Gym intimidating?

Khannie

Do you find the gym intimidating?

I just did.

To be honest I don't go to "normal" gyms very often. I train Muay Thai a lot and I go to a company gym most lunchtimes, but there's a small crowd of fairly regulars there so that's grand. I've never been to one of the large gyms (like the ben dunne type for example).

Anyway, I'm away travelling with work, and the hotel has a gym, and it's a fitness club / open to paying members too. So I went down and holy crap I found it intimidating walking in. Nearly every machine was in use (except, conveniently, the concept 2 rowers which I wanted to use).

The place was choc full of young, slim, very well dressed (wtf? ) people doing very light cardio work for the most part.

Now I'm used to feeling like a bit of a twat when I do go to the gym because I do crossfit workouts quite a bit and they're not what the average gym goer does. Anyway, this time I was doing interval training on the concept 2 rower, trying to somewhat simulate a fight (intervals of 2 minutes on, 1 minute off) and I was pushing myself hard. Well.....Let's just say that I was /very/ self conscious.

Anyway, blah blah blah, if you made it this far....do you find the gym intimidating regularly? Have you in the past? Would it pass if I just kept going to the same place?

kmart6

Yes, Yes, Maybe...all depends if you can overcome it mentally!

brianthebard

Not reeeeally....But most of the places I've trained haven't been that big. The college gym isn't that great, there aren't many impressive lifters (I'm going to blow my own horn a bit and say I think I've seen maybe two guys who squat more than me-which just means its a weak ass gym). I do hate it when every piece of equipment is in use though, and apart from an mp3 player or training partner haven't found a way to make that seem less intimidating (but that word seems too strong for the situation in question).

boredatwork82

I can understand why people might feel intimadated. I just don't care, but the looks I get when I use the gym. I work very hard, and do be sweating, and the dirty looks which I get are shocking. I am in a gym working out hard, and sweating. And people in neat fancy clothes disapprove of me whilst they are reading a magazine on a bike. Whats that all about? there is no way that can be beneficial. Too many shapers in the gyms, that think they own them.

by the way I wipe down machines/benchs after myself.

Remmy

What do you mean by very well dressed?I'd find someone stressing over what they wear to the gym fairly strange.

Khannie

Remmy wrote: »

What do you mean by very well dressed?I'd find someone stressing over what they wear to the gym fairly strange.

Well....they all had on very new, expensive looking, gym specific clothing. I don't really buy clothes for the gym. The t-shirts I wear to the gym are ones that have been relegated to gym wear by virtue of being too wrecked for normal use. The shorts I wear to the gym are also very worn looking. In short, I look like a feckin' shambles in the gym and they all looked swanky as fup.

d'Oracle

Khannie wrote: »

Do you find the gym intimidating?

I just did.

To be honest I don't go to "normal" gyms very often. I train Muay Thai a lot and I go to a company gym most lunchtimes, but there's a small crowd of fairly regulars there so that's grand. I've never been to one of the large gyms (like the ben dunne type for example).

Anyway, I'm away travelling with work, and the hotel has a gym, and it's a fitness club / open to paying members too. So I went down and holy crap I found it intimidating walking in. Nearly every machine was in use (except, conveniently, the concept 2 rowers which I wanted to use).

The place was choc full of young, slim, very well dressed (wtf? ) people doing very light cardio work for the most part.

Now I'm used to feeling like a bit of a twat when I do go to the gym because I do crossfit workouts quite a bit and they're not what the average gym goer does. Anyway, this time I was doing interval training on the concept 2 rower, trying to somewhat simulate a fight (intervals of 2 minutes on, 1 minute off) and I was pushing myself hard. Well.....Let's just say that I was /very/ self conscious.

Anyway, blah blah blah, if you made it this far....do you find the gym intimidating regularly? Have you in the past? Would it pass if I just kept going to the same place?

Concentrate.

If you are being intimidated by that, you aint focussed enough on "gettin it done".

Khannie

d'Oracle wrote: »

Concentrate.

If you are being intimidated by that, you aint focussed enough on "gettin it done".

Pfft. Get out of it. I left the place a complete and utter sweaty, gasping for air, mess.

Seillejet

boredatwork82 wrote: »

I can understand why people might feel intimadated. I just don't care, but the looks I get when I use the gym. I work very hard, and do be sweating, and the dirty looks which I get are shocking. I am in a gym working out hard, and sweating. And people in neat fancy clothes disapprove of me whilst they are reading a magazine on a bike. Whats that all about? there is no way that can be beneficial. Too many shapers in the gyms, that think they own them.

by the way I wipe down machines/benchs after myself.

