Gym Observation

[khenning]

So I went to the gym last night for the first time in a while. I just wanted to work up a good sweat. But while I was on the elliptical I noticed something. The "skinny" people actually looked really bony and weak. I guess that just shows how my perspective has changed. I no longer want to look like any of those cardio kings and queens. I just thought I'd share.

[ETFnerd]

I have a different, contrasting observation. I work out in a gym with people who have bodybuilding pro cards and what I see is a lot muscle mass that serves no other function other than being big for the sake of being big. In BB, I guess size and aesthetic is the goal, but I always wonder why? In addition, the health cost of maintaining so much mass with no physical function seems excessive. Everyone has goals. Some are reasonable and practical, others seem more like flights of fancy. I guess it all depends on what makes us happy as individuals.

When I lift or run I get satisfaction from knowing that I am working out a really large muscle group. The upper body and your core are the others. At high enough intensity your endorphins will kick in and muscle growth will occur, but if a supermodel is happy making millions of $ achieving a look that is unhealthy but right for the camera and the tastes of people who consume that body image, who am I to overlay my beliefs over hers. It's her body and her life.

[Guest Snake McClain]

To me it seems like there are two ends of a long spectrum of "fitness". I don't understand the whole run until there's nothing left of your body idea, and i don't understand the build muscle just for the sake of building. Being huge just to be huge makes no sense to me. comparing your biceps to someone else again makes no sense to me. What makes sense is having a goal and being happy with yourself. Being fit. Having a good strong heart and lungs. Living to your fullest. So i guess if these people really feel like they have that then good for them but it seems a lot of time they are doing it for some sort of appearance as opposed to personal approval. But i'm not in their head so who am i to judge? Just my two cents.

I used to hate going to the gym specifically because of these types of meat heads ETFnerd mentioned. I used to think 'man i can't compare to that. why am i even here?' Now I know why I'm there and i feel better in 20-40 minutes and i know i worked harder than they do in HOURS. i'm covered in sweat and trembling at the end of my workouts. I love it. This site is fantastic as a source of direction.

[andygates]

Heh. I had someone - one of our bodybuilders - ask why I did those deadlifts and never worked on my (admittedly pretty puny-looking) biceps. I just grinned and said "I like picking up heavy things!" and he walked away shaking his head. Being strong made no sense to him. It's a broad church.

[ebm1224]

i always think that, from a purely aesthetic point of view, some people look good a little heavier. i'm only 5ft4 and some people my height could be 110lbs and look great. me, in the past when i've been lighter, i think i look weak. granted, this is also because i wasn't eating well and had some medical stuff going on. but, still. i don't know that i'll ever want to be "skinny." i want to be healthy, and fit, and look strong. but i think women often look better with a little extra "meat."

[bigm141414]

Bones are unattractive. Just sayin....

[67alecto]

To me it seems like there are two ends of a long spectrum of "fitness". I don't understand the whole run until there's nothing left of your body idea, and i don't understand the build muscle just for the sake of building. Being huge just to be huge makes no sense to me. comparing your biceps to someone else again makes no sense to me. What makes sense is having a goal and being happy with yourself. Being fit. Having a good strong heart and lungs. Living to your fullest. So i guess if these people really feel like they have that then good for them but it seems a lot of time they are doing it for some sort of appearance as opposed to personal approval. But i'm not in their head so who am i to judge? Just my two cents.

Really, anyone who chooses to put themselves into any part of that wide spectrum will have a similar lack of understanding for the others. You end up looking and performing like what you train for. If your sport is bodybuilding, you'll look like a bodybuilder. If you train for marathons, you'll look and run like a marathoner. Each is fit in different ways and for different reasons. For the people who aren't dedicated to any particular sport, they'll measure the fitness is less tangible ways (strength vs mass, for example). Robert Heinlein would be happy..."Specialization is for insects".

There's a great example from an article written a few years ago about Lance Armstrong's fitness and how it would translate to running. Based on his body's VO2 level, he should be able to beat the world record for the New York Marathon by 3 minutes. When he actually ran it, he was nearly an hour slower than the record.

