reading while at the gym, really?
Replies
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I read at the gym, use my tablet, watch netflix alllll the time! Its been said that running on treadmills can be bad for your knees. I personally can't run so I like to brisk walk or I use the ecliptical. It can get pretty boring running/walking the same motion over and over again like a hamster. If reading or watching a tablet is distracting, what difference is listening to music? That's how I pass the time. I work out twice as long that way.0
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I never understood that either. If you are walking/running on a treadmill, a walk has a natural slight bounce to it. How can you read straight?? Same with the elliptical?
I was thinking same thing..how can you even concentrate on story?
maybe I phrased original inquiry in wrong manner...oh well, fail on my part..
Is walking and talking at the same time hard for you to understand too?
I always have my Kindle with me at the gym. I can log my workouts and if I am warming up I can review what I have planned for the day.
i walk and talk well enough ...
but my work outs are too intense to concentrate on a story line...0 -
I have a question for the OP. Genuine one, not being snarky. If I get on the treadmill and set a program - time, distance, speed, intervals, etc. - and then am reading while I'm doing that workout, am I really not getting as good of a workout as if I focused on the workout? How exactly am I getting a better workout by focusing on the workout the treadmill in essence is putting me through? Again that's a serious question. If I'm getting a better workout by focusing, and you can give me a reasonable explanation as to why that's the case, I'm sure willing to try it.
I run outside (so no reading during that) and strength train with a trainer (who doesn't give me time to read), so primarily I'm reading when I'm getting 20-30 minutes of moderate cardio prior to my trainer sessions. Not trying to burn high calories - just trying to warm up the body.
Well, studies show that focusing burns 50% more calories...again, smh....
Link to the study please?
Sorry mine was sarcasm.....didn't translate too well in a post....0 -
I have a question for the OP. Genuine one, not being snarky. If I get on the treadmill and set a program - time, distance, speed, intervals, etc. - and then am reading while I'm doing that workout, am I really not getting as good of a workout as if I focused on the workout? How exactly am I getting a better workout by focusing on the workout the treadmill in essence is putting me through? Again that's a serious question. If I'm getting a better workout by focusing, and you can give me a reasonable explanation as to why that's the case, I'm sure willing to try it.
I run outside (so no reading during that) and strength train with a trainer (who doesn't give me time to read), so primarily I'm reading when I'm getting 20-30 minutes of moderate cardio prior to my trainer sessions. Not trying to burn high calories - just trying to warm up the body.
Well, studies show that focusing burns 50% more calories...again, smh....
Link to the study please?
Sorry mine was sarcasm.....didn't translate too well in a post....
No problem, my b, I should have been paying more attention to your previous posts.0 -
If I am on the bike or doing a light jog I will take my kindle and have the text to speech option turned on. I get bored easily on this stuff as there is nothing to really look at but the walls LOL so it helps me keep going.0
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My mom takes her Kindle to the gym and I see older men reading the Newspaper quite often. The people who do this are probably aiming to keep their mind off the fact that they are in fact exercising. I don't see it as a fail, I see it as a win. The could easily be doing the same thing, but sitting down. At least they're moving.
This.0 -
Here's a thought. Maybe people who are reading at the gym are a bit more patient than you, and don't want to lose 50lbs, maybe they are just there to be healthy and have some time to themselves. Maybe they don't care about maximising their workout because the ones who are making progress are quite happy with the rate of their progress, and they don't care that they could have lost 20lbs more if they tried a bit harder. Going the gym isn't always about hammering away on machines, and you don't have to go because you have a fitness target in mind. Some people like to go somewhere with no screaming kids for an hour.
Anyway. Maybe if you take a note from your own book and focus on your own workout it won't annoy you as much. Stop thinking about everyone else and just do your own thing.
again we are off topic here ..but this is fun so whatever...
My original point is that you would get more out of it if you concentrated on the actual routine. you go to the gym to improve health and fitness, right? So why wouldn't you want to get maximum results?
