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What works for me is the exact opposite of this. I do not like anything resembling classes. I go to the gym and do weightlifting. No fixed times to show up, eve

What works for me is the exact opposite of this. I do not like anything resembling classes. I go to the gym and do weightlifting. No fixed times to show up, everybody can work on their own, it is all about you. The main motivation comes from beating your own personal records or looking better, which happens incredibly fast in the beginning. After a while addiction and routine set in plus you develop a fear to lose your gains, which being a human bias is worse than not getting any. Sure, you want to beat others, but there are so many factors that play into this, so it is quite relaxed. You can bring a buddy with you, but after a few months you become a regular and notice more and more people you have talked to once. Now it is more like going to a club where you can do your thing. Because of the pauses between sets and the obvious topic (everybody is thinking about how much they can lift) it is super easy to have a shallow talk to a stranger. Since you have talked to them once, in the future they will come up to you if they need a spot.

saiya-jin 10y ago
i am in the same bandwagon (free weights & treadmill, rest is done outside) and from my perspective - there are people who can enjoy any generic activity on their own. if there are in group of friends, fine, but it's not mandatory, and in fact sometimes can be annoying. I am like this, set my own speed/intensity, but my goals are not bodybuilding nor power-lifting. then there are those who don't do almost anything alone. bike ride? only with friends, otherwise no ride. going to run in the gym? only with friend/colleague. I am not this type so cannot really comprehend the necessity of companionship at (almost) all costs. but then I am more introvertish, so it kinda makes sense
- uola 10y ago
  Most people "going to the gym" at one point have to come to terms with that it's to some extent a waste of time. Yes, you get more fit, but that's about it. Begin able to combine getting fit with a hobby, making friends, having an experience or other things that make up for a balanced life usually provides more value.
  - stuxnet79 10y ago
    > Most people "going to the gym" at one point have to come to terms with that it's to some extent a waste of time. This is precisely why I stopped going. Altogether I was spending probably 2 hours at the gym (this includes time spent commuting and showering). I wasn't seeing any substantial gains and was getting increasingly annoyed by how full the gym was and how I couldn't leisurely do my work-outs without somebody making me feel uncomfortable for occupying a certain machine. I wouldn't mind going back to the gym, but I would definitely have to avoid peak hours for it to be worthwhile. Best thing would be for me to buy the machines outright but my apartment is small and I don't have the space.
    - allendoerfer 10y ago
      The problem is not that going to the gym is a waste of time, but what you did there and how you did it was.
      - stuxnet79 10y ago
        It wasn't a waste of time in the sense that I wasn't getting anything out of it (while I didn't sense the physical/aesthetic benefit, the psychological benefit was noticeable). Gym to me was a waste of time in the sense that it was preventing me from doing what I really needed to do (ramp up my technical skills during evenings). If I had a job that was fulfilling enough, paid good and had a reasonable pay/role progression I would definitely go to the gym. Going to the gym for 45 min and unwinding at home afterwards is fantastic. But I don't have that sort of luxury right now at my place in life. I need to strengthen my portfolio considerably.
        nradov 10y ago
        False trade off. You will think more clearly, be more productive, and learn faster with a fit body.
  - allendoerfer 10y ago
    You get fit, you can sleep better, it calms you down, you have a good time there, you accomplish something. Why is "going to the gym" not a hobby? There is plenty of different stuff you can do and focus on and switch to after something else becomes boring or to easy. I wouldn't say that other activities provide more value for a balanced life, I would argue, that going to the gym makes it easier to have a balanced life (focus on food, sleep, persistence, getting relaxed, reduced stress levels etc.).
pmarreck 10y ago
> incredibly fast in the beginning Hey, I remember being not-44 lol
- allendoerfer 10y ago
  If you do free weight exercises, the first improvements you make have nothing to do with raw strength but with learning the proper technique and building a movement pattern. Your smaller stabilizing muscles learn what to do. You progress very fast. Within a few weeks you learn how to do it and you lose the shakiness.
  - L_226 10y ago
    Hi, sorry but this is false. There are no such thing as 'stabilising muscles'. Whilst you do learn the proper technique over time (and this eliminates 'shakiness') - this is due to muscle memory and improved proprioception and NOT an increase in strength in stabilising muscles. One caveat - you may improve core strength which could help with stability for some of the more dynamic lifts. Generally on the internet when people say 'stabilising muscles' they have the impression that humans have little extra muscles in the shoulder that help with keeping a bar horizontal or some such which is of course ridiculous. Source - college athlete.
    - allendoerfer 10y ago
      Thanks for the correction. Maybe I have to rephrase a bit, it is not shakiness but outright bad form, for example when you do squats or deadlifts and your knees move inwards, it is because of a weak vastus medialis [0] (had to google that), which is a stabilizing muscle, not the main muscle involved in squats. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastus_medialis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastus_medialis
  - pmarreck 10y ago
    I started a twice a week program with a personal trainer almost 2 months ago. Looking to up it to 3x/week soon. So far so good. Still have some shakiness.

