Load up on the Dew, skip the Doritos and get off the couch. I expect a caffeine-fueled rage from you.
Can you make one for me while you’re at it? I had a baby in November, too. I’m lucky that I have a treadmill downstairs, so I’ve been working out since the second week post partum, but I’m planning to start going to the Y again and take a cycling class and lift weights on the weekends.
With respect to the newbies, I don’t generally mind them unless they’re preventing me from getting a workout. So, what I dislike most are the packed lots, lines for machines and general confusion and milling about at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, there seem to be a lot of idiots and assholes where I work out, because there are always people dangling off the step machine by their arms (if it’s a leg workout, use your legs, not your arms), sitting around on machines between reps and yammering on their cell phones. The newbies are usually at least paying more attention to what they’re doing, whether out of sheer confusion or because they have better focus on their form since they’re new, I don’t know.
I’ve had a Y membership for ages, and yep, I’m one of those slackers that’s subsidizing y’all with my non-use. I’m about to join the RA, sorry about that. But I need to get back into shape and lose these pounds that have brought friends.
When I was working out regularly, I didn’t like the RA, but tolerated them until they thinned out. It’s sad that I’m going to be one for a bit now, but them’s life.
It would be nice if New Years were in the summer. I really only want a gym membership for the winter months, because during the summer I’d rather be outside exercising. It’s only when it gets cold and dark enough that I go indoors to keep fit. But, with New Years’ resolutions, the gym is particularly crowded during one of the few months I actually want to use it, and gyms tend to cater to that crowd, offering year-long membership specials because they know most people will only use them for a little while. I’ll only use them for a little while, too, but by design.
Combined, this makes it quite difficult to find a reasonably priced gym that I want to use for the few months I’d like to.
I wonder if it’s any better in the southern hemisphere.
I just want them all to get locks for the lockers - at my gym you can’t rent them, you bring your own (it’s small, a work gym). I think I opened 30 unlocked but full lockers yesterday looking for an empty one. They sell locks at the gym for like $5. Usually there are a few that are in use but unlocked, but not that many!
It’s funny too, because they’ve recently put up bigger & more numerous signs about how the gym isn’t responsible for items stolen from unlocked lockers.
I hate that they take up all the parking–at my Y, parking is at a premium–and that I have to rearrange my schedule to accommodate them. For example, all year I’ve been going to a 6 p.m. spinning class, getting there around 5:45, parking and walking in and getting a ticket for the class–no problem. In January, though, if I get there at 5:45, which is the earliest I can arrive because of my work schedule, it’s already too late because the new resolutioners have taken up all the bikes. So I’ve been doing great at spinning a few times a week all along and then suddenly I can’t do it. So okay, no spinning–that’s okay. I’ll just mosey on over to the cardio machines and hop on one of those for 30 minutes or so. But noooo, can’t do that either; they’re all full, every single one of them.
That’s what I hate. Boo to the resolutionary army. The only good thing about them is that they are usually gone by February.
And now I’m off to the gym (seriously)–I’ve waited until later in the evening, which I’d prefer not to do, but thanks to the RA my whole workout schedule has changed.
Best thread title of 2010.
We thank you for your generous donations. Have a nice February.
Try asking for a month to month membership; tell them you travel frequently, and that you often have to spend months on location for a work project. It should work. They’ll charge you more, but it’ll be worth it for you.
Oh, at my gym, people wouldn’t DREAM of spending more of their precious money (it’s a tony gym for the city) on more. So they provide free one time use of locks at the front. Why would you want anyone else to know your combination!?
Heh, I hope I make it into a “best of” category at the end of the new year 
Well, here’s a status update on my first day at the gym in 2010:
My primarily-female weightlifting class was packed. Only 1/2 the class was on time (the regulars…) the other half trickled in. So, any guesses when the last person came in? Was it…15 minutes late? 20, or 1/3 of the way through class?
Would you believe me if I said…40 minutes late?
The instructor just kind of gave her a funny look, and carried on.
I’m asking the management to close the door at 10 after. If a member of the Resolutionary Army trips over me while I’m doing dynamic lunges, I’m going to get sued. Doesn’t seem fair, does it?
Nobody has said that outright but the disdain for slightly out of shape and overweight new gymgoers is evident in many posts here. Everyone has to start sometime and somewhere, and I don’t see why January is any worse than any other time, particularly for students or others whose routine will change at that time of year anyways. Sure some of the newbies will quit, and thus the crowds will dwindle, but some of those people will stick it out and make a permanent change.
