Gyms: You Are Supposed To Sweat!!!

[Shadow Wolf]

I don't get it either myself as to why someone would pay for a gym membership and not really use it. Why even show up if you aren't going to put in the effort into carving out a stronger, healthier you?
And I hate, hate, HATE when someone hogs a machine not by using it, but by sitting on their *** and having a conversation on their cell phone.

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, there are those (mainly women) who think they can become more "fit" by curling 5 pounds for 50 reps. That is done in feeder workouts, and it's a very effective means of increasing bloodflow and elimimating fat (making veins and definition more prominent), but it should not constitute the whole of one's workout routine. It's great for beginners, but in order to achieve significant muscle growth, one must progress in the amount of weight they lift.

Generally speaking, women aren't in it to bulk up but rather tone up, and in that case low-weight/high-rep lifts are appropriate. Even toning up you'll increase in strength, but not like you will with the high-weight/low-rep lifts that will bulk you up and adding plates to your bar. And even with guys, some don't want big muscles but well defined and toned muscles. And it still makes you more fit even if your goal is not to bulk up.

 

[Penumbra]

Countless times I have seen people come to the gym, hang around for an hour or so, and then leave having never broken a sweat. If you are not sweating, you are not working out. I am going to blast both genders with this post...

Women: do not come to the gym with your hair fixed and makeup painted on your face. If you are one of these women, stop right now. You are not working out. Chances are, you view the gym as a place for a social gathering. You do not put in the hard work to make positive changes to your body. I see women at the gym who have been going for years and their bodies have not changed for the better. That is because they do not give it any effort...and they stink the place up with their mix of perfume, body lotion and hairspray. Oh, and don't let one of the neanderthals below "train" you...chances are they want you to mimic their routine which is complete BS. The female body has different needs.

Men: if your idea of working out is to jump on an exercise, crank out 10 reps with a 1 second pace between each rep, and you never slow down, you are doing it wrong. Your final reps should be a struggle, otherwise you are going too light (which is why you never get any bigger). Chances are, you are the person that gets done, jumps up, gives high fives to your fellow neanderthals, flexes in the mirror and then walks around for 5 minutes ogling the women listed above. Science has already shown that a 3-1-3 count is far superior than your rat race pace that you usually crank out, not to mention to limit your rest period to no more than 2 minutes between sets. Get a damn clue.

Gyms...you are supposed to be sore, you are supposed to sweat, you are supposed to be breathing heavy.

Eh, the way I see it, every workout should be fun.

When people go to the gym day after day and are miserable, I just don't get it. Life's too short to spend much time doing things that aren't fun, and there are so many fun ways both inside and outside of a gym to stay in great shape. I personally prefer mountain biking, some sprints, and pull-ups, push-ups, and squats to gym workouts these days. It's cheap and just feels fun rather than a chore, and doubles as a way to spend time in sunshine in nature. But even in a gym (which I resort to in winter), I can have a lot of fun there while working hard.

Generally speaking, women aren't in it to bulk up but rather tone up, and in that case low-weight/high-rep lifts are appropriate. Even toning up you'll increase in strength, but not like you will with the high-weight/low-rep lifts that will bulk you up and adding plates to your bar. And even with guys, some don't want big muscles but well defined and toned muscles. And it still makes you more fit even if your goal is not to bulk up.

From my experience and reading, high-weight/low/rep lifts don't necessarily bulk women up. Or even men for that matter. A lot of bodybuilders that intend to bulk up use isolation exercises with moderate weight and reps, and a dedicated hardcore weight-gaining diet, not to mention supplements.

I did powerlifting and several other types of compound lifts for several years during and after college, for fun and strength. It was all high-weight/low-rep compound lifts, usually under 5 reps to failure and occasional tests of my 1-rep maxes. I incrementally built up to heavier and heavier lifts with only about ten pounds of muscle gain on my body. It just became a bit more toned and dense, and only a little bit bigger while still staying very thin. Without a lot of testosterone and without a diet that's dedicated to building mass, strength and tone can easily increase without bulk.