What fit people are really thinking in the gym
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If I'm staring at someone in the gym it's for one of 3 reasons. 1) I like some part of their outfit 2) I'm jealous of how much weight/how fast/or how awesome they're doing in general, or 3) I'm looking at their butt and wishing mine looked like that (I go to a woman's only gym. There are a lot of nice butts. No I'm not into women, I just appreciate nice butts haha)
If you happen to be overweight or look like you're new and dying on the cardio machine or whatever, the only thing going through my mind is something along the lines of "yay I'm happy that lady is here and working on her fitness and not sitting at home wishing she was here".8 -
I'm a bit of a gym rat. I used to lift a lot, and I love the exercise classes. Usually I try to encourage people, it encourages me too, to see people working on being healthy. You are automatically IN the CLUB if you show up!
I notice other people, I try to be encouraging to people who look a bit out of their element. I usually ask the really experienced people to feel free to tell me if they see I'm doing something wrong or if I could improve my form. Then they automatically keep an eye on me, just by default, and if they don't say anything I know I did good! Otherwise, I only talk to someone if I see them doing something really dangerous (not very often) or if they are working on something specific and I have an idea for them to try.
My biggest pet peeve is I see is people not cleaning their equipment after they are done. Especially in cold and flu season. I wipe down equipment before and after I use it, and always try to pay attention to not touch my face, and wash my hands when I'm done working out. If you want to be loved in the gym, clean up after yourself, put your equipment away, and clean everything you use, as you go.6 -
Workout at home but when I see someone heavier running on the street... I think...
High five, your awesome!
It doesn't say much for someone like me who does this everyday to be out here but for someone that has not built the momentum I have, going on sheer drive and will, it's an awesome sight...
Don't give up, it's so worth it... I use to be there myself. God bless those who try to help themselves...
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Thinking why am I starving!!! Literally thinking that rt now at gym2
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Larissa_NY wrote: »I've seen an awful lot of threads about gym anxiety, and whether or not Fit People are judging your every move when you work out. Being a Reasonably Fit Person, I thought I'd expand on exactly what I'm thinking in the gym, so when you see someone like me, you won't have to wonder if I'm secretly judging you. Other fit people may chime in as needed. Warning: content may be disturbing to sensitive individuals!
In the locker room:- What am I starting with today? Pull-ups? Pull-ups.
- Which top do I want to wear?
- Do I have a tampon in here?
- Do I have a hair tie?
- Can I wear a - no.
- Did I charge my headphones? I hope I charged my headphones.
During exercise:- One... two...three...
- How's my ROM?
- Six the seven that never-eighting rain in nine heart to tears of ten-white sorrow...
- OW MY VEINS ARE GETTING SQUISHED FORM CORRECTION
- One... more...
- HROOOAAAAARGHARBLE oof.
During rest periods:- What's up next? Is it squats? I bet it's squats. FML.
- Those leggings are super cute. I wonder where she got them. I want new leggings.
- What possessed me to put this song on my workout playlist?
- I hope that dude doesn't take too long in the squat rack.
- Is he doing overhead squats? I want to do overhead squats. I wonder if I'd fall over.
- Ugh, I have my mother's horrible calves. I wonder if surgery would fix that.
- Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, it's hot in here. Why is it so hot? I'm going to go walk really slow in front of the airdyne bikes.
Back in the locker room:- Ow, my quads.
- Omg so tired. Do I really have to stop at the store for dinner? I'm not going to the store. *kitten* the store. I am a grown-up and I will eat pretzels for dinner if I want.
- Thank God for sports bras with zippers in the front.
Note that very little of this has anything to do with you. Unless you're wearing cute leggings, in which case I'm probably wishing I knew where you bought them. Also, my quads hurt. If you're around people lifting weights, some part of their body is very uncomfortable right now, and unless you're doing something really egregiously attention-getting you're going to have a very hard time distracting them from their next rep.
So now you know. Also, look up imaginary audience. The Wikipedia article talks about it in terms of childhood and adolescent development but it often persists into adulthood. As someone who has plenty of neuroses of my own, I can tell you that naming them is half the battle.
I would say this is pretty representative of at least 90% of the fit people at the gym.
But guess what? *kitten* do exist, and they do judge, and those are the folks fat people are self conscious about.
