I think the reality is that most people just don't care much about going to the gym. There is a real societal pressure to feel obligated to 'get fit,' but that's not enough to create behavioral change, and it shouldn't be.
This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
61–70 of 127 posts
Re: This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
#62I'm actually pretty good about going to the gym, but I'm overweight anyway. The reason is that I'm good at doing what I should do, but bad about not doing what I shouldn't do.
A hard workout takes a while, but then you're done, and you feel great. Not eating the donut takes a while, but an hour later, you aren't done not eating the donut. Oh no, not at all. It still beckons.
Re: This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
#63I think those theories are missing the main point. Going to the gym is not fun, because gyms have a crappy user experience. So let's say you join a gym, but don't know very much about working out. You walk into a room with hundreds of machines, and are expected to know how to structure a work-out, how each machine works, be familiar with all the muscle groups and exercises, and also really care about planning out and…
Hmm, with the exception of the tiny mom and pop gyms just about every gym I've been to over the years has pushed an initial free personal trainer session with the hope you sign up for more.
Working out is, well, work. If you're out of shape it's not fun and if you don't have the motivation to get in shape it's not going to work. To be perfectly honest, I think that's what a good (read: effective) trainer does more than anything else - instill motivation. There's plenty of info on how to work out, and barring that, you can quickly observe how people use the equipment and their form. You can watch trainers instructing others. It's really not that hard. I started at 13 years old, years before the world wide web existed, and basically learned everything I needed from a subscription to a couple muscle mags. Aside from that, the only people I learned from initially were other friends my age that were also beginning to work out because we certainly didn't have the $$ for trainers. I went from 90 lbs. to 130 lbs. in that first year. Basically I was just really sick of of being 90 lbs. That's it.
I'd almost equate it with coding, expecting some hand holding will get you only so far. The internal motivation will have to be there sooner or later or it won't stick.
Nowadays I don't do it nearly as much, but I can't take more than 3 or so days off because I begin to feel like crap, and I'm addicted to not feeling like crap.
Re: This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
#64I think those theories are missing the main point. Going to the gym is not fun, because gyms have a crappy user experience. So let's say you join a gym, but don't know very much about working out. You walk into a room with hundreds of machines, and are expected to know how to structure a work-out, how each machine works, be familiar with all the muscle groups and exercises, and also really care about planning out and…
>Why can't a gym hold your hand and treat you like somebody who wants to start working out but doesn't know anything yet?
I don't know about the US, but almost all gyms in the UK do exactly that - as part of your induction, a personal trainer assesses your fitness, discusses your goals and designs a workout program for you.
It's a big business win as it's an excellent opportunity to upsell to a personal coaching program, but it doesn't seem to have any impact on people actually using the gym.
Re: This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
#65This is one of the fastest ways to get fit, and doesn't require more than 15 minutes (even giving 5 for farting around) or any equipment.
1 Round is 2-3 minutes
* Burpees(pushup variation) x 30 seconds
* Shadow box x 30 seconds -- This isn't rest. Treat it like a fight. Add kicks, knees, elbows, etc.
* Rest 1 minute between rounds.
Make rounds longer, try to beat your reps, or add a weighted vest if you really want to challenge yourself.
Re: This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
#66As a hacker what gets me to the gym is that I realized its all just a numbers game. I weigh x. It will take x amount of days eating x amount of calories. I do x amount of reps time the number of sets per each workout. When I go to the gym I record everything. Every rep and half rep. I wrote a program to learn python and to track my gym progress. Realizing its all just a numbers game really helped me sorta do the math…
Exactly. The biggest mistake most people make when starting a gym program is not tracking progress.
I'm going to disagree. The biggest mistake most people make is not showing up.
I've arranged things so that when my kids have swim lessons, I go to the gym. It doesn't matter if I track progress or not, because I'm not looking to "make progress". I want to be in better shape. Going regularly is the key. Just as a photographer will tell you that the best camera is the one you have with you, the best workout is the one you actually do.