I couldnt agree more with this poster. I really could not care what people think and tbh I never try intimidating anyone. The thing that really annoys me where I find people trying to be intimidating is the brain dead clowns that get out of the shower in the changing room without toweling off and soak the whole place. I find it very disrespectful to the cleaners and other users. Couldnt hold my tongue one day, same guy had done it on three or four occasions when I had been to gym. He just grunted back at me, what I was saying went over his head.

d'Oracle

Khannie wrote: »

Well....they all had on very new, expensive looking, gym specific clothing. I don't really buy clothes for the gym. The t-shirts I wear to the gym are ones that have been relegated to gym wear by virtue of being too wrecked for normal use. The shorts I wear to the gym are also very worn looking. In short, I look like a feckin' shambles in the gym and they all looked swanky as fup.

The t-shirts I wear are relegated to it by having worn them during the day beforehand.....

d'Oracle

Khannie wrote: »

Pfft. Get out of it. I left the place a complete and utter sweaty, gasping for air, mess.

Obviously you weren't too intimidated then......

Hanley

Khannie wrote: »

Well....they all had on very new, expensive looking, gym specific clothing. I don't really buy clothes for the gym. The t-shirts I wear to the gym are ones that have been relegated to gym wear by virtue of being too wrecked for normal use. The shorts I wear to the gym are also very worn looking. In short, I look like a feckin' shambles in the gym and they all looked swanky as fup.

You fcuking pussy!! :D:D:D Sorry, please don't ban me!!!!

I totally get where you're coming from tbh... those fashion-core saps annoy me too. They're like wolves hunting in packs, you never see them alone. My favourite course of action's pretty much just to walk into the middle of the pack and ask loudly if they've many sets left or if they're using something (not in an arrogant manner, just sorta going in and showing you're not intimidated by the numbers).

I don't really buy gym gear either - I just don't see the point!! I've a few pairs of basketball shorts that I've bought and LOVE to train in, but most of my t-shirts are ones that have come from competitions, various sports and from a US college that one of my friends moved on a scholarship to!!

podge57

i think its just like everything else - when you go somewhere "new", you are apprehensive, self-conscious and uncomfortable, but once you get familiar with it, you wont really care about everything thats going on.

Unfortunately, all fitness clubs are always going to have their fair share of assholes - that will never change














....ever

all_smilz

yeah i know what you mean- i was mostly intimidated by people because i thought they knew what they were doing better than me, a gym newbie, mostly i got over that, but i find that the girls tend to be more "dressed" up for the gym than the guys....
I was next to a girl one day, messy but complicated updo like she was going clubbing, LOADS of jewellery and full make up, it was so dumb and pointless to be tarted up like that when ur gonna get all sweaty anyway.... but i still felt like a fat spotty dripping manky pig next to her....:(
I do think about what i'm going to wear to the gym somedays, its usually old t shirt and tracky bottoms but i only do it to "arm myself for battle", ie if i feel like i'm really DRESSED for the gym then i go in and give it LOADS, sorry to be off topic but does anyone else do this or am i just mental?

d'Oracle

I rock up to the Gym in whatever t-shirt I sweated in most recently, one of two old pairs of shorts and my trusty camouflage Chuck Taylors.

But my gym is not really one for the posers.
Which is cool.

cardio,shoot me

i am the intimidator!!!! i wear whatevers on the floor in my room, no need for more thought than that

eclectichoney

I'm amazed at the number of people saying they wear cotton tshirts at the gym! :eek: Technical tops / tshirts ftw, and it's not a fashion thing: No more feeling that damp, soggy cotton on your back and getting irritations / rashs from it. They really make a big difference imo.

But yeah, I do feel a bit intimidated sometimes, given that I'm generally in a pool of sweat and out of breath and most of the other girls in the gym are barely breaking a sweat at all :o I just try not to think about it, put it to the back of my mind, and think 'f-it, sure i've as much right to be here as they do' and pedal / run faster :pac:

BrianD3

I'd probably be even more of a fish out of water in a place like that. I train on my own at home and haven't set foot inside a gym for 6 years. I train in a dirty garage while wearing dirty old clothes and often do bizarre exercises like levering sledgehammers. Going to a big commerical gym with rows of cardio machines and lycra clad hotties would be a bit of a change of scenery

amacachi

I'm never intimidated in the gym, wink at the women, used my bitchtits to push the big lads out of my way if they annoy me, sorted.