saiya-jin 10y ago

i am in the same bandwagon (free weights & treadmill, rest is done outside) and from my perspective - there are people who can enjoy any generic activity on their own. if there are in group of friends, fine, but it's not mandatory, and in fact sometimes can be annoying. I am like this, set my own speed/intensity, but my goals are not bodybuilding nor power-lifting. then there are those who don't do almost anything alone. bike ride? only with friends, otherwise no ride. going to run in the gym? only with friend/colleague. I am not this type so cannot really comprehend the necessity of companionship at (almost) all costs. but then I am more introvertish, so it kinda makes sense

uola 10y ago
Most people "going to the gym" at one point have to come to terms with that it's to some extent a waste of time. Yes, you get more fit, but that's about it. Begin able to combine getting fit with a hobby, making friends, having an experience or other things that make up for a balanced life usually provides more value.
- stuxnet79 10y ago
  > Most people "going to the gym" at one point have to come to terms with that it's to some extent a waste of time. This is precisely why I stopped going. Altogether I was spending probably 2 hours at the gym (this includes time spent commuting and showering). I wasn't seeing any substantial gains and was getting increasingly annoyed by how full the gym was and how I couldn't leisurely do my work-outs without somebody making me feel uncomfortable for occupying a certain machine. I wouldn't mind going back to the gym, but I would definitely have to avoid peak hours for it to be worthwhile. Best thing would be for me to buy the machines outright but my apartment is small and I don't have the space.
  - allendoerfer 10y ago
    The problem is not that going to the gym is a waste of time, but what you did there and how you did it was.
    - stuxnet79 10y ago
      It wasn't a waste of time in the sense that I wasn't getting anything out of it (while I didn't sense the physical/aesthetic benefit, the psychological benefit was noticeable). Gym to me was a waste of time in the sense that it was preventing me from doing what I really needed to do (ramp up my technical skills during evenings). If I had a job that was fulfilling enough, paid good and had a reasonable pay/role progression I would definitely go to the gym. Going to the gym for 45 min and unwinding at home afterwards is fantastic. But I don't have that sort of luxury right now at my place in life. I need to strengthen my portfolio considerably.
      - nradov 10y ago
        False trade off. You will think more clearly, be more productive, and learn faster with a fit body.
- allendoerfer 10y ago
  You get fit, you can sleep better, it calms you down, you have a good time there, you accomplish something. Why is "going to the gym" not a hobby? There is plenty of different stuff you can do and focus on and switch to after something else becomes boring or to easy. I wouldn't say that other activities provide more value for a balanced life, I would argue, that going to the gym makes it easier to have a balanced life (focus on food, sleep, persistence, getting relaxed, reduced stress levels etc.).

pmarreck 10y ago

> incredibly fast in the beginning Hey, I remember being not-44 lol

allendoerfer 10y ago
If you do free weight exercises, the first improvements you make have nothing to do with raw strength but with learning the proper technique and building a movement pattern. Your smaller stabilizing muscles learn what to do. You progress very fast. Within a few weeks you learn how to do it and you lose the shakiness.
- L_226 10y ago
  Hi, sorry but this is false. There are no such thing as 'stabilising muscles'. Whilst you do learn the proper technique over time (and this eliminates 'shakiness') - this is due to muscle memory and improved proprioception and NOT an increase in strength in stabilising muscles. One caveat - you may improve core strength which could help with stability for some of the more dynamic lifts. Generally on the internet when people say 'stabilising muscles' they have the impression that humans have little extra muscles in the shoulder that help with keeping a bar horizontal or some such which is of course ridiculous. Source - college athlete.
  - allendoerfer 10y ago
    Thanks for the correction. Maybe I have to rephrase a bit, it is not shakiness but outright bad form, for example when you do squats or deadlifts and your knees move inwards, it is because of a weak vastus medialis [0] (had to google that), which is a stabilizing muscle, not the main muscle involved in squats. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastus_medialis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastus_medialis
- pmarreck 10y ago
  I started a twice a week program with a personal trainer almost 2 months ago. Looking to up it to 3x/week soon. So far so good. Still have some shakiness.