New Faces in the Gym

The gyms are crowded with plenty of eager new faces set on fulfilling their New Year's resolutions of getting into shape, losing weight, etc.  I have mixed feelings about this.  Sure, it's great to have goals and I suppose the new year is as good a time as any to start.  I think what really bothers me about this is that most of these gym newcomers will hit the gym hard initially but burn out quickly and by February will be going to the gym infrequently, if at all.  Nothing is more annoying to me than someone who doesn't follow through with what they say they're going to do.

The high attrition rate of these new gym members is great for the regulars in that it frees up more space in the parking lot and frees up a lot of the equipment.  I'm sure it's great for the gym too because they have a lot of people paying for new memberships which they'll hardly ever use.  But, it is sad to see so many people give up on their aspirations.  And from what I've seen so far of these newcomers, most of them really need to lose weight and get in shape.  What makes them give up?  Well, it's hard to get into shape and lose weight.  It's intimidating too for someone who's rarely if ever stepped into a gym to workout alongside seasoned gym rats.  Even those gym rats had to start somewhere though.

I have no problem working out alongside newbies.  I don't care if they walk slowly on the treadmill or lift the lightest weight on the weight rack.  I don't care if they ask questions or wander around like they aren't sure what to do next.  What does bother me is when they make negative comments about "skinny people" or "those girls wearing shorts". I have overheard these comments and, no surprise, they're all from women.  The shorts comment came from two ladies wearing pants and jackets who seemed like they couldn't understand why people would choose to wear shorts while working out unless they were trying to show off their legs.  To me this says that they obviously haven't run in the 70 degree gym before.  Just because you feel insecure or out of place in the gym doesn't mean you are right in making derisive comments about those who have been through the hard work of getting into shape.  Many new gym goers assume that those "skinny people" are naturally thin or athletic but that's a false assumption.  A lot of those "skinny people" have to work hard to be in the shape they're in.  Maybe it's just easier to blame your out-of-shape figure on genetics or some other external factor instead of looking at what you're doing wrong. No wonder so many people quit going to the gym by February!

So, if you are one of those people who recently started a gym membership and haven't spent much time in a gym before please keep some things in mind.

• Working out is hard, so don't expect it to be easy
• Everyone started at square one at some point so don't be insecure
• Don't make excuses
• Follow some sort of plan instead of wandering aimlessly from machine to machine
• Start gradually and work your way up to more intense workouts to avoid early burnout

There's a lot more I could add but I think this is a good starting point. :D

Strength Training For A Weak Woman

Strength training workouts are proceeding as planned!  Last week, as part of my off-season training, I made sure to concentrate more on strength training.  I did three strength training sessions throughout the week (one upper body, one core, and one lower body focus).  I ran three times during the week for a total of 13 miles and did another cardio session on the elliptical.  I've realized one important thing - I'm weak!  I really need to make sure I get these muscles working this winter.

One thing I find it hard to get away from is the mileage mindset.  I had gotten used to running 30 or 40 miles a week or more while training for the marathon and it feels like I'm hardly running at all when I put in a 13 mile week.  I realize that logically, as long as I'm focusing on cross training and maintaining some running that I'm still going to stay in shape.  I just have this fear that once spring rolls around and I increase my mileage that I will all of the sudden be unable to run.  But, to run 30 miles a week now would sort of be counter-productive to my goals.  I still have a few problem areas that need to fully recover following my first year of running races and I have the aforementioned strength deficit that I need to work on.  But I miss the feeling of accomplishment from those long runs!

I look forward to the day that I can feel as comfortable lifting weights as I do running (to the point where I can give advice to beginning runners).  When I'm on the treadmill or running outside I feel a sense of comfort that comes with doing something familiar.  I may not be particularly fast nor an expert in the field but at least I feel I know a thing or two about running.  When it comes to strength training however, I still feel like a newbie.  I've been doing strength training (to varying degrees) for years now but as I'm weak I usually stick to lighter weights and work on toning.  Now that I'm trying to push myself and deal with weights that are heavy for me, I feel like a wimp.  It doesn't help that I'm struggling to do bicep curls with a 40 pound curl bar while the guy next to me is throwing up an ungodly amount of weight.  Sort of makes my efforts feel insignificant.  I'm glad my gym has a women's only section for just that reason even if I don't always use it (why should I be embarrassed?).  Luckily, I have yet to see a woman of my size throwing up lots of weight.  When I do, I'll have to ask her what her secret is.  

Today's Workout Schedule
 I start all workouts with dynamic stretches before moving into a brief warm-up


Warm-up:  Push-ups (from knees) x 10

3 sets of Dumbbell bench press - 16.5 lbs x 10
3 sets of tricep cable push-down - 50 lbs x 10
3 sets of curl-bar bicep curls - 30 lbs x 10
Should have thrown in some shrugs and/or lat pull-downs as well but was feeling weak. I'll throw that in later in the week when I workout the core.

Ran on the treadmill for 4 miles, varying my pace between 11 min/mile and 8 min/mile with the majority of the run being at a 10 min/mile, and finished in 39 mins. 

