Anyone else worried about looking rediculous in a gym?

[Plasticroad1]

I go to the gym 6x a week. I love going to the gym. I love going to the gym because I'm working on MYSELF. Not meant to be egotistical, but that's the point of the gym is to work on yourself. When doing that, you don't have TIME to look at others and be concerned with what others are doing. 99 out of 100 people at the gym are focused on THEIR workout and won't look at you. Unless you are making really weird noises, throwing the weights around, or wearing clothes that are way too tight - no one is going to look at you. I tell all my clients that no one is paying attention to them in the gym. It really helps them concentrate on THEIR workout and not what everyone else is thinking - which is about themselves.

 

[nice_guy_here]

If you are doing the exercises you do with good form, the majority of people will not even notice you are there regardless of the weight. Some people may sneer, some may glance. Every-single-one of the people that step through those doors was a beginner at some point.

On the other hand, if you go in and start throwing around weights in some crazy quasi-CrossFit workout with no technique and screaming your head off, then yeah people are going to stare and comment.

There is never perfection, only progress. Words to live by, especially when it comes to training. Every workout you do gets you closer to where you wanted to be, and shows you where you new goalposts will lie. Also, fuck what other people think - put your headphones in, blast some music and smash it!

 

[cturbo05]

As a guy who's generally one of the strongest guys in any gym I walk into, I want to say that I have nothing but respect for anyone who comes in and works hard regardless of their size or strength.

Also, the biggest and strongest guys are usually the most willing to help. No one got that big or strong there without a lot of help from others and most of us are more than happy to carry on that tradition.

Quoted for truth!

 

[Permabulger]

Go the most part, my gym time is for me. I put on my blinders (metaphorically) and try to just focus on what I'm doing. I do feel self conscious sometimes, but as long as I keep moving forward in my routine, it all just goes away

 

[tftoo]

It’s natural to feel like people are watching you when you start out in the gym and it stems from your own self consciousness especially since you feel like everything you’re doing is the wrong way.
Over time you’ll realize that the majority of people are focusing on themselves and what their goals are while in the gym.
Sure one or two might watch you but that’s usually to make sure you’re safe and don’t injure yourself. As a personal trainer I say it to clients all the time... focus on you and let everyone else focus on whatever they need to focus on.

 

[deleted972421]

I used to snicker (to myself) the mere existence of 2- or 5-pound dumbbells until I totally destroyed my shoulder and had to do PT. Then I went to the gym owner and thanked her for having them. I'm at 98% of where I was before my injury, and it wouldn't have happened without my 3x daily PT routine.

 

[cturbo05]

Go the most part, my gym time is for me. I put on my blinders (metaphorically) and try to just focus on what I'm doing. I do feel self conscious sometimes, but as long as I keep moving forward in my routine, it all just goes away

Same here. I try not to pay attention to what others are doing and just listen to my music and lift heavy weights. A few people have commented on the amount of weight and others stare sometimes. I don't care, I just want to be better than I was yesterday and I'm proud of being natural (I'm not judging those who roid, it's just not my thing.) The cool thing about lifting is that there is always somewhere you can improve, and that is motivating for me.

 

[ericbear]

Basically One of the reasons I've stopped going to even Planet fitness, after my injury I had to start from zero. I'm a 6'3" dude lifting 20lbs at a time and I just feel like people are like "Psh Lightweight" Anyone else go through that? (Been working on a home gym. Bowflex has been working wonders.)

First, watch this video of Oliver Richters, a 7-foot-2 Dutch bodybuilder:

You'll notice that much of the time he isn't working out with particularly heavy weights. On the other hand, no one is going to argue with someone that looks like him...

Now about injuries and recovery from zero. Some years back, I was finally making something of my body. I shed 80 lbs of fat (260 down to 180), then succeeded in bulking up the upper body until it looked pretty good, particularly considering my age. I'd gained a little bit of a belly, and was just getting ready to loose that, and...

POP! Total rupture of the left bicep tendon at the elbow. No, I didn't do it in the gym (I was careful and sensible there.) I did it trying to be superman while doing the housework, while I happened to be on medication that as a side effect weakens tendons.

So, there was surgery. A slow recovery. Then complications, and a second surgery. A catheter in the other arm, so I had two arms I couldn't use. And on and on. For many months. In the end, I had a total recovery, and the arm looks perfect (I've seen others who had a much smoother recovery, but the bicep never looked right again, so I guess I can't complain too much.) But that was after gaining 40 lbs (no exercise, and couldn't cook healthy) and having arms atrophy to look like broomsticks first.

I had regular physical therapy appointments during recovery. First they had me do curls with just a 4 inch long piece of plastic pipe, just to get used to gripping and moving the arm. Then we worked up to half-pound dumbbells (yes, such things exist, they look like dog bones). Finally, I started making progress, and pretty quickly worked through everything at the PT center.

So, they sent me back to the regular gym to continue rehab. I got hooked up with a trainer who at the time (before he got serious about getting a degree) was a competitive bodybuilder, and took home trophies. He was huge. Guys would just stare at him with their mouths agape when he was in competition form. But I learned that not only was it natural, but he didn't work out with particularly heavy weight. In fact, every time we heard someone grunting, followed by a slamming of plates, he would just shake his head. "That idiot is going to hurt himself. He's just showing off, that's not how you do it." Or, "He's going to be sorry in 15 years." It turns out, he had injured himself, and had taken a different view of how to achieve his goals, which also made him excellent for my rehab. And yes, I probably did look ridiculous standing next to him working out with 5 or 10 lbs. But we actually made a lot of progress. And by the way, the serious bodybuilders at the gym all gave me their sympathies, not ridicule. Perhaps it was because the particular injury I sustained was one they all dread the possibility of. But I think there is more to it than that. Some people go to the gym to be seen and look pretty, i.e. for the same reasons people go to nightclubs. Other people go to the gym to be serious about taking care of their bodies, whatever their limitations may be at the moment, and living longer and healthier. You might consider trying to find the sort of gym that favors the second crowd.

I'm in my late 50's, so the body doesn't really want to cooperate. But, I finally have the upper body looking nice, arms in particular (tanks tops are my friends!), but also chest, and suddenly some delts popped up out of nowhere... After learning how you can break yourself, I'm not interested in "going heavy." Perseverance and moderation seem to be just as effective, and I don't really care what anyone thinks watching me work out. I much more value the compliments I've gotten outside the gym, ranging from at work ("Do they rip your shirt yet?") to the guy half my age who came all over me playing with Daddy's muscles. Now just to tackle the belly this summer....then see if I'm brave enough for some new pictures (without my dick).