I don't look like a Fitness enthusiast

SheHulkExtrodinaire

It is so frustrating when I go into an athletic store and the people treat me as though I am just another fat girl trying to get into fitness. I have completed p90X Doubles people, can you say as much....when I tell them they act all surprised......Why does so much still depend on what I look like, and why can't I look like the person I am on the inside?

wendybird5

People do tend to make assumptions about others level of fitness by assuming that one would look a certain way. I have a friend whose biceps look super toned and mine still look big and flabby yet when we do weights, my upper body is much stronger than hers. Genetics are a ***** sometimes. But it doesn't matter what complete strangers think. It just matters that you know how awesome you are!

ljb82

I can relate!!! I actually dread going into Sport stores because I know I won't receive the same customer service as I would if I was fit. Seriously this happens every time I go to buy new shoes....

kb_CG_wife

When I tell some people I workout a lot (6 - 9 hours a week at the gym), I get the up and down eye ball look too. Yes, I have fat, but I'm also currently squatting 50 lbs and leg pressing 70... I could kick butt if I had to! My muscles are solid, but for whatever reason I can't shed the fat around my butt, hips and thighs. I have cellulite... Just because we don't look like fitness models doesn't mean we can't dominate in the weight section and the treadmill. I'm so with you sister

cpudoc64

Do your research ahead of time, know more or just as much as the clerks. The Internet can be a wonderful tool, use it to your advantage.

nokanjaijo

That is kind of ironic. When people assume that you aren't into fitness based on how you look, you should conclude from this that they are not into fitness themselves.

Actual fitness enthusiasts know what actual fitness enthusiasts look like. Couch potatos are the ones who think we all look like fitness models.

DavPul

please explain what you are talking about. what exactly do people at the stores do or not do that makes you feel that they aren't giving you your proper respect as an accomplished fitness enthusiast. are they telling you to your face that you know nothing of fitness or is there some mind reading involved?

BinaryPulsar

I have an experience like this. When I am at the gym and I ask if there is someone that can watch my form on weights they will try to redirect me to use the machines and say the squat rack is too dangerous. Or they will spot me only using the bar, and then say, "Some people lift two and a half times their body weight, but I doubt that's what you are wanting to do", and they will recommend lower weights and higher reps and just generally not be supportive of me trying to learn form on the squats and deadlifts. I do look very fit and people at the gym often comment that I look great and when they are measuring my bodyfat they say it's excellent, low and at the level of an athlete. So, it depends on the person. And some people that are really supportive of heavy lifting don't act that way and do see me as someone that is fully capable of weight lifting. I just find it odd that some trainers assume I should just use machines and not do proper deadlifts and squats, even though that is what I want to do. I wonder if it is because I am a small person and they have some kind of stereotype that small women don't want to lift heavy and "get bulky". But, I don't know why they do what they do. Maybe because I'm not paying them.

Mr_Excitement

Well that's pretty ****ty. Sorry to hear it.

I haven't made assumptions like that since I was passed during a triathlon by a big girl with a cast on her leg. I'm not the best cyclist in the world, but I'm not THAT BAD-- this chick was just FLYING up the hill.

EmilyEmpowered

I have an experience like this. When I am at the gym and I ask if there is someone that can watch my form on weights they will try to redirect me to use the machines and say the squat rack is too dangerous. Or they will spot me only using the bar, and then say, "Some people lift two and a half times their body weight, but I doubt that's what you are wanting to do", and they will recommend lower weights and higher reps and just generally not be supportive of me trying to learn form on the squats and deadlifts. I do look very fit and people at the gym often comment that I look great and when they are measuring my bodyfat they say it's excellent, low and at the level of an athlete. So, it depends on the person. And some people that are really supportive of heavy lifting don't act that way and do see me as someone that is fully capable of weight lifting. I just find it odd that some trainers assume I should just use machines and not do proper deadlifts and squats, even though that is what I want to do. I wonder if it is because I am a small person and they have some kind of stereotype that small women don't want to lift heavy and "get bulky". But, I don't know why they do what they do. Maybe because I'm not paying them.

I just started getting into lifting heavy, after losing over 100 pounds doing only cardio. I have a lot of work to do weight wise! But I get this soooo often when I am asking for help, it makes me so angry! Even my Boyfriend doesnt have faith that I can achieve my goals and tells me to "ain lower" Its not that he isnt supportive, he is, but... i dont know!!

Also, I told a friend of mine my mile time, about a year ago when it was really good (but I was still oveweight) and she totally did NOT believe me. It really, really hurt.

But at the end of the day, I KNOW what I am capable of, and noone else has to believe that if they choose not to! OP: Congrats on all of your accomplishments, just keep doing it for YOU! :flowerforyou:

tomg33

The truth is that few people make serious changes in body composition (and thus appearance) unless they incorporate serious resistance training (i.e. a progressive full-body weightlifting program). If you look at the "cardio bunnies" who are on the treadmills every week night there is a wide range of body types from large to small and if you saw them in the street you wouldn't know whether they work out or not. You might think they are either "naturally big" or "naturally small" (whatever that means).
If you don't look the way you want to look, perhaps you should re-evaluate the way you train? But of course you should do whatever you want that makes you feel healthy and happy.