I noticed it on a rest break and it got me to thinking, hence this thread...0 -
I never understood that either. If you are walking/running on a treadmill, a walk has a natural slight bounce to it. How can you read straight?? Same with the elliptical?
I was thinking same thing..how can you even concentrate on story?
maybe I phrased original inquiry in wrong manner...oh well, fail on my part..
Is walking and talking at the same time hard for you to understand too?
I always have my Kindle with me at the gym. I can log my workouts and if I am warming up I can review what I have planned for the day.
i walk and talk well enough ...
but my work outs are too intense to concentrate on a store line...
Somehow I doubt that. But that's ok. Society always has some use for people with big muscles and tiny brains.0 -
Some people are not idiots and can do more than one thing at a time. Just because you can't doesn't mean others can't....smh....
It's been proven that multi-tasking is a myth. You aren't focusing on multiple tasks at once you are actually flipping between them which just means instead of doing one thing well and moving onto the next you are doing several things poorly.
Most of what people are describing when they say they can read is long steady state cardio which is probably the most boring workout you can do especially on gym equiptment indoors. Seriously if you are that bored with your workout go find something you enjoy. You'll get much better results by cutting down your workout time and upping the intensity (relative to level of fitness). Add in some intervals to make things interesting. Work to breathless where improvements in your fitness will occur. Plodding away for hours at time at a comfortable enough state to be reading isn't going to do much for your fitness.
If you're bored listen to music which has been proven to enhance a workout (if it's the right type)
listen to this person = genius!
Well....that's sorted....well done!0 -
I never understood that either. If you are walking/running on a treadmill, a walk has a natural slight bounce to it. How can you read straight?? Same with the elliptical?
I was thinking same thing..how can you even concentrate on story?
maybe I phrased original inquiry in wrong manner...oh well, fail on my part..
Is walking and talking at the same time hard for you to understand too?
I always have my Kindle with me at the gym. I can log my workouts and if I am warming up I can review what I have planned for the day.
i walk and talk well enough ...
but my work outs are too intense to concentrate on a store line...
Somehow I doubt that. But that's ok. Society always has some use for people with big muscles and tiny brains.
+10 -
OP: Why do your goals have to be someone else's goals?
What if I said, you're wasting your time and missing out on great books and movies because you're working out so hard?
Just sayin'...0 -
I never understood that either. If you are walking/running on a treadmill, a walk has a natural slight bounce to it. How can you read straight?? Same with the elliptical?
I was thinking same thing..how can you even concentrate on story?
maybe I phrased original inquiry in wrong manner...oh well, fail on my part..
Is walking and talking at the same time hard for you to understand too?
I always have my Kindle with me at the gym. I can log my workouts and if I am warming up I can review what I have planned for the day.
i walk and talk well enough ...
but my work outs are too intense to concentrate on a store line...
Somehow I doubt that. But that's ok. Society always has some use for people with big muscles and tiny brains.
hahahahaha you are funny...
stereotype much?
so you can read a book, deadlift, and concentrate on story line???0 -
I never understood that either. If you are walking/running on a treadmill, a walk has a natural slight bounce to it. How can you read straight?? Same with the elliptical?
I was thinking same thing..how can you even concentrate on story?
maybe I phrased original inquiry in wrong manner...oh well, fail on my part..
Is walking and talking at the same time hard for you to understand too?
I always have my Kindle with me at the gym. I can log my workouts and if I am warming up I can review what I have planned for the day.
i walk and talk well enough ...
but my work outs are too intense to concentrate on a store line...
Somehow I doubt that. But that's ok. Society always has some use for people with big muscles and tiny brains.
hahahahaha you are funny...
stereotype much?
so you can read a book, deadlift, and concentrate on story line???
