Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition • Hacker News Board

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#31

Post by DoofusOfDeath » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:19 PM UTC

Did the "shutdown normal gym" mean that patrons would be violating whatever policies forced the gym to shutdown in the first place?

If so, that really bothers me. Any excess contagion would endanger everyone, not just the gym users. Please consider reporting the details to the appropriate authorities.

EDIT: If someone is inclined to downvote this comment, I'd be very grateful for a clarification why (comment or DM). I'm trying to address some problems in my communication style, and I can't always infer how I could have done better.

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#32

Post by chelovek89 » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:20 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #6

I don't get it. Unless you're training for a very specific purpose (like an MMA fight or football season), why do you need specific indoor gym equipment? Shelter in place orders are largely lifted, so you can workout outside: run, do pull ups on a tree branch, ride a bike, lift a heavy stone, do an outdoor yoga class, etc. Hell, you only need maybe a 6' x 6' area for a perfectly effective body weight routine, even in…

Your right to something shouldn't be based on whether or not you "need" it. I'm fortunate enough to be in a state with open gyms and have nothing but respect for people who are taking risks to work out. Anyways, "needs": gym equipment has proper grips and cushioning for safe use over long periods of time. I'm less likely to blow out my back using proper form at the gym than with Macgyvered equipment at home. I need to go to the gym to use this equipment because lockdowns have caused a shortage and it's really, really, expensive to buy all the equipment yourself. You can also track and improve your performance over time with consistent incremental weights: I know that 10 additional pounds of resistance will always be 10 pounds, something that a bag of rocks can't replicate. Lastly, weight training creates a different physique to body weight training, endurance training/running, etc. You cannot decide that this physique is worth any less than the others.

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#33

Post by jdminhbg » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:20 PM UTC

mikestew wrote: post #13

dfxm12 wrote: post #6

I don't get it. Unless you're training for a very specific purpose (like an MMA fight or football season), why do you need specific indoor gym equipment? Shelter in place orders are largely lifted, so you can workout outside: run, do pull ups on a tree branch, ride a bike, lift a heavy stone, do an outdoor yoga class, etc. Hell, you only need maybe a 6' x 6' area for a perfectly effective body weight routine, even in…

Read the description of the folks that invaded one person's private speakeasy gym: "gym bros" who were described as "grunting and using all the equipment, taking selfies in the mirror, flexing their triceps". I'm guessing there's more to it than just getting pumped, perhaps there's an audience component, too.

Those passages said a lot more about NPR and its audience than the gym-goers, really.

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#34

Post by golemotron » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:20 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #6

I don't get it. Unless you're training for a very specific purpose (like an MMA fight or football season), why do you need specific indoor gym equipment? Shelter in place orders are largely lifted, so you can workout outside: run, do pull ups on a tree branch, ride a bike, lift a heavy stone, do an outdoor yoga class, etc. Hell, you only need maybe a 6' x 6' area for a perfectly effective body weight routine, even in…

> why do you need specific indoor gym equipment

s/need/want/

This article could just as easily have been written about speakeasy bars that have opened during lockdown.

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#35

Post by dfxm12 » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:20 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #20

dfxm12 wrote: post #6

I don't get it. Unless you're training for a very specific purpose (like an MMA fight or football season), why do you need specific indoor gym equipment? Shelter in place orders are largely lifted, so you can workout outside: run, do pull ups on a tree branch, ride a bike, lift a heavy stone, do an outdoor yoga class, etc. Hell, you only need maybe a 6' x 6' area for a perfectly effective body weight routine, even in…

"Lift a heavy stone"? That's a joke, right? Barbells and dumbbells are appropriately ergonomic (handles, balance, etc.) and won't ruin your back if you use proper technique. Lifting a heavy stone is a recipe for injuring yourself severely . People need specific indoor gym equipment if they lift, which is a very valid form of exercise. Or, you know, if it's raining or thunderstorming or a humid 100°F outside. And body…

You can't just dismiss the fitness routines people have spent years choosing and refining and getting better at. That's incredibly arrogant.