[BAMF]

i always think that, from a purely aesthetic point of view, some people look good a little heavier. i'm only 5ft4 and some people my height could be 110lbs and look great. me, in the past when i've been lighter, i think i look weak. granted, this is also because i wasn't eating well and had some medical stuff going on. but, still. i don't know that i'll ever want to be "skinny." i want to be healthy, and fit, and look strong. but i think women often look better with a little extra "meat."

Word. I'm 5'4" too and so is Spezzy from what I read. I have never seen 110 since reaching this height, and I don't think I would want to. I haven't been skinny but I've been skinny fat (still am, but working on it) and it's not fun. I want to be able to do things. Like throw zombies out of my way, or pull myself up from a ledge should I find myself hanging off one. I don't really care all that much about body fat, if it's not affecting my performance. Though I may eventually try to cut some of it, just to see what that will look like. I want to get my strength up first.

I already know what is going to suck about cutting, because I did it inadvertently when I started. Hmm, not being able to progress and I lost a few lbs, wonder why that happened? Then I started eating more and being able to progress. I don't care about eating less, that's my default situation anyway and I'm gorging almost uncomfortably now but progressing. So cutting is basically, eating my normal amount but working just as hard at the gym without being able to progress.

[aj_rock]

Admittedly, I think cardiovascular health is one of the first things you should look for when first getting into fitness. All things aside, it does the most for overall health and energy levels. Add everything in at the right times though, and there is no reason for anyone not getting into BBing or marathons to tend toward one extreme or the other.

[TibbyUK]

I am quite stocky due to my frame and build, but I would rather be a lean kind of muscular than someone who looks like a juice head.

I would much rather look like a Ryan Reynolds than an Arnold Schwarzenegger...

But I completely agree, some of the wirey people look far too skinny.

[andygates]

I wouldn't object to looking like Arnie. Far more likely to end up looking like Kaz, though.

[jdanger]

Everyone has different goals, motivations and whatever. Beyond a minimum level of fitness to maintain longevity and quality of life it's all pretty arbitrary from a distant enough perspective.

That said, I'm in the "be stronger than you look" camp.

[m00se]

The trend for women being skinny to the point of bony is highly unattractive. I just can't understand it. You can't snuggle up to a goddamn xylophone.

[lostintranslatn]

There's a girl in my office who's so skin and bones she looks like she's sick. Her skin is practically translucent, her arms are the size of a child's, there's NO muscle on her whatsoever. The other day my own fitness routines came up in conversation and she wistfully said, "I should start working out." Immediately, the other women in the office jumped in and said, "What? No way! We exercise so we can look like you!" The skinny girl protested and tried to explain she can't even climb a flight of stairs without being desperately out of breath, but they were adamant about wanting to be that way too. It was so shocking to me! I guess I've been so thoroughly in my own world of getting stronger, feeling great, reading Nerd Fitness, etc. that I forgot a huge population wants that bony, weak aesthetic. God, but they're missing out!

(Also interesting to note that the guys in the office kept their mouths shut while the women raved about looking like a skeleton.)

[khenning]

The trend for women being skinny to the point of bony is highly unattractive. I just can't understand it. You can't snuggle up to a goddamn xylophone.

Love this. Best line I've read in a while.

[The Tin Man]

I guess I've been so thoroughly in my own world of getting stronger, feeling great, reading Nerd Fitness, etc.

Do you know her well enough to introduce her to the world of Nerd Fitness? Sounds like she could use some strength training!

[lostintranslatn]

Do you know her well enough to introduce her to the world of Nerd Fitness? Sounds like she could use some strength training!

I actually do know her well enough...I should do that! (And then I should delete my post so she doesn't hear how sickly I think she currently looks!)

[Denny]

(Also interesting to note that the guys in the office kept their mouths shut while the women raved about looking like a skeleton.)

They don't seem to understand the importance of a man's opinion in this context.

I actually do know her well enough...I should do that! (And then I should delete my post so she doesn't hear how sickly I think she currently looks!)

I don't think there's any need to delete your post. It's not like you brought her up out of ill will. You want her to get healthy, I don't see what could be bad about that? Honesty always prevails, even if it could hurt a bit at first.