are gyms full of wimps now?

[Icey101]

so 25 yrs ago there used to be one gym instructor, he used to be hard core, dead lifts, benches, presses, squat racks every where....if you werent going big you were laughed at...he used to slap you on the back really hard and tell you to put another plate on and stop being a child, if you back chatted him you would smack you out...lol there were photo's of tom platz, mentzer and arnold up on the wall, no programs to follow, just go in and lift heavy.

Now you get to the gym and are greeted by 6 pretty boy and girl personal trainers dressed in bright green and black lycra who want to charge you 100 bucks for an hour sessions, people are lined up pulling weird rubber band machines to strengthen there core?...lots of hydraulic machines to do everything,stair walkers, ski machines, running machines no heavy dumb bells anymore, no squat racks, its all machines now, only one brench press if you are lucky,there are more machines then you know what to do with, televisions everwhere showing endless dance clips, girlies madly using their iphones to email and text people and check their facebooks, guys looking in the mirror at their hair styles and doing dance moves then taking pics of themselves to post on their facebooks so the girlies can check them out

so where is the gym scene going to?

[lowendgenerator]

Ummm, wrong subforum?

[Munjibunga]

And people curling in the squat rack, too.

[logicman69]

I've joined Planet Fitness after being out of shape for a while. Personally, I welcome the "non-weightlifting" crowd that they draw. The eliptical machine is great for a person like me that has bad knees and cannot run, and the weight machines ease me into execises that I am not normally familiar with doing. Planet Fitness also offers unlimited use of a personal trainer for FREE!

While noting beats free weights for building muscle (more effective that machines becasue you have to use stability as well as power to complete the exercise), these gyms are good for those of us who want a less intimidating gym experiance..... and I don't think any guy is going to complain about the pretty girls!

[Stinsok]

Mendelbaum, Mendelbaum,Mendelbaum!!!!!

[slaps76]

When I was in much better shape, I had to quit a gym because they decided to get rid of dumbbells that were over 70 or 75lbs. They were trying to create an atmosphere where nobody strong could work out I guess...?

[elgecko]

Free weights are for wusses. You need to get old school like in Rocky IV. You know, chop firewood, move large rocks, pull someone in a sled in the snow, lift large logs! That kind of thing!

[fmoore200]

Originally Posted by Stinsok

Mendelbaum, Mendelbaum,Mendelbaum!!!!!

+1,000

That made me lol literally..

[JtheJazzMan]

Gyms like every business want to make money. I have no evidence but I believe a larger number of people want to go to a gym to feel good, rather than get their asses kicked each time. Therefore at the end of the day, the goal is to have returning customers more than anything else.

[Pilgrim]

Gyms are marketing to the people who are willing to spend money. Most of them don't want to be surrounded by guys screaming while they wrestle with heavy weights. They want a pleasant atmosphere and a setting where they feel comfortable getting advice and help with training.

It's kind of a subset of how specialized everything is getting. When I was a kid you had one pair of sneakers and you walked in them, ran in them, turned out for sports in them (except football and wrestling), then wore them home. Now everything is specialized with different shoes, clothing, equipment of all kinds. The atmosphere with trainers and a more "upscale ambience" goes with it.

[Tsal]

Sounds you're going to a wrong kind of gym. There's always a proper weightlifting gym around, if you look around a bit.

I don't mind the more relaxed atmosphere at the fitness clubs, and they often come with nice bonuses like good stretching areas, good exercise machines, saunas etc. - not to mention that the amount of pretty ladies is higher than at traditional gyms. If you want to get in shape in general, a fitness club might even be a better place for that than a traditional gym.

[TDSLaBassiste]

Ever seen Karate Kid? Rocky? Just go sand a deck and punch some meat, you'll be fine.

[carlthegroover]

Gym machines are not a bad workout if you know how to use them. For instance, the elliptical thingies can be a hell of a workout if you crank up the resistance (say to 14 or 15 out of 20 levels). Yet some people think they will burn any calories by just dancing around in resistance 1. But that's their problem. The machines can be customized to give you more of a challenge.

Personally, I'm glad such machines exist. In winter, I will NOT go out there and run in the freakin' cold and the snow. Therefore, if I still want to work out in winter, going to a gym is a great option.