I just joined a new gym, and the very first time I went I hear two girls in the locker room giggling and pointing in hushed tones at an overweight girl who was freely naked and changing, because, you know, it s a LOCKER ROOM. The girl was easily 30 pounds overweight, compare to my 75 pounds overweight. When the girls saw me look at them, they suddenly hushed, and when I walked away I heard a burst of laughter.
Did I let it bring me down? No. I actually love my new gym, and the fact that everyone at this particular gym appears to be pretty fit is a plus. But these sorts of occurrences do happen occasionally, and I don't think you should be denying that.
Just a general rule for life - when folks describe an experience, don't deny their reality.9 -
In the locker room:
Why do I have so much stuff to put on?
Why do I need to pee? I went before I left.
Where is my other ankle wrap?
Where is my other hand wrap?
Water!
Warming up:
Am I too close? Are we going to clash legs? We probably are, I'm going to move.
7, 8, 9...oh, change leg.
Ow.
Cuss star jumps, I just went to the bathroom.
I hate this.
Why am I so long?
Pad holding rounds:
Am I doing this right? I'm sure it was a liver shot right round house. Oh no it was a liver shot, body hook and then the roundhouse. Stop spacing out.
Why am I so slow?
What numbers do I even know?
You can hit me, I won't be mad.
Boxing/kickboxing rounds:
What are my legs even doing? Stop kicking the three other people who don't exist and kick the person.
*kitten*, did I hit you too hard? I probably did.
I'm so slow.
I'm so fast, slow down.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, stop with the 50 punches.
Oh god, please don't make me demonstrate this. No one should learn from me.
People think that because I've been training for almost two years that I have my poop together and I really don't. I'm like Bambi on ice 80% of the time and prefer to defer to people who are better than me. Honestly, if we're not doing something I'm generally not thinking and staring into space.2 -
BruinsGal_91 wrote: »
In the locker room
Don't wanna do this
Really don't wanna do this
God I hope my iPod is charged
Crap, it isn't
I'm hungry
Ooh, she's got those new Sauconys
On the treadmill
No music, OK I'll watch TV instead
Oh god I've I've picked the treadmill which is stuck on the Kardashian channel
On the next treadmill
OK crank it up you got this
Owwwwwwwww everything hurts
Wait? I've only been going two minutes?
I really should take up lifting
OK, now go a little bit faster
NOT THAT FAST!
Oh look there's the guy who wears those weird Vibram things
Oh god I've just wedgied myself. Can I adjust my knickers without anyone noticing?
I'm hungry
This almost exactly describes me at the gym.1 -
3rdof7sisters wrote: »I wear sweat pants and an old t shirt. I go to the gym first thing in the morning and am thinking to myself, "I'll be done with this in an hour, and have the whole day ahead of me with exercise out of the way for the day".
This sounds like me this morning. Followed by "OMG it is so early. Why don't they serve coffee here? I totally need a second cup of coffee this morning...maybe a third. Do they have coffee in that mug? Where did they get it? I wonder if I burned enough calories with this workout to get the grande latte at Starbucks. OMG the earliness".3 -
What usually happens when I walk through the entrance. So many look at me. In my mind I say, what you fools staring at me. A glance is fine buuuuut few mins.
Going to the machine I want to use, and I see someone hogging it. What comes to my mind. How long is this guy gonna waste my time.
During rest time. Im counting before my next set.
Once I completed, my body is racing towards the exit.
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I swim so my thoughts are a little different:
In the locker room:
I hope I get a lane by myself
Is my swim cap going to split when I put it on?
Did I charge my waterproof IPod?
Why did I forget to treat my goggles with baby shampoo before leaving the house? Now they will fog up and I am NOT going to spit in them.
In the pool:
Cute suit, wonder what brand that is. Hope it is chlorine resistant
Did I remember to press the button on my lap counter for that last lap?
(Singing in my head to the songs)
In the locker room/shower:
I worked out today so I can have WINE tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!5 -
hahaha, I love this post. As someone who has had gym anxiety in the past, this post makes me smile.
I don't really look fit, but I like to think I am somewhat fit.
my thoughts are usually
arriving at gym
I hope it's not not busy, please let it not be busy
during workouts
i need a new workout playlist
-let's see what i lifted last time i did this excercise (I take my notebook with me and log my reps)
-oh god plie squats with kettlebells, i hate this but it's so good
-that girl has a nice butt, I hope mine can look like that one day
-DO MORE SQUATS TO GET THAT BOOTY
-are those tiny muscles I see poppin there?
