Gyms are ruining physical health.

[Deleted]

I'm a cyclist, I do my exercise out on the road... However, with bad weather, it does look like a good idea to just use a bike in the gym

[Destruktion]

I think people running themselves into the ground trying to get in shape is the point where the physical activity they are engaging in can be considered unhealthy. Otherwise, the desire to get in shape is never a bad thing (barring mental illness).

[Anakso]

I was considering joining a gym when I first started dieting but then a friend gave me his exercise bike so I didn't feel the need. I already had some free weights my dad gave me ages ago so not really that much point for me to join a gym now. I can get fit in the comfort of my own home. When I'm on my exercise bike I'm usually watching Korean variety shows. Not something I could do at the gym.

[Deleted]

Lol@people who think you can't do leg workouts without a machine... seriously man?

Good luck doing proper leg work out with "one set of dumbbells". On the other hand if you had a barbell.

[Deleted]

The title is false 100% ,
switch Gym with Fast Food and it might make sense.
As for the rest of the post....It all depends on your preferences.

I used to play Waterpolo and Basketball(4y and 3 y respectively) b4 starting gym at age of 16.
Even tho i did sports all my life i never had six pack abs, and was extremely frustrated by it, i could run/swim for hours but i had no muscle(couldn't do 4 pushups)
My father wouldn't let me go before, since he didn't want me to stop growing, but when I hit 190cm by my 16th birthday, he finally let me go with him.
He was going to gym for 6 years already at the time, and he was huge.
His routines were mostly self tought from some old Soviet body building books, and i started doing the same routines with lower weights (started with 30kg on bench press)
He taught me the basics and after about 3-4 months i started going to gym by myself
In about 2 and a half years i had grown pretty strong and big (for 18 year old) but i felt like i was standing in place and was not progressing (bench press was stuck on 4x90kg), and looking back it was because i was doing pretty much same routines over and over, while using same machines.
At that time i had to complete the mandatory military service for 6 months, and opposite to what people might think i didn't get any more fit, i actually gained fat and lost muscle, even tho i did exercises and jogs in my "free" time.
When i finally came home i was so depressed i did not feel like working out at all, and i stayed that way for about 4 months until i saw Blade: Trinity on TV, and saw what Ryan Reynolds did with himself and how he looked in that movie.
It was the body that i envisioned for myself back when i started going to gym and that motivated me to start working out again.
I researched his diet and workout routine, modified it a bit for myself, hit the gym like crazy and 8 months later I was finally at that point.
190cm 83,5kg and 5% BF
That was 4 years ago, now I'm married, have a 1 year old kid, and an office job where i sit for 8h in a chair in front of the computer every day, Gym is the only thing keeping me healthy and looking fit, unlike most of my colleagues.
Now im on 89kg and 11% BF, but planning to get to around 86-7kg and at least 6-7%BF by spring/summer.

In the end is gym a must to stay healthy? No ofc not
There are plenty ways to stay healthy and fit that do not require you to go to gym.
On the other hand if you want to get fit/stay healthy/bulk up it offers a good environment to do so.

TLDR; Gym changed my life and has been keeping me fit/strong and healthy for past 8 years(soon 9 years).
It's not necessary for staying fit, as there are million other ways to do so, but it is a good environment to do so....
Everything depends on individual preference, motivation and persistence.

[kaamila]

i pay 10 dollars a month for my gym membership(gym is called YouFit). and for 10 bucks i get all the equipment i need, be it weights for specific parts of the body, treadmills with tvs, elliptical bikes and others that i dont have or would cost more than 10 bucks to get. although it may seem the same, running in place and using a treadmill, it sure as hell doesnt FEEL the same and would prefer the treadmill. maybe its time to find a better gym membership?

[The Riddler]

Gyms are fine. They are just incredibly inconvenient and sort of counter-intuitive to a 'daily' workout.

