Too clean!

so I joined up at the local lifetime fitness today and did my first workout there. Now in my experience the first time training in any gym is never great, each varies slightly in etiquette, feel, equipment, layout ect and until you feel comfortable you don't work out 100%. Not to mention I am just getting back into training and had already worked out Monday and Tuesday so was somewhat tired, and woke up unexplainably at 4AM for a couple of hours, and was training at a different time of day to normal.

Anyway putting these aside I am not convinced by the gym, but the best way to explain it is that it's too clean. After years training in crappy gyms with no natural daylight and equipment older than me it seems weird to train at this place. I kind of get the feeling from rocky 3 (I think) where he trainings in the modern plush gym and loses his edge, so goes back to the crap hole gym to find it. I like crap hole gyms and this place is way too nice. That said it's $10 a month more expensive than the local rec center (council gym) and has way better amenities... If only there were a craphole gym nearby.

Pet peeves... I

Yesterday at the gym I was remembered of one of my pet peeves, people who use the exact same weight for lots of different exercises. I can do dumbbell rows with twice the weight I can overhead press and this is again twice the weight I use for deltoid raises. Each exercise is different because you are stressing different muscles in different ways, so guess what, you need a different weight to do them effectively.

I know there are people who work primarily on cardio and so rush through a series of exercises trying to tax the heart and lungs rather than the muscles, and these people I will give some slack to. However the majority of the offenders are not trying to do this, they just do not understand that different muscles have different needs.

If you work one of the large muscle groups with the same weight as one of the smaller muscles, you will simply not train the larger muscle properly. If you are training at the rate of the smallest muscle group you are both stunting you own progress (be that muscle growth, weight loss or "toning") and will end up with a bizarre body type with big secondary muscles and underdeveloped large core muscles.

Corporate chain gyms,

Corporate chain gyms are run to make money, occupied by clientele who think that they can purchase fitness and funded by those who were suckered into membership plans they don't want. Indeed this is my biggest gripe with these establishments, they offer long term, expensive and restrictive membership options sold by used car salesmen who lock you into multi-year memberships before you can try the place out to see if it fits your requirements.

In order to keep the place looking so pristine it seems all is done to keep drive away people who actually workout. Whilst during the sales pitch the sectorized machines appear to be plentiful and immaculate this is because on closer inspection they are predominantly useless focusing on very specific muscles, doing nothing for strength any supporting muscles or overall fitness and so remain lightly used.

On the plus side the cardio equipment is generally excellent, well arranged well maintained and surrounded by an impressive array of media options. Now I am not a big cardio fiend and the few I know do cardio where you can do it for free - outside. I can only assume this is generally true as looking around most users are reading, watching TV or talking on cell phones... none of which you should be able to do if your pushing your limits.

That said the free weights are generally insufficient both in quantity and range and whilst neatly arranged that is usually so the gym can devote as little space as possible to them. These weights and people who use them are unwelcome reminders that the gym should be about working out not posing on flashy equipment.

The regular attendees (and apologies to anyone who breaks this mold), seem to think that getting fit is a matter of going to the gym regardless of what you do there. You rarely see them break a sweat, they unusually spend more time chatting (either on a cell phone or to other patrons) than exercising and the immaculate latest fashion lets you know they spent more time than that picking out an outfit. The fashion also runs past the clothing and to the myriad of bizarre fad classes you can take.