i'm 15 and most of my friends spend the hour after school in the gym. hell, i used to as well. it keeps you active, its free for us to use, and you have people to hang out with when you're working out.
The Gym
- Thread starter WalkableBuffalo
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I see them sitting on the PC almost as much as I am on and wonder when they find the time to do it
I don't go to gyms because walking around in the grass outside getting bitten to death by dogs makes me stronger.Some_weirdGuy said:
I've been going to the gym since I was 16, haven't regretted it. I don't try to get ripped but it's a great way to stay fit and build muscle mass. Not to mention it's only a few hours a week.
Quite a few of my friends go to the gym because there is a competitive atmosphere and everyone there is there for the same reason you are. Personally, if I wanted strenuous exercise, I would go for a run, not that I ever would - walking to school every day is good enough for me.
Well, it's not like they're spending hours and hours at the gym every day, right? I don't think it should bother you all that much. If going to the gym isn't your thing, then don't do it.WalkableBuffalo said:
I'm 20, and go to the gym in between going to uni and work.
I'm working primarily on building some mass, so I'm only there for 45 mins at a time (that's the period where your muscles are most active after starting working out. Any work after that time isn't really doing much).
I enjoy it. It's healthy, is a good release of tension and general frustration, and leaves me feeling good about myself.
I go about 4 times a week, and don't consider it a waste of time at all.
I'm working primarily on building some mass, so I'm only there for 45 mins at a time (that's the period where your muscles are most active after starting working out. Any work after that time isn't really doing much).
I enjoy it. It's healthy, is a good release of tension and general frustration, and leaves me feeling good about myself.
I go about 4 times a week, and don't consider it a waste of time at all.
I personally just work out every other day, for maybe twenty minutes or so. Just regular stuff like pushups. So far it was worked well at keeping me healthy.
So I only would use a gym if you really intend to build up muscles or have some other semi-professional goal. But just to keep yourself from getting fat the thing you need is discipline, not an expensive gym membership.
So I only would use a gym if you really intend to build up muscles or have some other semi-professional goal. But just to keep yourself from getting fat the thing you need is discipline, not an expensive gym membership.
In addition to having multiple forms of cardio available (rowing machines, stationary bikes, treadmills, ellipticals), gyms have a ton (ha) of specialized strength-training equipment that makes life a whole lot easier if you intend to take physical training seriously. Although it's better than nothing, merely having a weight bench or set of dumbbells at home (or, god help you, a Bowflex) is going to be inadequate for making steady progress on compound lifts that target large areas of your body and develop functional strength; a decent gym will have a squat rack/power cage, free weight section with padded floors for dropping weights (sometimes completely necessary), benches, and a few assorted machines, at the very least.
Exercising at home can be fine and good, but you run the risk of hurting yourself pretty seriously if you do it wrong enough. Even if you don't want to plunk down the money to have a PT (who may or may not actually be good at their job) show you proper form for lifting and whatnot, if someone else at the gym sees you doing an exercise with hazardously poor form (i.e. rounding your back during deadlifts, hnnnnnnnggggghhh), someone is likely to at least tell you to stop before you hurt yourself, if not take the time to show you how to do it properly, whereas if you're doing it wrong at home, odds are that your poor technique is going to land you in the chiropractor's office or emergency room.
It's not very attractive to the shy and/or awkward, I know, so if you can't work out while anybody's looking, you're gonna have to step outside your zone of comfort the hard way. I used to do all of my running at night because I didn't want people looking at me when I was sweating my ass off and breathing hard, but after doing it for long enough I realized that I had absolutely no reason to give a fuck about who happens to drive past, and will do my thing without any irrational fear of judgment; same principle, if the gym intimidates you, you're gonna have to attend and have nothing go wrong long enough for you realize that your fear of it is irrational. It's not a highschool locker room, so even if you catch a shitty vibe from someone, it's not like they're gonna walk over and fuck with you, just ignore them and do what you showed up to do in spite of them because they're dicks that are there for the wrong reasons.