I joined my first gym in early January 5 years ago and have gone religiously ever since (until the second half of last semester). I will start back again at my current gym next week and keep going. I am not the only person to have ever done this. I just wish that the gymrats out there would realize that it’s incredibly offputting when you are trying to start out and the people around you are exuding such an air of unwelcomeness and obviously labelling you as ‘doomed to failure’. Since many of those gymrats are also the ones who constantly complain about how disgusting fat people are, you’d think they’d want to support those who wanted to change.
No, it isn’t. The disdain is NOT for people who aren’t in perfect shape. Rather, the disdain is for people who aren’t serious about working out, who clog up the gym, abuse the equipment, and generally act as nuisances.
This shows how defensive people get when it comes to fitness. If somebody complains about the massive flood of people who obviously aren’t serious about working out, you can expect an outcry of “How dare you complain about people who are even the slightly overweight!” Never mind that not a single remark was made about their poundage or their waistlines. After all, why should we care about piddling details such as accuracy?
You haven’t been paying attention then, since this has already been explained – repeatedly and in great detail. THEY’RE CALLED “NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONERS,” and they amount to a massive flood of annoyance. It would be one thing if these people were serious, but the vast majority of them are not; after all, people who are serious about getting into shape don’t decide to wait until January 1st to do so.
Well there goes my idea of joining a gym.
Wait until March or so, friend. If you’re serious about it and put in plenty of effort, then it’ll be worth it.
It’s not.
Januarys are just as bad here - and while it may seem like Spring/Summer is a great time to work out outside, the heat and flies can make this very hard, unless you start very early in the morning (some mornings are in the 30s by 7am). For instance, this weekend/early next week we’ll be having highs of 40 (that’s around 104?) - and I’ll be in the gym, fighting my way through the crowd.
The only problem I have with Resolutionaries is now I have to wait a bit for my favorite treadmill and now I have to share the remote control to the TV sometimes. Other than that, I’m happy to see them and hope they stick around.
I’m about half a Resolutionary myself, though, so I don’t see myself as “above” or “different” than the new folks. I was working out in December, but part of my NYR’s was to work out more regularly, so I’ve been putting in more time at the gym lately.
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I was about ready to close this, then noticed it got back on track.
A couple of warnings:
WOOKINPANUB, remember, please - attack the idea, not the poster.
Philster, calling someone a troll is not allowed in any forum but the Pit. And you crossed the junior mod line way back. Back off, dude.
Nothing official - yet. Just back away from the invective, you two. And no one will get hurt.
Keep it on track, folks.
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Well, lookie there… I didn’t realize immediately we weren’t in the Pit since this was a ‘‘Pit the Resolutionary Army’’ thread. Oops!
No, you aren’t the only person to be a saint and keep your resolution. But you ARE in the minority. Statistics abound, but roughly between 75-80% of new years resolutions fail. The stats for fitness ones are even higher. Cite 1 Cite 2
So quit being a ninny.
And as far as making fun of people who are overweight is bullshit. I’M overweight (still). Overlyverbose and Girl From Mars just had babies, fer christtsakes! I’m rooting for them ALL the way - because they were in shape and went to the gym before the New Year.
A new development with the Resolutionary army - anywhere I go that is NEAR a gym is busy, crowded, and irritating to get around. Just this morning I was at Trader Joe’s, which shares a parking lot with a gym. Normally I there are tons and tons of spots but today it was nice and jam packed. Eventually found a spot, but boy, I can’t wait till the 80% of people give up. Next week I’m protesting a ticket in Parking Court, which should be an adventure because parking is usually miserable there, but it’ll be extra fun being next to a ym :rolleyes:
I play racketball and work out with a group that has been at the same spa for over 25 years. There is a new years influx that lasts until about Feb. Then the next one is softball players trying to suddenly get in shape for the season. Then they are gone. In the summer you can get much better parking spaces.
I was laughing at this thread. The two gyms that I usually go to haven’t had a noticeable influx of clientele since the new year… until Monday night. I normally don’t work out at night at the club near home, I prefer the downtown one since no one is there. Well, the kids just started having play practice for an hour and a half and the gym is 5 minutes away from that. I have never seen it so busy that even the stretching area was full of flailing arms and legs.
That said, can someone please explain why when there’s an empty row of the exact same machine, if I take #1 why someone would take #2 and be right next to me? I don’t get it. Or worse, those that will squeeze by to get to a locker when they could go on the other side of the bench and grab a locker there.