Gillo

Used to be intimidated when I first started going, at 5'6" & 64 KG's I'm small enough compared to most of the other guys in the gym, just started concentrating on what I was doing not what others were at and hey it's all grand.

fifth

My gyms like that, a lot of really expensive looking *tight* training clothes and very fit people doing very little (when I'm around anyway) - how do they do it?

I go in with basic track pants or shorts and any old t shirt! Whatever just get it done and stop looking at me!

Remmy

Khannie wrote: »

Well....they all had on very new, expensive looking, gym specific clothing. I don't really buy clothes for the gym. The t-shirts I wear to the gym are ones that have been relegated to gym wear by virtue of being too wrecked for normal use. The shorts I wear to the gym are also very worn looking. In short, I look like a feckin' shambles in the gym and they all looked swanky as fup.

Yeah I'm with you there.The only thought I put into it is the type shoes depending on if I am lifting or just dong some cardio.I'd never go out of my way to buy 'gym clothes' though.

Dragan

Very recently actually. Going back the first day was tough. There were some big boys in RAW and i am currently a weak, pudgy mess. That said, it passed in a couple of minutes as i got stuck in an (un)comfortable.

It's just the unknown element, and the psychological side of being the obvious odd one at. After a point, you thrive on it.

G-Money

The one's that get to me are the type who have a shower BEFORE they go to the gym. Also the big meat head neanderthols who can't set the weights down on the floor, instead dropping them from shoulder height while they snort, grunt and polish their bull style nose rings.

Sorry, rant over

aligator_am

Try not to worry about it, I've a fair auld belly on me and moobs too! lol, I sweat like a pig when in the gym, but feck em, what are they gonna think, "oh, look at fat arse there"? lol the whole point of being in the gym is to get/stay in shape, and idiots who get dressed up to goto the gym are planks IMO, ffs that's like wearing a 3 piece suit when you're painting the house!!!

Rant over, I hate feckin posers in gyms, really do my head in

itsallaboutheL

grandmaster wrote: »

The one's that get to me are the type who have a shower BEFORE they go to the gym. Also the big meat head neanderthols who can't set the weights down on the floor, instead dropping them from shoulder height while they snort, grunt and polish their bull style nose rings.

Sorry, rant over

Bite Me.

In other news, am i the only one that has some clothes they wear specifically on certain days??

i don't do it all the time but sometimes..

for instance

Oly Session = Chicago Bulls shorts and white t-shirt

Shoulders= UCC Rugby Shorts + Adidas Clima cool t-shirt

Back = Munster shorts and white t-shirt (:pac:that make my arms look ridiculous) or occasionally a wife beater!!

Bench Max day= Canterbury fatpants and big old hoodie

Tar.Aldarion

I've only gone to a gym half a dozen times or whatever but I just listened to music or chatted to the missus the one or two times we went. You just gotta be the intimidat0r. Am far too unfit and bollocksed to even notice other poeple(that aren't hot).

Must get round to start going some time, just something I like about using the cycling machine and reading magazines in my Gucci.

Hanley

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Bite Me.

In other news, am i the only one that has some clothes they wear specifically on certain days??

i don't do it all the time but sometimes..

for instance

Oly Session = Chicago Bulls shorts and white t-shirt

Shoulders= UCC Rugby Shorts + Adidas Clima cool t-shirt

Back = Munster shorts and white t-shirt (:pac:that make my arms look ridiculous) or occasionally a wife beater!!

Bench Max day= Canterbury fatpants and big old hoodie

fcuking meat-head

Kev M

Khannie wrote: »

Well....they all had on very new, expensive looking, gym specific clothing..

Expensive new gym clothes in the gym, who the hell do they think they are? It's common etiquette to dress like a homeless person in the gym.

Nate--IRL--

Kev M wrote: »

It's common etiquette to dress like a homeless person in the gym.

I know one or two people in my gym who strictly adhere to this rule, and do their best to smell the part too.

Nate

Davei141

You have to laugh at all the prejudice against people on the basis that they THINK those are the ones prejudging them first. It's 95% low confidence induced paranoia.

Somebody lifts weights? Damn Meathead.
Somebody is in good shape? No life gym bunnies.
Somebody has nice clothes? Stupid posers.