That being said, just today I tried a simple routine using nothing but a gym ball, weight ball, that "wheel" for doing crunches, a mat and a rubber thingie with handles (sorry, I'm not that familiar with gym jargon), and it was a very nice full-body workout without any machines involved. So I'm gonna do it for a full month and see where it takes me. Plus half hour/ one hour in cardio machines.

So... I say use all you can: machines, old-school weights and other gadgets. As long as it makes you look and feel better physically, why does it matter what you use?

[benthughes]

I wouldn't say that gyms are full of wimps so much as the average Americans are wimps. My concern is the people there lifting weights improperly. I think it's great when people go to the gym or engage in physical activity in general, to each his or her own.

I started going to the gym with my brother who is a body builder and it took me quite a while to put my ego aside and realize I wasn't going to be able to wrangle the same weight he can. He would rep 315 on squats and I'd have to learn to rep what I could do with good form, whatever weight that was. I had to start somewhere and I'm sure I certainly looked like a wimp. We do focus on free weights with compound exercises. Tons of squats, pull-ups, deadlifts, hang cleans, bench press divided into days dedicated to back, legs , chest and shoulders with core work regularly.

It's a re-occuring joke that we never have to worry about the squat rack being occupied on leg day unless someone is using is for bench or curls. We always see guys working chest and biceps repeatedly, day after day with poor technique...throwing way more weight than can be safely managed. On a rare occasion we see someone doing squats or deadlifs with pretty poor form.

I digress. I think the gym culture has changed from those who went strictly for bodybuilding to something that has become much more accessible for the average "wimp". I applaud anyone who puts in the effort to go to the gym but cringe when I see how many of the people spend their time.

[mellowinman]

Originally Posted by Icey101

so 25 yrs ago there used to be one gym instructor, he used to be hard core, dead lifts, benches, presses, squat racks every where....if you werent going big you were laughed at...he used to slap you on the back really hard and tell you to put another plate on and stop being a child, if you back chatted him you would smack you out...lol there were photo's of tom platz, mentzer and arnold up on the wall, no programs to follow, just go in and lift heavy.

Now you get to the gym and are greeted by 6 pretty boy and girl personal trainers dressed in bright green and black lycra who want to charge you 100 bucks for an hour sessions, people are lined up pulling weird rubber band machines to strengthen there core?...lots of hydraulic machines to do everything,stair walkers, ski machines, running machines no heavy dumb bells anymore, no squat racks, its all machines now, only one brench press if you are lucky,there are more machines then you know what to do with, televisions everwhere showing endless dance clips, girlies madly using their iphones to email and text people and check their facebooks, guys looking in the mirror at their hair styles and doing dance moves then taking pics of themselves to post on their facebooks so the girlies can check them out

so where is the gym scene going to?

Almost anything I would want to post to this would get me a severe warning from a moderator, or just plain kicked off the forum.

[5StringBlues]

How much ya bench?

[Simo98]

Because Gyms are not for hardcore bodybuilders anymore, they are for the average person who simply wants to keep in shape.

[Big Joe]

Every time I go to a "meathead" gym the same thing happens in pretty much this order:

I get stronger faster.

I get more competitive.

I get bigger.

I get hurt.

Doing things the right way goes a lot further. When I'm at a Y or PF, I exercise longer without injury and end up with better long-term results since I don't fall into the same vicious cycle. YMMV.

[Joe Nerve]

The thing I find most people want to do with gyms these days is complain about them.

If you want a sweaty all guy barbell gym, join one. There are lots around.

If you want a less crowded better taken care of gym, join one and pay more money. There are lots of those around too.

If you're a girl and want an all girl gym, join one of them.

If the only game in a 10 mile radius of your home is a crazy pickup scene, buy a doorway chinning bar and a good set of dumbells.

Bla, bla, bla.....

I go to ballys. The gym is waay far from perfect, but I pay less than any other gym around, and the job gets done. I focus on what I have to do and get out. I can't tell you how many people I hear when I'm in there complaining though. I think it's all a matter of what you focus on.

A lot more people are going to gyms now than when I joined my first one back in the 70s (Ferrigno's in Blyn). The only thing that's changed in my opinion is that everyone now goes to gym, as opposed to just the muscle guys. Which is a good thing. The muscle gyms are still there and people can still join them. The bigger gyms cater to everyone.

[Dr. Cheese]

Getting older has made me a wimp. Machines and lighter weights give me a workout and don't leave me injured. Heavy lifting is great, but the more you get past thirty, the less sense it makes to lift heavy unless you are full of steroids.