Gym membership

[Graham]

I've taken this and put it into a new thread because it's something that I think would make an interesting discussion, but not in the Fuel Protests thread!

Originally Posted by basa

I suppose people can bring up all sorts of reasons to use a gym instead of doing what people used to do naturally 30 years ago, i.e. walk everywhere, ride a bike, run and all those other things like hand washing, hand washing-up, cooking and cleaning etc. etc.

I just think it's a little ironic that we pay to go to a gym get on a rowing machine (instead of rowing a proper boat), running on a treadmill looking at a screen showing views of the countryside (instead of running around a field chasing the dog or kids or a ball), lifting weights (instead of mowing a lawn or carrying shopping) etc. etc. It seems mad to me or am I missing something !

What about walking in the countryside up hill, down dale .. gets the heart pumping and the soft earth is kind on joints ? Loads of rambler groups out there.

There are several factors here:

1) Convenience.

There aren't many places around here (even in Portsmouth) where you can row a boat (well, apart from Canoe Lake, but that ain't very big!) or cycle in an efficient manner without having to start and stop all the time or breathe exhaust fumes.

Also if you're doing it at a gym, you can stop when it's convenient for you, eg you start feeling tired/ cramp etc you're not five miles away from home and have to get back before you can stop, relax and have a shower.

2) Availability.

You may not have a dog/ kids/ garden to play in etc.

3) Efficiency.

Mowing the lawn, carrying shopping etc are all very well and may help you burn fat, but they don't necessarily exercise the muscle groups you want to use, nor do they give you a cardio workout.

4) Company and motivation.

You meet other people at the gym, there are trainers and fitness instructors who can help you, exercise programmes, plus classes from Pilates to Body Pump to Yoga to Spinning (group exercise on exercise bikes) etc, giving you that extra spur, plus if you get into it regularly, you don't get the "I'm feeling tired, I'll maybe do it tomorrow" attitude that a "gym habit" avoids

These are just a few of the reasons that I've joined a gym recently and I don't regret it at all

[Ramrod]

We were regular gym users (4-5 times a week) till we had kids.....ho-hum

[punky]

Can't you just go out into the sea and row anyway? Or do currents make that unsafe?

Several reasons for me:

1. Safety reason 1: I don't have to worry about being mugged

2. Safety reason 2: I don't have to worry about being run over whilst hearing impared

3. Social: I meet people there (including the gym owner), and we all share tips (the gym owner does it for free). We give each other morale boosts and

4. Not having to keep stopping/slowing down and speeding up makes working out more efficient.

5. Wide range of machines helps combat boredom.

[Angua]

I have joined a Gym because I need to avoid high impact excercise. Unfortunately the high repetition advised for lengthening muscles and CV work causes me Bursitis. Arrrrrggggggg

I would love to know what excercises to do which neither impact on the Osteoarthritis or cause Bursitis. Please

[Chris W]

Originally Posted by Angua

I have joined a Gym because I need to avoid high impact excercise. Unfortunately the high repetition advised for lengthening muscles and CV work causes me Bursitis. Arrrrrggggggg

I would love to know what excercises to do which neither impact on the Osteoarthritis or cause Bursitis. Please

swimming...?

[Angua]

Originally Posted by Chris W

swimming...?

Can't swim very well either, and the school kids are there when I have the time to go.

Thanks for the thought though

[jtwn]

lifting weights (instead of mowing a lawn or carrying shopping) etc. etc.

You aren't going to build serious muscle by lifting shopping bags

I'd agree with everything you say, apart from bodybuilding. If people want to lose weight and get trim or whatever, get on your bike, its for sure the best way, second to swimming but that doesn't have the convienence factor. Variable difficulty also, so it can be easy on the heffers if you want it that way.

[me283]

When you go to a gym you can (technically) row, cycle, run, lift weights, and do a whole load of other things in the same location. It's not so easy outdoors (cycle to a lake, carry a boat to the water, leave it on the other side of the lake and run back?).

Gym machines help you to measure/guage progress and performance too.

Also, there are not the constraints of weather, traffic etc. Over the years I've done plenty of outdoor training for sport etc, and whilst I find the gym can be boring at times, for me the pros outweigh the cons.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by punky

Can't you just go out into the sea and row anyway? Or do currents make that unsafe?

Well there was the old joke about "you don't swim in the Solent, you just go through the motions" but supposedly they've fixed Eastney Sewage Outfall now!

But there aren't any places I know around here that hire rowing boats for use on the sea and I wouldn't think it was a good or safe idea.

Several reasons for me:

Yep, good reasons
__________________

Originally Posted by me283

Gym machines help you to measure/guage progress and performance too.

Damn, I knew I'd forgotten something!

Yep, they can give reading for calories burned, heartrate (ok, you can buy monitors) and Mets (whatever the hell they are! )

Also, there are not the constraints of weather, traffic etc. Over the years I've done plenty of outdoor training for sport etc, and whilst I find the gym can be boring at times, for me the pros outweigh the cons.

Me too.

[me283]

Originally Posted by Graham

Damn, I knew I'd forgotten something!

Yep, they can give reading for calories burned, heartrate (ok, you can buy monitors) and Mets (whatever the hell they are! )



Me too.

I don't think we're meant to know, they're just to try and confuse us

[punky]

Originally Posted by Graham

Damn, I knew I'd forgotten something!

Me too! Good reasons there, along with the weather points too.

Mets (whatever the hell they are! )

Its a gauge of how intense your workout by measuring calories burnt per minute, and comparing it with a baseline (average at-rest) metabolic rate.

Its quite useful (even if it has to guess your baseline metabolic rate), but noone i've come across seems to know what it means either.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by Graham

3) Efficiency.

Mowing the lawn, carrying shopping etc are all very well and may help you burn fat, but they don't necessarily exercise the muscle groups you want to use, nor do they give you a cardio workout.

The last part of that is critical, even with my still sub-optimal weight, mowing the lawn etc does not give me sufficient a work out.
Until I spent time with a personal trainer at the Gym, I had no idea what working muscles to exhaustion meant. You certainly don't do that mowing the grass.

[Salu]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

We were regular gym users (4-5 times a week) till we had kids.....ho-hum

Procreation - a different kind of exercise....

[ikthius]

Originally Posted by Graham

Yep, they can give reading for calories burned, heartrate (ok, you can buy monitors) and Mets (whatever the hell they are! )

METS is a formualtion to find out your metabolic rate.

if you times your METS by 3.5 (if I remember correctly) you get your VO2 Max your maximum volume of oxygen uptake.

so 12 Mets x 3.5 = 42 VO2

I fouind METS to be easier to understand than VO2, as it is a smaller nmumber and you can see how fit you are quicker.

the higher your number the fitter you are.
The highest I have ever seen/read about was 19 METS

ik

[Graham]

Originally Posted by ikthius

METS is a formualtion to find out your metabolic rate.

[...]

the higher your number the fitter you are.

Right, I understand those two bits