

#1 - The machines have a limited range of motion and free weights allow you to do more/different exercises. Also - because machines are designed for “average” if you’re outside of the average, they’ll not work well for you.

#3 - Some people like to look nice - everywhere - all the time. There’s no real way to tell how serious someone is by what they’re wearing. One of my acquaintances dresses like Workout Barbie, and she works hard while she’s at the gym - that’s just the way she’s comfortable dressing. I find spandex easier to move in than sweat pants - YMMV.

#5 - probably some HIIT or interval thing.

#6 - I hate squats with the passion of millions of suns. I don’t mind the leg press. Also, it’s easier to add plates to a leg press machine than it is to pick up and move weights for squats. And it’s easier to keep correct form & do a greater range of motion.
Oh, and I really, really hate doing squats.

#7 - For some people, going with friends is an incentive to go. For some, if you go to the same gym long enough on a regular-ish schedule, you’ll keep running into the same people who also go on the same schedule. It is not unlikely that you’ll eventually talk to one of them.

16

1. People who do weights, rather than people who go on the machines…

Unless you have a particular thing, weights are basically a throw back that middle aged guys do because it’s what they think they should do.

2. People who pound the machines really quickly

It’s like self-assembly furniture; some guys read the instructions and do stuff properly, others know best …

3. Expensive gym attire

For some, their body and health is a proper hobby. Why not spend a little.

4. Punchbags

This is a fabulous workout. If you like the look of it, get some instruction fisrt to get the best out of it, and you.

5. The guy from the other day

If you’re into running you want to do three kinds in order to improve, a tempo run, a long run and what this guy was doing - reps. Jumping on/off at speed - the staff shouldn’t encourage this …

6. The ladies on the leg-press machine

Well it’s not for the muscle. Check out the local bars on a Saturday night for why.

7. People who socialise at the gym

Like anything else, people sharing a hobby with small talk is nice. Once they start bragging move on …

Thanks to all in advance :slight_smile:

Welcome.

17

People who lift heavy should be taking a few minutes to rest in between sets. Doesn’t excuse tying up the equipment when others want to use it, but the “sitting there doing nothing for five minutes” is (or at least can be) quite functional.

Machines are garbage. Seriously, stay away from them. The only thing they accomplish is alleviating the need for the gym to pay skilled coaches, because any minimum wage flunky can tell you to “sit here, and push this thing, here’s how to adjust the seat”. If you want repetitive use injuries and zero increase in strength, keep using the machines. If you want to build strength, and continue doing so for more than a few weeks, use a barbell.

18

OK, I need to take exception to this.
Machines are just a tool, and like any tool, they can be used correctly or incorrectly.
As an example, I do fairly heavy incline dumbbell bench, but when I want to do negatives, I load up the incline bench machine, and then have a spotter help me get the weight up, and then count it down. Doing that with dumbbells would be both impractical and dangerous for both of us.
As another example - take leg extensions. Now, some “authorities” say that they are a waste of time, but I can tell you that my quads are much more cut after doing them. That’s a machine that has no direct analog with free weights.

19

Right, machines are an expensive waste of time for the user who wants to improve their strength. They are correctly used by gym owners to increase revenue, though, which they excel at, for reasons noted.

But if you want to get stronger you are using the machines incorrectly. That’s not what they do, despite appearances and claims by others.

If you’re not trying to get stronger, just run or use a treadmill or take a spin class or boot camp or play kickball or something. If you just want to burn some calories, you can do that by getting off the couch and having some fun. No need to risk injury on a worthless chair with levers and pulleys.

20

Or do whatever the hell you like doing and just stick to it. If you like machines better than free weights, it will be easier to stick to the regimen long enough to benefit. Consistently doing a machine circuit is way better than doing a free weight routine inconsistently.

Regards,
Shodan