-I need new workout clothes
-I should probably wait to get more clothes as a reward for when I lose more weight
-GAWD WILL I EVER LOOK FIT
-WHY DO I LOVE FOOD SO MUCH
-i'm hungry
Pretty much all of these plus:
- WHY do people use dumbbells right in front of the rack??
- Why don't people re-rack weights?3 -
I swim so my thoughts are a little different:
In the locker room:
I hope I get a lane by myself
Is my swim cap going to split when I put it on?
Did I charge my waterproof IPod?
Why did I forget to treat my goggles with baby shampoo before leaving the house? Now they will fog up and I am NOT going to spit in them.
In the pool:
Cute suit, wonder what brand that is. Hope it is chlorine resistant
Did I remember to press the button on my lap counter for that last lap?
(Singing in my head to the songs)
In the locker room/shower:
I worked out today so I can have WINE tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to swim and my thoughts were always anxiety about getting a lane. Those old mofos at the Y were so mean. And numerous. It was like Cocoon up in there.9 -
I need these sports bras with zippers in the front0
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I need these sports bras with zippers in the front
Victoria's Secret Knockout bras. I will seriously never wear another kind. I have a really wide rib cage and shoulders so trying to struggle out of regular sports bras is murder even without being sweaty and having post-workout noodle arms.3 -
enterdanger wrote: »My gym has an inordinate amount of Justin Beibers.
quit now
But I saw an Ed Koch yesterday, which made me smile.
mine has a joel rifkin lookalike. it is so not the guy's fault and he's a perfectly ordinary, pleasant person afaik. some kind of super-abstruse composer or classical musician or something, unless involuntary eavesdropping lies.
but yeah. in his case i do have to keep reminding myself that it's not the guy's fault. and he's just as entitled to wear a long grey ponytail and little joel-rifkin glasses as anyone else.1 -
Larissa_NY wrote: »I've seen an awful lot of threads about gym anxiety, and whether or not Fit People are judging your every move when you work out. Being a Reasonably Fit Person, I thought I'd expand on exactly what I'm thinking in the gym, so when you see someone like me, you won't have to wonder if I'm secretly judging you. Other fit people may chime in as needed. Warning: content may be disturbing to sensitive individuals!
When I'm walking briskly or running on the treadmill, I'm usually so engrossed in the program on TV that a zebra could walk into the gym and I probably wouldn't notice.
And if I'm not watching TV, I'm usually thinking ...
OK, after this I need to:
1. Get a load of wash in the laundry.
2. Hang that basket of laundry I've had sitting in the dressing room for the last week.
3. Do homework ... and that usually sends me off into all the details of what I need to do for homework ...
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I swim so my thoughts are a little different:
In the locker room:
I hope I get a lane by myself
Is my swim cap going to split when I put it on?
Did I charge my waterproof IPod?
Why did I forget to treat my goggles with baby shampoo before leaving the house? Now they will fog up and I am NOT going to spit in them.
In the pool:
Cute suit, wonder what brand that is. Hope it is chlorine resistant
Did I remember to press the button on my lap counter for that last lap?
(Singing in my head to the songs)
In the locker room/shower:
I worked out today so I can have WINE tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I find singing to myself quietly while keeping a mean look on my face ensures me pleanty of space in the pool, no one wants to swim with the lady talking to herself lol
(The mean face is sadly just how my face looks at rest)1 -
In the locker room:
"Why don't gay men have separate showers?" No, I'm not a homophobe - I'm just saying. That's like putting me in the women's locker room. I'm going to be attracted and I'm going to look, even if I'm pretending I'm not. And 9/10 the person is going to feel uncomfortable. Especially if I keep doing it like a weirdo!
In the gym:
Totally focused on my training, except for the occasional "Damn she has a nice *kitten*!" mixed in with thoughts of what I'm going to eat.
* I swear I didn't put "kitten". MFP substituted my word for gluteus-maximus.0 -
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MonkeyMel21 wrote: »My thoughts are mostly sexual in nature. The best motivation.
lol thought it was just me
I'll admit to looking at what other people do during my rests. Mostly though it's followed by "OMG will i ever get to push that weight?" or looking at my wife "God she looks hot when she lifts".
On occasion it does go this way "Holu *kitten* wtf is that guy doing? Should I go tell him he's doing it wrong and he's going to kill himself? Nope, stay out of it. OK weights, jump into my hands".
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