reading while at the gym, really?

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  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
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    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'...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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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 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???
  • cplanoue41
    cplanoue41 Posts: 34 Member
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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 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
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
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    so you can read a book, deadlift, and concentrate on story line???
    You can deadlift on a treadmill? That's what this whole thing is about, right? Reading while on a treadmill?
  • alikonda
    alikonda Posts: 2,358 Member
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    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.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    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?
  • alikonda
    alikonda Posts: 2,358 Member
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    Deleted -- accidental double-post
  • megabyt23
    megabyt23 Posts: 580 Member
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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? lol
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,002 Member
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    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.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    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...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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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 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...
  • been285
    been285 Posts: 99 Member
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    Why it's almost as bad as listening to an mp3 player ..... really.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    so you can read a book, deadlift, and concentrate on story line???
    You can deadlift on a treadmill? That's what this whole thing is about, right? Reading while on a treadmill?

    go back and read the post..it was a comment on my workout routine.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Why it's almost as bad as listening to an mp3 player ..... really.

    care to expand on that?
  • EmilyEmpowered
    EmilyEmpowered Posts: 650 Member
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    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
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
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    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.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    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?
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
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    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...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Options
    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...
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 Member
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    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.

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