First always said by those who are pretty weak. (No harm in that, weak myself, but dont take that out on people who are stronger)

Second usually said by those who are overweight/out of shape. (Far from in pristine condition myself but don't begrudge those that are)

Third usually said by those who wear whatever they feel most comfortable in usually being baggy or old clothes. (Exact same as myself, but if people wanna wear shiny new tracksuits who gives a crap? They think they look good in turn they have more confidence and don't care about what you think, no harm)

Not everybody who is different to how you do things is some kind of asshole to be slagged or prejudged.

Larianne

I joined a new gym the other week and yeah, I felt a bit intimidated as I was the only girl in the place. Also being new, not having a clue where all the machines/weights were and feeling like a headless chicken looking for stuff. Felt a bit dodgy walking into the weight area with all the lads but once I got into it sure it was grand. Everyone's busy doing there own thing.

I wear tight enough gym clothes. It's more a case of not wanting to flash anything at anybody when doing my workout!

Hanley

Davei141 wrote: »

You have to laugh at all the prejudice against people on the basis that they THINK those are the ones prejudging them first. It's 95% low confidence induced paranoia.

Somebody lifts weights? Damn Meathead.
Somebody is in good shape? No life gym bunnies.
Somebody has nice clothes? Stupid posers.

First always said by those who are pretty weak. (No harm in that, weak myself, but dont take that out on people who are stronger)

Second usually said by those who are overweight/out of shape. (Far from in pristine condition myself but don't begrudge those that are)

Third usually said by those who wear whatever they feel most comfortable in usually being baggy or old clothes. (Exact same as myself, but if people wanna wear shiny new tracksuits who gives a crap? They think they look good in turn they have more confidence and don't care about what you think, no harm)

Not everybody who is different to how you do things is some kind of asshole to be slagged or prejudged.

That's a cracking post. Well said!!

tlev

I find the gym atmosphere enjoyable. No intimidation here. :pac:

LimeFruitGum

just go to your mental happy place where these things don't matter. :cool:

I am a baggy tshirted gym knacker myself, but that is what I am comfy in. I've enough to be doing in the gym without worrying about hair and make up too!

celestial

Heard a good quote lately that seems to fit the bill:

'You wouldn't worry what people think of you if you knew how seldom they did'.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Khannie wrote: »

Anyway, blah blah blah, if you made it this far....do you find the gym intimidating regularly? Have you in the past? Would it pass if I just kept going to the same place?

No but in the past people hae found me intimidating in a gym.


.

LightningBolt

Why would anybody care about what you wear to the gym? Get in and do your stuff and get out of there.

Some people buy and wear the expensive gear because they may see the gym as an extension of their social life maybe? The only attention I give to what I wear is if the shorts I pick up are loose enough for me to do what I do.

Davei41 summed it up pretty well in fairness.

top madra

i joined a different gym about a month ago,while i wasnt intimidated there was a different atmosphere there,ended up to better a lot better gym after all,,i would love to go to the gym everyday

Gumbo

most days its a pair of old tracksuit bottoms and a football jersey for me, sometimes i'll wear shorts but they wont be colour coded or matching

im not too bothered what people wear tbh, for women the less the better LOL
most of thye time everybody else is stuck into their own programme so theire too busy to even notice what your wearing yourself.

Spiritoftheseventies

kceire wrote: »

most days its a pair of old tracksuit bottoms and a football jersey for me, sometimes i'll wear shorts but they wont be colour coded or matching

im not too bothered what people wear tbh, for women the less the better LOL
most of thye time everybody else is stuck into their own programme so theire too busy to even notice what your wearing yourself.

Some gyms are different than others. The smaller the better i think. You get to know people better in the smaller ones. thats my opinion anyway. Never found any intimidating but some users are a bit full of themselves. End of the day stay focused.

Gumbo

bayviewclose wrote: »

Some gyms are different than others. The smaller the better i think. You get to know people better in the smaller ones. thats my opinion anyway. Never found any intimidating but some users are a bit full of themselves. End of the day stay focused.

would tend to agree with that, im in a big gym (Northwood) but you still get to notice some of the regulars. the most intimidating part when i first started was walking up to somebody and taking some weights from around them, you know, asking if their using it or not or if their finished etc etc but if im totally honest all the time everybody is sound and have no probs with you hovering around waiting on a machine or to grab that last 1.25kg weight when their finished!