As a side effect, I lift 150% - 250% of the weight that I did when I started, and I can do many, many more reps. I no longer get backaches, and I can't remember the last time I was out of breath from a normal activity.
Re: This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
#67If you haven't heard me say it enough, note that bit about "Given the choice between buying X units one at a time or 2X units all at once for a modest discount, people will often buy 2X units and fail to use them all." That is very important to keep in mind when designing e.g. the packaging options of a SaaS business.
My own utterly unscientific data suggests that this is a form of hyperbolically discounted loss-aversion - the 'loss' of the discount on additional units is felt more acutely than the more real loss of units purchased but never used. Combining this principle with a time-limited offer can be staggeringly effective, I imagine by enhancing the sense of impending loss. I've seen orders-of-magnitude difference in revenue…
I love the retailers who try to tap in to this with the time-limited offers that never seem to expire!
Re: This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
#68I think those theories are missing the main point. Going to the gym is not fun, because gyms have a crappy user experience. So let's say you join a gym, but don't know very much about working out. You walk into a room with hundreds of machines, and are expected to know how to structure a work-out, how each machine works, be familiar with all the muscle groups and exercises, and also really care about planning out and…
Of the five or so non-college gyms I've been in, my favorite had mandatory sessions with a trainer every six weeks. We worked on a new set of exercises, and the change helps keep things interesting. They also didn't believe in treadmills, cycles, or any exercises which required batteries, nor did they have any upsales. Plus, they played great Motown music. I miss that gym! It was a bit more expensive, but definitely worth it. Carl and Sandra's, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Re: This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
#69I'm about to leave soon, so I'll make it quick: In a previous post I already lauded the book "The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work"[1]. The book is based on scientific results. In the chapter "The 20 second rule" the author talks about the "activation energy" required to start a task and recommends reducing it as much as possible. Every 20 seco…
I bought a weight set. It also stares at me every day. And I work out almost every day. I don't have serious motivational problems.
I could go to a gym in theory, but it's at least 20 minutes away, there would be a whole ritual to dress up, go there, workout, cool off, come back. It would take an extra hour and I imagine many gym goers are paying extra in time to work out. It wears on your motivation.
I know I'd skip many more days, the results would be even less apparent which would undermine my motivation.
Most important exercises can be done with a barbell and 2-300 lbs of plates. At home, without a rack, you could safely squat 150 after getting there with powercleans and overhead prss. Then you could go to a gym once a week for its racks, leg press, etc.
The only thing I regret is buying standard plates, barbells and dumbbells instead of olympics. Standard barbells can't handle more than 230 lbs safely. It would be nice to deadlift and bench 300 lbs at home. Pain in the ass to sell the old set. So if you go this route, I'd recommend spending more and getting olympics. And don't worry about sucky olympic dumbbells, do Starting Strength, it's fine without them.
Re: This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
#70I think those theories are missing the main point. Going to the gym is not fun, because gyms have a crappy user experience. So let's say you join a gym, but don't know very much about working out. You walk into a room with hundreds of machines, and are expected to know how to structure a work-out, how each machine works, be familiar with all the muscle groups and exercises, and also really care about planning out and…
Hmm, with the exception of the tiny mom and pop gyms just about every gym I've been to over the years has pushed an initial free personal trainer session with the hope you sign up for more. Working out is, well, work. If you're out of shape it's not fun and if you don't have the motivation to get in shape it's not going to work. To be perfectly honest, I think that's what a good (read: effective) trainer does more th…
Working out is, well, work. If you're out of shape it's not fun and if you don't have the motivation to get in shape it's not going to work.
Amen. It has little to do with user experience. Even when I was in shape and going regularly, there were days it was hard to get myself there- you are constantly, slowly adding weight, so it is always hard.
Driving out of a deep squat is always the hardest part for me. I find it just requires so much more willpower than a press or the like.