More arrogant than putting other lives at risk because you can't put your routine on hold, or alter it for a bit? No. It isn't.

"Lift a heavy stone"? That's a joke, right?

No, and it's part of strongman competitions. It's not dangerous if you have the right form and don't overdo it. Same as dumbbells & barbells.

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#36

Post by twic » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:21 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #20

dfxm12 wrote: post #6

I don't get it. Unless you're training for a very specific purpose (like an MMA fight or football season), why do you need specific indoor gym equipment? Shelter in place orders are largely lifted, so you can workout outside: run, do pull ups on a tree branch, ride a bike, lift a heavy stone, do an outdoor yoga class, etc. Hell, you only need maybe a 6' x 6' area for a perfectly effective body weight routine, even in…

"Lift a heavy stone"? That's a joke, right? Barbells and dumbbells are appropriately ergonomic (handles, balance, etc.) and won't ruin your back if you use proper technique. Lifting a heavy stone is a recipe for injuring yourself severely . People need specific indoor gym equipment if they lift, which is a very valid form of exercise. Or, you know, if it's raining or thunderstorming or a humid 100°F outside. And body…

Where would i even find a heavy stone?

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#37

Post by jordan801 » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:21 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #6

I don't get it. Unless you're training for a very specific purpose (like an MMA fight or football season), why do you need specific indoor gym equipment? Shelter in place orders are largely lifted, so you can workout outside: run, do pull ups on a tree branch, ride a bike, lift a heavy stone, do an outdoor yoga class, etc. Hell, you only need maybe a 6' x 6' area for a perfectly effective body weight routine, even in…

I'm what some would call a gym rat. I have my own home Gym though.

Working out has solved a ton of problems for me. Anxiety, Depression, Mood Swings, Rage. You get into a routine, and you don't want anyone or anything to mess with it. It's what makes you feel good. For me its the difference between a productive day and an unproductive one.

Changing things up, especially with improvisation, can result in injury. Or just not getting a desired result. For example, I squat 400lbs or more. Would I try to squat a 400lbs stone, not only no, but hell no.

For some that go to real gyms, it's not just the workout. It's the comradery that comes with doing hard things with friends. It's socialization.

I think it has very little to do with being a rebel or a denier, and a lot more to do with it being a way of life, for a lot of us.

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#38

Post by Ansil849 » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:22 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #7

have_faith wrote: post #4

> Her work makes it hard for her to talk to reporters, so we're not using her last name Surely if you feel it necessary to omit someones last name you should err on the side of caution and omit their first name too? A fist name narrows a search down significantly.

How do you know they gave her real first name?

Owing to the fact that they said they are omitting her surname but said nothing about changing her first name.

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#39

Post by Consultant32452 » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:22 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #6

I don't get it. Unless you're training for a very specific purpose (like an MMA fight or football season), why do you need specific indoor gym equipment? Shelter in place orders are largely lifted, so you can workout outside: run, do pull ups on a tree branch, ride a bike, lift a heavy stone, do an outdoor yoga class, etc. Hell, you only need maybe a 6' x 6' area for a perfectly effective body weight routine, even in…

Removing anything associated with people's identity is going to cause a ruckus. A lot of these things are part of people's mental and physical health regimens. The story is the same for bars, gyms, churches, etc.

Re: Secret gyms and the economics of prohibition

#40

Post by hammock » Wed, Aug 19, 2020, 4:23 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #6

I don't get it. Unless you're training for a very specific purpose (like an MMA fight or football season), why do you need specific indoor gym equipment? Shelter in place orders are largely lifted, so you can workout outside: run, do pull ups on a tree branch, ride a bike, lift a heavy stone, do an outdoor yoga class, etc. Hell, you only need maybe a 6' x 6' area for a perfectly effective body weight routine, even in…

You can work outside but you are limited by the weather, and by available equipment. In quarantine it has been impossible to find a squat rack and a complete set of barbell plates. Whereas every gym (besides planet fitness) will have several of these.

Further, "Heavy stone" workouts do not easily lend themselves to progressive overload, or varied programming.