People At the Gym

Jumping rope like this guy will help you get ripped in no time

I know I've commented before on the parade of humanity one can find at the gym but as the gym is a variable menagerie I once again feel compelled to share my (un)scientific findings.  Today I observed the habits of the American hippie, what I believe to be a lesbian couple (but could also have been two teenage boys...not sure), a man whom I momentarily mistook for my husband, and a galloping horse type creature on the treadmill.  This may be one of the horsemen sent as a sign that the Apocalypse is near.

As to the man whom I mistook for my husband; that one is pretty simple.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a man of approximately the same skin color, height and build as my husband.  I had to do a double take because he was also wearing glasses (as my husband does) and was wearing the same type of clothes that my husband would wear.  This precipitated a several seconds long stare before I could be assured that he was not, in fact, my husband.  I realize that an unintended side effect of this was that the man probably thought I was checking him out.  Well, at least I bolstered someone's ego today.

Then there was the hippie fellow.  If this were a gym in California or some other place where one often finds hippies (a Mellow Mushroom?), it wouldn't be as unusual.  A gym in suburban Georgia that's part of a well-known national chain is not a place I expect to find a hippie.  After all, aren't they anti-big business? He was wearing the usual hippie workout attire (which also happens to be the usual hippie beach attire and casual wear) of knee length frayed shorts, baggy tank top, tattoos and the gnarly dreadlocked hair along with jewelry made of some hemp related material.  He was in shape though.  I'll give him that.  I just didn't think someone who's stoned (as I assume most hippies are) is really interested in working out.

The lesbian couple is still a bit of an enigma to me.  I have nothing against lesbian couples and fully support their right to workout in a gym.  What does bother me is when I'm unable to determine if they are, in fact, lesbians because I'm not sure of their respective genders.  That could lead to many an embarrassing situation and I could only hope that they wouldn't ask me where the locker room was located as I'd have no idea which one to direct them to.  I'm fairly certain that at least one of them was female.  The problem lay in the fact that they were both overweight and had short hair.  It makes it hard to determine if they have man-boobs or for-real boobs.  To further complicate matters I had pretty much determined that they were both female as they appeared to be wearing sports bras and then I noticed that one of them had hairy legs.  Male or female who chooses not to shave her legs?  Despite all that I'm about 65% sure they were both females.  They could very well be heterosexual females but based on everything I've mentioned you can draw your own conclusions.

Finally, there's the galloping man.  Well, it was really more like a cantor.  I'm not sure....I'm no equestrian expert.  Suffice it to say, he was "running" on the treadmill with a gait I can only attribute to four legged creatures.  He was running at a moderate pace but lifting his legs much higher with each step than I would have thought mechanically efficient.  As you can imagine, he was making a lot of noise in the process.  I bet he burned a bazillion calories. In conclusion, here's a video of his kind in their natural habitat.....

     

The Gym is for Everybody

Photo by Steve and Jemma Copley via Flickr

The gym is a fascinating place where all kinds of people come to show off their eccentricity.  From neon spandex shorts to t-shirts with the arms ripped off and workout clothes that are anything but workout clothes, people love to show off the latest fashions while working out at the gym. In a simple pair of Adidas running shorts and moisture wicking t-shirt I feel under-dressed.  I suppose my problem is that I try to avoid attracting too much attention at the gym while these fashionistas obviously want all eyes on them. 

Last week I saw a middle aged woman walking on the treadmill wearing an outfit that was the complete opposite of workout gear.  She had on a t-shirt (no problem so far), flannel shirt, ankle-length flannel skirt, white socks, and black loafers.  I didn't see the moment that the incident occurred but I knew something had happened when I saw people running into the ladies section of the gym and a little while later they came out supporting the flannel lady and leading her to a chair.  I can only imagine that she either tripped on her skirt or non-athletic shoes or she passed out.  After all, flannel is not moisture wicking. 

Today I saw a man wearing what I can only describe as a Crocodile Dundee necklace.  I would think something like that would be a safety hazard while exercising but apparently he was not afraid that his jugular may be pierced by his pointy necklace.  I also saw a man wearing the shirt he had apparently been wearing when he was attacked by a bear.  There was hardly enough material left to constitute a shirt, but I suppose something like that is a sort of trophy that you want to show off.

Look at me I'm high vis!

Looking cool doesn't mean you always have to dress like Bozo the Clown's personal trainer (isn't that Carrot Top?).  Another of today's sightings was a female in her 30s who chose a treadmill next to the wall mirror so that she could watch herself walk.  Every few seconds she was checking herself out.  Apparently she liked what she saw because she kept looking.  My main fear was that she would become more preoccupied with looking at herself than walking and end up falling headfirst into the treadmill.  This regrettably didn't happen.

I can't make fun of the self motivators though.....but I will.  Working out on the elliptical while listening to your music so loudly that you don't realize that half the time you're singing along and the other half of the time you're just uttering non-nonsensical words takes a lot of courage.  Add to that the moments of clapping or punching thin air and you've got a recipe for an extremely motivated person who needs no physical trainer to keep them in line.  It's true I've done my fair share of humming or muttering a mantra to myself while running OUTSIDE.  Doing stuff like that in a gym is alright as long as you don't mind attracting a lot of attention.  At least you can be certain no one will try to mug her in the parking lot afterward because she's sure to go ape-shit on somebody.

Photo by Cimm via Flickr

Zumba allows you to punch air and dress cool!