Negative gym experiences

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  • jeanlake
    jeanlake Posts: 130 Member
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    Hello Independence. I'm Lee's Summit. I avoid the hard-core gym environment, too.
  • africanmasq
    africanmasq Posts: 53
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    You think more estrogen would solve the gawking?

    you're sorely mistaken.


    I'd say a good 90% of the fears and insecurity's people have are self driven and come from not knowing what they need to be doing.

    Once you know what you need to be doing- going in and doing it is easy. No matter you are- or what gym you go to- if you can find the squat rack and the pull up bar- that's all you'll ever need.

    No, I don't think that would solve it :P
    And you're right - if you don't know what's what, you're a lot more conscious about other people and what they might be thinking about you. Gym should be all about you, doing what you need to do, and whoever has time to stand around and judge you doesn't deserve to be on your radar.
  • botography
    botography Posts: 95 Member
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    My problem is ME. I get bored and look for someone to talk to while they are exercising. I even have equipment at home (hubby is exercise guru of sorts). But I just hate it. I would rather mow the grass and or do outside and inside work. As for the other people around me..... You can't scare me! I taught middle school...:smile:
  • Legs_McGee
    Legs_McGee Posts: 845 Member
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    I've been going to my gym for 5 years, and except for the occasional injury caused by my own spasticity (like hitting myself in the head doing skull crushers) I've never had a bad experience. Everyone just does their own thing.
  • SrMaggalicious
    SrMaggalicious Posts: 495 Member
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    Have my own gym at home now, but when I used to go, I had no problems hanging with the free weight crowd or any other crowd. The only 'bad' experiences I've had in gyms are the 'smells' - I have the nose of a cat...raunchy perfume (that stinky baby powder/diaper smelling one), body odor...and one dude who used to take a dump every morning like clockwork and leave the bathroom door wide open for his stench to waft throughout the gym..this was a smaller gym...a one-person unisex bathroom...not a fan of unpleasant smells. gagg

    Love working out at home!!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
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    Nope! I don't think so.. Well once there were a small group of people laughing at some guy exercising because he was really banging the plates loudly. But that's all. Our gym is very nice :3
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    i created my own bad experience just last week - i moved a few months ago, and just joined the local gym last month. Loving it so far, but have been a cardio queen and wanted to get back into strength training. I'm not ready yet to go into the free weights/do heavy lifitng/ etc - all the stuff everyone is always recommending, I want to build up a little strength and some confidence before I do that. So I was going to use some of the weight machines, one of the gym trainers had put together a program for me to follow and showed me how to use the machines - but when i went to do it on my own for the first time the other day, I chickened out. There were lots of guys nearby on the freeweights and a few using the lat pulldown machine and I just felt so self conscious about not just being on the machine but how 'light' my weights are I couldn't do it. I knew they were unlikely to laugh at me but I just felt too embarrassed and self conscious. I know I have to start somewhere and that I shouldn't worry what people think of me, but in that moment I forgot that common sense - will try to put my brave face on and try again this week.

    You really should start on free weights. Strength machines do not mimic real life, and in my experience they don't really transfer over all that much to progress in the weight room. Just start with really light weights and move up if they are too easy, and just keep adding weight until you are no longer able to meet your rep maxes every set. THen work up that weight until you can meet that rep max, then try adding in 2.5-5lbs to the whole thing and use it until you can reach your rep max (if you can't even get out 1-2 reps though, then you'd deload back to the previous weight). Just set up a program for yourself (full body 3x a week is a good starting place) and log your progress.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,514 Member
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    i normally have my music on so i dont hear others comments

    one day thou, the battery had run out but i kept the head phones on.

    i overheard 2 guys discussing how the hell anyone could have sex with me. they eventually decided they would have to do me from behind so they wouldnt have to look at me. i wouldnt have touched either of them with a barge pole

    i continued my workout pretending i couldnt hear
  • africanmasq
    africanmasq Posts: 53
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    You really should start on free weights. Strength machines do not mimic real life, and in my experience they don't really transfer over all that much to progress in the weight room.

    I think starting with machines is more to make sure that your form is correct before switching to free weights (if you're new to lifting) so that you don't do an exercise wrong or hurt yourself...but free weights are definitely better.
    i overheard 2 guys discussing how the hell anyone could have sex with me. they eventually decided they would have to do me from behind so they wouldnt have to look at me. i wouldnt have touched either of them with a barge pole

    Wow, how ridiculous! Some people, ugh...
  • NoMoreBlameGame
    NoMoreBlameGame Posts: 236 Member
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    Hello Independence. I'm Lee's Summit. I avoid the hard-core gym environment, too.

    Hiya Lee's Summit, nice to meet ya! Lee's Summit is such a peaceful area...I really like it there! :) I used to shop there (back when I wasn't too self-conscious to get out and go shopping anyway, >.>) Thank you for the hello!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i normally have my music on so i dont hear others comments

    one day thou, the battery had run out but i kept the head phones on.

    i overheard 2 guys discussing how the hell anyone could have sex with me. they eventually decided they would have to do me from behind so they wouldnt have to look at me. i wouldnt have touched either of them with a barge pole

    i continued my workout pretending i couldnt hear

    ugggh that's disgusting. i'd have told them the only way i'd be having sex with them was with their mom's vagina since they were probably already used to it anyway
  • traceyandelliemay
    traceyandelliemay Posts: 88 Member
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    I joined up to the gym after I moved from the city to a small country town to meet people keep fit and do something for myself. Ive not really met people but I feel like I belong somewhere now. my cousnseller goes to the gym with her firend I get abit anxiety about if shes talking about our sessions together but that's my stuff I agree most people do their own thing and if there not well that's their issue. I also like how theres some friendly people there always motivating and if u see each other around u kinda check in with each other its nice

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