For me to stay fit, I work out 6 days a week. I have a bunch of dumbells at home, a pull up bar, and I do the P-90X system 6X a week in my own basement gym. I get up at 5:45 AM, work out for about an hour, and then shower and get ready for the day. Piece of cake. This lets me get in a good workout every day without a serious crimp in my schedule.

But if I was going to the GYM to do that? I'd have to get up at least at 4 AM. Get up. Get dressed. Get in car. Drive to gym. Do workout. Shower. Go home. Get changed for work. Going to the gym to do the same thing I get at home would add at least another 1.5 hours to the schedule. Maybe 2 hours, depending on the day. I would scale back to fit it in - or only do it 3 times a week instead of 6. It isn't that the gym is bad. The problem is that it is a big process to get to the gym, do the work out, shower, change, and get out. Just a lot faster and more convenient to do it at home. Plus you don't have to deal with the idiots who GRUNT! every time they lift, or some d-bag who doesn't wipe down the machine, or any of the other weird drama that you sometimes encounter at a gym.

[Deleted]

Weights really are not very cheap. In order for me to get a pretty bad squat rack I would need to pay over 800$ (olympic weights included). I don't have that sort of cash, so I instead go to a close by gym that costs 15-30$ (depending on what services you want) a month.

The problem lies with the person, and not the gym. If the person weren't so lazy, and ate healthy foods, they would be healthy.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 07:21 AM ----------

You certainly don't need to hit the gym in order to exercise. Most things can be done at home with your own body weight, and just about everyone can go for a run. The gym offers community which is encouraging and motivating for some people. Seeing others focused on the same goal helps them stay on track, and sometimes offers them something to shoot for. Maybe they'll see someone whose body impresses them and inspires them to kick it up a notch. Most people find it hard to find the will to work out alone; the gym offers unspoken support for those who struggle to self motivate.

If you're a man, that is not true at all. Most men want to get big and strong. You will not be able to put on muscle without weight training, and a body workout will only help if you're already very small to begin with.

[belfpala]

The OP seems to be in education. So... Isn't saying "you don't need a gym to get fit" basically the same as saying "you don't need a school to learn things"? Both getting fit and learning can be done without any formal structure. But there are great things to be said about having some structure. At a minimum, for example, even if I could afford a full set of gym equipment, I'd have nowhere to put it in my home.

[Deleted]

The OP seems to be in education. So... Isn't saying "you don't need a gym to get fit" basically the same as saying "you don't need a school to learn things"? Both getting fit and learning can be done without any formal structure. But there are great things to be said about having some structure. At a minimum, for example, even if I could afford a full set of gym equipment, I'd have nowhere to put it in my home.

I stay in shape by simply walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or riding my bike a lot instead of taking the car. I have no need for expensive equipment.
And I think you'll get a lot more structure into your life when you incorporate a workout into your natural routine instead of letting it be dependable upon a fixed location where visiting is completely optional.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 05:55 PM ----------

If you're a man, that is not true at all. Most men want to get big and strong. You will not be able to put on muscle without weight training, and a body workout will only help if you're already very small to begin with.

I thought the thread was about getting fit as opposed to getting muscular. Being fit is important for your health, being muscular serves no real purpose.
At least, for most people who visit the gym it adds absolutely nothing to their life. If you do heavy lifting in the harbour then I can totally understand being muscular serves a purpose as it comes naturally, but just visiting a gym to get a certain look is just childish if you ask me. If you aren't going to use those muscles for anything, then why have them?

[lockedout]

For most people gyms are another form of social networking and something to do to get out of the house.
It doesn't hurt that you get some exercise while doing that.

[belfpala]

I stay in shape by simply walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or riding my bike a lot instead of taking the car. I have no need for expensive equipment.
And I think you'll get a lot more structure into your life when you incorporate a workout into your natural routine instead of letting it be dependable upon a fixed location where visiting is completely optional.

I think you missed my observation.

But yes. I'm an "active" type. I think better when I pace around. I often walk around the house while reading books, even. I'm too impatient to wait for an elevator if I'm only going up a couple floors. And so on. Moving is a good thing.