G86

I find it a wee bit intimidating at times I have to admit. The main problem is that the ladies weights section in my gym only has a small range so if you need to get a bar or heavier weights you have to go over to the 'guys' section. Now it's technically not the guys section but there's never any chicks over there so I always feel a bit self conscious working out in that part.

Also, if I'm just in the first week of a new program I'd be a lot less confident in case people are thinking' she's doing that wrong' etc, because I know I've looked at people lifting weights that were obviously too light/heavy and thought the same! For example, I get my program from Transform and I had to ask him to change one of the exercises this month because I felt like it was drawing attention to myself by doing it - stupid I know but I just felt awkward doing it!:rolleyes: It involved using a machine for a different exercise than what it was intended for and I knew people were looking over wondering what the heck is she at! Usually once I'm a good while into a program I'm grand because I know that I know what I'm doing and I'm alot more confident about my routine.

There was a small gym in my old apartment block which was brilliant, I used to chat away to the regulars and the trainers, and it just had a great atmosphere. If I could find somewhere like that near me I'd be set, but the only place any way similar is BHAF in Sandyford and it's a bit of a trek for me.

The most intimidating thing ever though was about 2 weeks ago when I bumped into a guy I'd met out one night the weekend before! I was there sweating like a mad thing and he comes over chatting away, cringe...:o It's grand now though, we normally work out at the same times so I had to get over it, and it actually makes me work harder to be honest!

Hail 2 Da Chimp

LightningBolt wrote: »

Why would anybody care about what you wear to the gym? Get in and do your stuff and get out of there.

Some people buy and wear the expensive gear because they may see the gym as an extension of their social life maybe?

I know a guy who spent approx 3 months talking about how he was going to take up running, spent €150 on a pair of runners and probably went out once or twice.

I can see how people can get intimidated - espicaly around the weights area, the gym I go to usually has about 3/4 GAA heads standing round a bench cheering themselves on & hi-five-ing when they're doing dumb bell presses fo 30Kg total, I don't feel too bad then when I'm holding 30Kg bells in each hand :pac:

Generally if you're the type of person who goes to the gym for a bitching session - you're probably not working hard enough yourself and more than likely ou're the most self conscious person there...

Penn

My first few weeks at the gym was intimidating, mostly because I was seeing all these people go faster than me at higher settings on resistance machines, or lifting far heavier weights than me, walking round with their weightlifting belts and gloves.

Then I started to realise, sure, they can do more than me now, but eventually, with some hard work, I'll be where they are now, and people will find me intimidating.

And then I'll laugh at the little people MWAHAHAHA!!!

Canis Lupus

I think I was intimidated the first couple of times doing free weights. It wasn't so much what I was lifting but I was paranoid that I was lifting incorrectly and looking silly.

Then I got over that and now I don't care. Even when I'm hanging off a bar, beetroot red in the face, legs spinning in mid air trying to scrape one last cm to get my chin over the bar for that last pull up.

Spiritoftheseventies

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I think I was intimidated the first couple of times doing free weights. It wasn't so much what I was lifting but I was paranoid that I was lifting incorrectly and looking silly.

Then I got over that and now I don't care. Even when I'm hanging off a bar, beetroot red in the face, legs spinning in mid air trying to scrape one last cm to get my chin over the bar for that last pull up.

always consult with a fitness instructor about lifting weights. very important. if you are not doing it correctly there is no point doing it.

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Even when I'm hanging off a bar, beetroot red in the face, legs spinning in mid air trying to scrape one last cm to get my chin over the bar for that last pull up.

bayviewclose wrote: »

always consult with a fitness instructor about lifting weights. very important. if you are not doing it correctly there is no point doing it.

Now I'm not a fitnes instructor but by the sounds of it his form is bang on for a pull up :pac:

ragg

Only thing I feel concious about is doing resets on the chin up bar.
I always feel like a bit of a twat doing that. apart from that I just go in and do my work. I'm lucky because I go to a small gym and everyone is dead sound there.

I don't enjoy large gyms as much

Spiritoftheseventies

Hail 2 Da Chimp wrote: »

Now I'm not a fitnes instructor but by the sounds of it his form is bang on for a pull up :pac:

Yes not sure about the legs dangling bit. Key is to have the back straight. Most of those machines have illustrations on them but again always best to check with fitness instructor.

Hanley

bayviewclose wrote: »

Yes not sure about the legs dangling bit. Key is to have the back straight. Most of those machines have illustrations on them but again always best to check with fitness instructor.

You know what a pull up is, right?