I'll tell you this, OP: it sure as hell isn't a waste of time.
Exercising at home can be fine and good, but you run the risk of hurting yourself pretty seriously if you do it wrong enough. Even if you don't want to plunk down the money to have a PT (who may or may not actually be good at their job) show you proper form for lifting and whatnot, if someone else at the gym sees you doing an exercise with hazardously poor form (i.e. rounding your back during deadlifts, hnnnnnnnggggghhh), someone is likely to at least tell you to stop before you hurt yourself, if not take the time to show you how to do it properly, whereas if you're doing it wrong at home, odds are that your poor technique is going to land you in the chiropractor's office or emergency room.
It's not very attractive to the shy and/or awkward, I know, so if you can't work out while anybody's looking, you're gonna have to step outside your zone of comfort the hard way. I used to do all of my running at night because I didn't want people looking at me when I was sweating my ass off and breathing hard, but after doing it for long enough I realized that I had absolutely no reason to give a fuck about who happens to drive past, and will do my thing without any irrational fear of judgment; same principle, if the gym intimidates you, you're gonna have to attend and have nothing go wrong long enough for you realize that your fear of it is irrational. It's not a highschool locker room, so even if you catch a shitty vibe from someone, it's not like they're gonna walk over and fuck with you, just ignore them and do what you showed up to do in spite of them because they're dicks that are there for the wrong reasons.
I'll tell you this, OP: it sure as hell isn't a waste of time.
I personally don't like gyms because I don't enjoy them and I don't feel like I'm achieving anything besides getting fit. I prefer to get my exercise by doing things, like mountain biking or going for a run. Going riding give me more than enough upper and lower body strength, but it's not something I can do every day so I tend to go for a run and do some push ups.
Plus I know a lot of assholes that go to the gym including a guy that's a homosexual sex-pest, which to be honest makes me a little uncomfortable.
Plus I know a lot of assholes that go to the gym including a guy that's a homosexual sex-pest, which to be honest makes me a little uncomfortable.
Everyone else has already said my opinion and the Pokemon joke already happened, so I got nothing.
Lets be realistic,ask yourself if you bought some basic home equipment would you have the discipline to force yourself to exercise regularly enough to justify even starting in the first place?
If the answer is no then go to the gym with your friends.
I basically think gyms are not nessesary.But they can help individuals struggling with motivation by just being there and having to pay to use.
If the answer is no then go to the gym with your friends.
I basically think gyms are not nessesary.But they can help individuals struggling with motivation by just being there and having to pay to use.
^ This.SODAssault said:
OP, when i was about your age i'd hit the gym at school after class and by time i graduated i was in the best shape of my life. i've never been stronger than i was on graduation day. one day i just got tired of being weak so i fixed it.
now, 12 years later, i'm very tired of being weak (again). LFMF, work out with your friends now. work out with your college friends when you get there. work out with your bf/gf. work out with your kids.
it was a long, hard climb when i was younger and now it's like trying... to... metaphor-fail.
it's like trying to do something that takes forever and actually takes longer if you try to hard.
just don't let the gym BECOME your life.
True , but if he's 15 I would STRONGLY advise him not to use free weights till he knows what he's doing . At least go 1 month to the gym to know what you're doing . It's vital you have the correct form for exercises like deadlifts and squats if you don't want to have back problems all your life .Sovvolf said:
+I seriously doubt anyone could afford a leg press machine , a bench press , 1 long barbell , 1 short straight barbell , 1 Z shape barbell , 2 sets of dumbells + the associated weights you are gonna need (20 ,15,10,5,2? kg). And that's without taking into account you wont be able to do much for your triceps if you don't have special equipment which costs a tone .
My advise would be ...go for it . I was in the same situation as you ( well probably , I was overweight and had like 29% bodyfat) . Now I am pretty much shredded and feel happy with my body . My gym membership costs like 20 euro here for a full month , I don't consider that's a lot for something that helps me stay healthy.