[Taurenburger]

I came in this thread because of the title, as I think it's just completely wrong. Gyms aren't ruining physical health, they're helping people with working out.

However, after reading your OP I do have to agree with you. It is quite ignorant to think you have to go to the gym to get in shape. I have tried the machinery there and didn't like it. I rather get (stay, in my case) fit by doing gymnastics, running outside and playing football (soccer).

[Auloria]

I find that I work harder in a structured environment like a gym rather than at home or outside, where I tend to be very casual about exercise. It's still fine from a point of view of being healthy, but if I want to really get stronger I do much better going to a gym.

[moxyshock]

I think gyms are a great way to get in shape. Our gyms here do a calmer version of "The Biggest Loser" and people get great results out of it. Also, there's a lot of things that you can take advantage of (depending how good your gym is) that isn't a possibility for most to have at home. Just the sheer amount of options to work out with, tennis courts, raquetball, hot tub, sauna, and maybe high end equipment that's just extremely expensive or space hogging to own. I like my gym membership and with the help of my hubby I will lose all my baby weight.

Something else I wanted to reply to....earlier I read why would anyone want to look like those "gorilla" men.....my hubby is pretty big muscular wise and I love it. He looks incredibly sexy and I love getting to feel those muscles. =p Plus, he is absolutely amazing in bed...with his strength and stamina...well I don't want to get into too much detail.

[masta]

Gyms dont ruin your health unconcious exersizes , unhealthy eating , unhealty life style ruin your health. People shouldnt not have short term aims in sports and be realistic.

[yogapeeth]

I run around the territory where I live. I tried the entire treadmill/stair stepper/bike machine. It debilitated me from completing my day by day practice to head off the distance to the exercise center to sit set up and profess to be going some place.

---------- Post added 2013-06-30 at 02:07 AM ----------

You positively don't have to hit the rec center to practice. Generally things might be finished at home with your own particular form weight, and basically everybody can strive for a run. The exercise center offers neighborhood which is empowering and rousing for some individuals.

[Goatfish]

I go to the gym to do a gentlemans or a swimming workout. Everything else I do at home, at the park, or at work. It's just easier to have a cheap membership to go in and do some laps without worrying about a bunch of snot-nosed kids screaming in the pool, then going back into the lockers and just relaxing for a bit in the hot tub and wet or dry steam rooms. Sometimes I go out on the floor and do some stair-stepping, boxing, or other exercises I don't have access to elsewhere, but honestly my gym membership is a glorified pool and steam room membership when it comes down to it.

[Adam Jensen]

I live in a place where it snows thick in the winters and gets cold (and no, I'm not talking about Winterfell) so a gym membership is a necessity for those months. Besides, if I know I'm spending money on a membership, that motivates me to go and get my money's worth whereas I'd probably just come up with some excuse or procrastinate.

[smegmage]

I stay in shape by simply walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or riding my bike a lot instead of taking the car. I have no need for expensive equipment.
And I think you'll get a lot more structure into your life when you incorporate a workout into your natural routine instead of letting it be dependable upon a fixed location where visiting is completely optional.

---------- Post added 2013-06-29 at 05:55 PM ----------



I thought the thread was about getting fit as opposed to getting muscular. Being fit is important for your health, being muscular serves no real purpose.
At least, for most people who visit the gym it adds absolutely nothing to their life. If you do heavy lifting in the harbour then I can totally understand being muscular serves a purpose as it comes naturally, but just visiting a gym to get a certain look is just childish if you ask me. If you aren't going to use those muscles for anything, then why have them?

Fitness is a culmination of multiple things which includes strength training. You can stay in relative shape by simply staying active and eating properly, but if you want to take it to any serious level you need to include some form of strength training. For some people, that means going further than others.

For myself, I couldn't complete my workouts without a good power rack, barbels, dumbells, a multitude of weights and the space to accommodate them and that is simple not feasible. A gym provides awesome equipment and the space to do what I want to do. Just because you do not value what I or others chose to do does not invalidate it.