Yup0 -
You can deadlift on a treadmill? That's what this whole thing is about, right? Reading while on a treadmill?so you can read a book, deadlift, and concentrate on story line???0 -
It depends on what you're doing and what your goals are. I was training for a marathon and needed to get my mileage up, but have a history of leg-related sports injuries. The solution was to combine my normal training runs with running on a mini trampoline (thank GOD for Netflix!) and long elliptical workouts. I have done 22+ miles in one go on an elliptical and am pretty sure I would have died of boredom if not for the book I brought with me.
HIIT or speed work days, reading definitely wouldn't work out, but that's not what I turn to the Elliptical for. I find that the trick to being able to still *work* while reading is to sink all your weight and movement into your legs so that your upper body is held still, "Riverdance" style. (I never use the arms on elliptical machines) I usually set the machine to run resistance intervals so that I am forced to pay attention to what I'm doing and I make sure that I hit distance wickets for every minute that I go. That being said, I can't read anything serious - news, textbooks, etc - but my "fluff" fiction novels work pretty well to distract me from my thinking about how I still have 6 miles to go, etc.
All in all, I'm in the "whatever works for you" camp.0 -
OP: Why do your goals have to be someone else's goals?
What if I said, you're wasting your time and missing out on great books and movies because you're working out so hard?
Just sayin'...
never said that ...
edit to add - hour and a half in the gym is going to prevent someone from reading the other 90% of day?0 -
Deleted -- accidental double-post0
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Lol I've taken my textbooks and studied while doing light cardio before because I had three tests the next day, and it was my only chance to get a workout in. I've also gotten some work done while working out as well. It does get kinda difficult for me to balance if I'm sprinting or something, but that's not always the kind of work out I'm going for.....especially on rest days. Haha Why does it matter what other people want to do? It's no different than the people who watch tvs while working out. I listen to music and stuff when I work out.
ETA: Maybe they're just really good multi-taskers? lol0 -
Maybe the people who read at the gym are better readers than you, and it doesn't require all their concentration. :laugh:
Hope you don't mind the snarky humor. People are different! I'm a proponent of exercise and reading. I couldn't read while I exercise, but my daughter can.0 -
Maybe the people who read at the gym are better readers than you, and it doesn't require all their concentration. :laugh:
Hope you don't mind the snarky humor. People are different! I'm a proponent of exercise and reading. I couldn't read while I exercise, but my daughter can.
hmmmm no, I just save my reading for when not working out...0 -
I never understood that either. If you are walking/running on a treadmill, a walk has a natural slight bounce to it. How can you read straight?? Same with the elliptical?
I was thinking same thing..how can you even concentrate on story?
maybe I phrased original inquiry in wrong manner...oh well, fail on my part..
Is walking and talking at the same time hard for you to understand too?
I always have my Kindle with me at the gym. I can log my workouts and if I am warming up I can review what I have planned for the day.
i walk and talk well enough ...
but my work outs are too intense to concentrate on a store line...
Somehow I doubt that. But that's ok. Society always has some use for people with big muscles and tiny brains.
hahahahaha you are funny...
stereotype much?
so you can read a book, deadlift, and concentrate on story line???
Yup
dame dude, you are the freaking man ...you will have to teach me that trick...0 -
Why it's almost as bad as listening to an mp3 player ..... really.0
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You can deadlift on a treadmill? That's what this whole thing is about, right? Reading while on a treadmill?so you can read a book, deadlift, and concentrate on story line???
go back and read the post..it was a comment on my workout routine.0 -
Why it's almost as bad as listening to an mp3 player ..... really.
care to expand on that?0 -
OP: Why do your goals have to be someone else's goals?
What if I said, you're wasting your time and missing out on great books and movies because you're working out so hard?
Just sayin'...
never said that ...
edit to add - hour and a half in the gym is going to prevent someone from reading the other 90% of day?
Some people have lives outside of the gym, and that other 90% is occupied. I dont always read or watch something while I am there, actually 90% of the time I dont even have music with me and am totally focused 100% on my workout. Just because you may see someone one day in the gym with a kindle or a book, doesnt mean that you know how they train or what they do with the other 90% of their gym time either.