But I find the biggest thing is that most laypeople don't realise how long it really takes to transform yourself. The truth is, for someone who is perhaps 40-50 lb overweight, who wants to achieve a body that the mainstream fitness media depicts as "healthy," it will take at least 6 months to lose the weight (healthily), and at _least_ another 6 months to gain a noticeable amount of muscle mass. Oh well

DopeItUp

I look like a fat computer nerd even after two years of weight loss and almost a year in the gym. I don't care, I am in fact a fat computer geek that is slightly stronger than you'd expect. If someone gave me crap I'd just rip their arms and legs off. Now who's laughing?

SkimFlatWhite68

Never judge a book by it's cover...

Keep it up and one day you will look like a fitness enthusiast.

cassondra1370

I look like a fat computer nerd even after two years of weight loss and almost a year in the gym. I don't care, I am in fact a fat computer geek that is slightly stronger than you'd expect. If someone gave me crap I'd just rip their arms and legs off. Now who's laughing?

Thanks for the laugh.

Mads1997

They are probably like me and have no clue what px90 doubles is! Perhaps thats the problem not so much you dont look like a fitness enthusiast.

ninerbuff

One of my most fit guys is a 280lbs male in his 50's. Not the fastest or the strongest, but dude is an animal when we kickbox/circuit train for an hour.
People who just look at physique and deem someone fit ought to watch a pro bodybuilder do a high impact aerobics class. They'd pretty much die in the first 15 minutes.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

metacognition

I feel the same way! Although I am getting some nice muscle along my arms and thighs, I'm still quite fat around the middle and I look average, despite being very fit which is obvious if anyone sees me at the gym sprinting or lifting heavy weights. I don't eat a lot of junk or processed food, either. It's weird to have a pot belly and thick thighs at 15% body fat (at least according to my scale).

I am an endomorph, maybe a dash of meso with a somewhat masculine body fat distribution along the waist and back. I have always been overweight, since I was about 8 years old. My body has never been at 105 pounds before so I am giving it time to adjust.

A TON of young girls around my age are naturally lean, don't exercise and have healthy looking figures that are slimmer than mine, and do not seem to require the same effort to maintain. They are higher body fat, but it is in areas of the body that make them look curvy and feminine, like the bust and hips. I have 32" hips and a 27.5" waist. I started my weight loss program 50 pounds heavier, obese and with a high risk .85 waist / hip ratio. Although I've lost a ton of inches, I am still at the same waist / hip ratio because my body is a natural apple shape, and sheds way more fat from the hips than the waist.

We just have to deal with the genetic cards that we were dealt.
I for one am going to continue eating clean, lifting heavy, and and eating below maintenance. I'll switch around my program and keep adding weight when I can. I will cut at a deficit when needed to eventually hit my goal weight.

XVIIMatthewXX

I'm so glad I stopped caring what people thought of me when I was 15.

DavPul

I'm still waiting to find out how people get treated differently in athletic stores based on how they look

chrisdavey

One of my most fit guys is a 280lbs male in his 50's. Not the fastest or the strongest, but dude is an animal when we kickbox/circuit train for an hour.
People who just look at physique and deem someone fit ought to watch a pro bodybuilder do a high impact aerobics class. They'd pretty much die in the first 15 minutes.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

agreed. Most muscular =/= fit. Balance is key IMO. Some of the fittest guys at mma are a bit chubby.

I do agree with Davpul though. Don't really understand the situation.

GiGiBeans

Wave your credit card around when you walk into a shop. You'll get lots of courteous help.
Credentials: Retail Mgr. :flowerforyou:

Ascolti_la_musica

I look like a fat computer nerd even after two years of weight loss and almost a year in the gym. I don't care, I am in fact a fat computer geek that is slightly stronger than you'd expect. If someone gave me crap I'd just rip their arms and legs off. Now who's laughing?

You win a potato!

Ascolti_la_musica

I'm still waiting to find out how people get treated differently in athletic stores based on how they look

I don't know about an athletic store, but a trainer at the gym we stupidly joined would single me out, point and laugh from across the room, and otherwise harass me until I left. This happened every single time I went to the gym and he was working.

Not looking a certain way causes some people to treat you horribly. Just because you have not experienced it or (hopefully) done it to anyone doesn't mean it isn't common. Sadly, it is. There are a LOT of people who feel better about themselves when they have someone they deem physically inferior for comparison.

binknbaby

Reminds me of my dancing days... I was heavy, but I was super flexible, and had very strong legs. I was certainly not the "usual" ballerina, but you gotta admit... getting 180lb en pointe ain't easy! But I did it. I just had to work a little harder because I was carrying around the extra weight. I had the ability; just not the image.

mnightoak

"Hi - I'm looking for some free weights so I can exercise at home too."
"Well, over here we have some 5lb dumbbells - look they're even pink! And if you need heavier, we have 8lb ones in teal."
(inside sigh) "No, I mean heavier ones - 30lbs or more. Do you sell them individually or only in a set?"
"I think you should start no higher than 20lbs - you don't want to get hurt."
(pause pause pause) "I'm doing 55lb free weight lat pulls at the gym. I think 30lbs is just fine."

That's the situation. And, sad to say, sometimes I got that even when I was "buff". If I wasn't wearing a sports bra and shorts so they could see my muscle definition, the (usually male) salespeople wouldn't take me seriously as a woman athlete.

As far as I'm concerned, you're a fitness enthusiast if you're getting your *kitten* off the couch regularly and pushing yourself to get better.

Elleinnz

I truly believe it is not whether you look like a fitness enthusiast - but whether you believe you are a fitness enthusiast!!

Walk in there as if you own the place - hold your head high and don't let anyone make you feel any different!!