And as previously stated, working long hours and having a family can and does prevent many people from having any free time. My options are a) read a book during my hour lunch break, b) run on my hour lunch break (I prefer outdoors, but sometimes weather prevents that) or c)read WHILE I run on my hour lunch break.
For the rest of my 24 hours: 6 are sleeping, 10 are working, 1.5 are driving, and the rest are getting my family ready for another long and busy day. (AKA< taking care of my two kids by myself)
As previously stated, you have no clue what anyone elses lives/goals/intensity are, you are judging them on what, one half hour session on the treadmill? And while I personally, and I am sure you, would love to be as fit as possible and work out hard as much as possible, NOT EVERYONE HAS THAT GOAL! They paid for their gym membership and if they wanna walk and read with their time there, who cares??
ETA: I dont personally read on the treadmill, but I will watch a show or most of the time, if anything, listen to an audio book0 -
OP: Why do your goals have to be someone else's goals?
What if I said, you're wasting your time and missing out on great books and movies because you're working out so hard?
Just sayin'...
never said that ...
edit to add - hour and a half in the gym is going to prevent someone from reading the other 90% of day?
This is what you said verbatim:
"In my humble opinion, if you are reading book or watching a tablet while at gym then said person is not working out hard enough and/or are not concentrating on routine."
According to whose standards/goals?
I'm presuming yours, since you said it.0 -
OP: Why do your goals have to be someone else's goals?
What if I said, you're wasting your time and missing out on great books and movies because you're working out so hard?
Just sayin'...
never said that ...
edit to add - hour and a half in the gym is going to prevent someone from reading the other 90% of day?
This is what you said verbatim:
"In my humble opinion, if you are reading book or watching a tablet while at gym then said person is not working out hard enough and/or are not concentrating on routine."
According to whose standards/goals?
I'm presuming yours, since you said it.
I said in my opinion and then asked for feedback ...
Never said my goals should be their goals...but I was assuming that people go to gym go get optimal results, so wouldn't you rather get everything out of your hour that you can?0 -
This is the most ignorant and uncultured comment I've ever read on here.
care to elaborate? Or are you just going to spout off a bunch of crap that makes no sense...
Perhaps if you read more, you'd realize that it does make sense. Try picking up a book...0 -
OP: Why do your goals have to be someone else's goals?
What if I said, you're wasting your time and missing out on great books and movies because you're working out so hard?
Just sayin'...
never said that ...
edit to add - hour and a half in the gym is going to prevent someone from reading the other 90% of day?
Some people have lives outside of the gym, and that other 90% is occupied. I dont always read or watch something while I am there, actually 90% of the time I dont even have music with me and am totally focused 100% on my workout. Just because you may see someone one day in the gym with a kindle or a book, doesnt mean that you know how they train or what they do with the other 90% of their gym time either.
And as previously stated, working long hours and having a family can and does prevent many people from having any free time. My options are a) read a book during my hour lunch break, b) run on my hour lunch break (I prefer outdoors, but sometimes weather prevents that) or c)read WHILE I run on my hour lunch break.
For the rest of my 24 hours: 6 are sleeping, 10 are working, 1.5 are driving, and the rest are getting my family ready for another long and busy day. (AKA< taking care of my two kids by myself)
As previously stated, you have no clue what anyone elses lives/goals/intensity are, you are judging them on what, one half hour session on the treadmill? And while I personally, and I am sure you, would love to be as fit as possible and work out hard as much as possible, NOT EVERYONE HAS THAT GOAL! They paid for their gym membership and if they wanna walk and read with their time there, who cares??
ETA: I dont personally read on the treadmill, but I will watch a show or most of the time, if anything, listen to an audio book
I dont care...
I asked for opinions on the topic..and thank you for sharing yours...0 -
I use my iPod Touch to watch stuff when I'm on the treadmill. It can get kind of boring just looking straight ahead whilst walking/running.
I don't watch anything whilst lifting, though.0
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