Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

dilbert.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 78 posts

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#51

Post by ryanelkins »

scott_s wrote: post #11

I have no interest, but my strength training doesn't use machines. And I use progress as my motivation. But no gym would want to do this because it violates their business model. Most gyms are not in the business of encouraging people to work out. Gyms are in the business of encouraging people to sign up. A person who signs up for a year, comes for a week or two, then never comes again is almost pure profit.

While I agree that it does seem to be the business model I think a hungry competitor would be willing to give it a go if they thought it would give them an edge. If they got traction the others might be compelled to follow. Most advances in technology or processes put the old guard out of business or at least severely cut down their market size if they don't adapt.

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#52

Post by grhino »

DLWormwood wrote: post #29
Tangurena wrote: post #3

Oh great, World of WorkoutCraft.

The thing is… achievements are what ultimately caused me to quit WoW. It completely sapped out the enjoyment of the holiday events for me. The current emphasis on achievements and worldwide leaderboards is discouraging for me. I recently took a stab at making an iOS game in an effort to get a development business underway, only for my game to be mostly ignored because I had no “itch to scratch” involving writing a ga…

It's a tough balancing act. I participated a lot more in the WoW holiday events because of the achievements. I noticed that a lot of people did not like competing with the new horde of achievement go-getters making holiday events more frantic and overcrowded.

I eventually quit WoW because I could not keep it as a reasonable, casual attention sink. It would always end up as the dominant time and attention sink in my life.

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#53

Post by ra88it »

patio11 wrote: post #25
Poiesis wrote: post #17

No, no--what's coming first is farmville/foursquare style workouts and tracking. "Poiesis is King of the elliptical trainer!" "Achievement unlocked: 200 pound club" "New badge: Power Hour" "Most consecutive workout days: Poesis (42)" Add an iPhone app maybe for cardio workout tracking that's harder to cheat. This would be totally awesome. Maybe stick a leaderboard up on one of the big screens. Only problem is that it…

There are so many ways to improve, too. Leaderboards are an anti pattern in community design because they turn 99% of your customers into losers and losing is not fun. Instead, you either do leagues or publish individual successes within friend groups. After you have achievements longevity awards are like taking candy from a very wealthy baby. (Only one more month until you get Bronze Boots of Buttkicking! Do not can…

Interesting. Is this a widely accepted theory, that leaderboards are a community design anti-pattern?

From my experience, leaderboards are compelling and rewarding even though I know I'll probably never make it to the top. I just like to watch my percentile rank improve.

EDIT: I just saw your response to the other comment. Cool!

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#54

Post by zdw »

The local YMCA has a Fitlinxx system: http://www.fitlinxx.com/

I type in a code into the b/w touchscreen on each machine (could be RFID I guess, but that's stuff to carry/break), and it tells me what weight to set, all the other machine settings (how high to put the seat, etc).

End of the month I get reports via email that tell me how much I lifted or how much cardio I did in a somewhat clever manner - last month it was:

"Weight lifted this month: 159,840 pounds = 19.9 African Elephants"

These are actually pretty common, and I find it to be a great motivational tool.

I've seen the machine hardware reboot before - it's DOS based, on 486s hooked up with what looks like ethernet.

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#55

Post by gaius »

tdoggette wrote: post #45
gaius wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Putting RFID chips in your plates will make lifting more fun if it's tied to a fun, competitive game with teammates cheering you on What good are gym buddies who can't spot you? And besides, lifting is satisfying , but it's not "fun" if you're doing it right.

"Doing it right" by whose definition? Why can't something be satisfying on one level and fun as it relates to other things?

By the definition of taking it to failure if you want to make progress. That's the only definition that matters - human physiology. Progressive overload leading to adaptation.

Aerobics with 5-kilo weights can be "fun".

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#56

Post by gaius »

eru wrote: post #50
gaius wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Putting RFID chips in your plates will make lifting more fun if it's tied to a fun, competitive game with teammates cheering you on What good are gym buddies who can't spot you? And besides, lifting is satisfying , but it's not "fun" if you're doing it right.

I found power cleans to be at least as much fun as running.

Hang cleans are my favourite at the moment :-) But it's not fun that squeezes out the last rep, it's sheer bloody-mindedness.

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#57

Post by roc »

scott_s wrote: post #11

I have no interest, but my strength training doesn't use machines. And I use progress as my motivation. But no gym would want to do this because it violates their business model. Most gyms are not in the business of encouraging people to work out. Gyms are in the business of encouraging people to sign up. A person who signs up for a year, comes for a week or two, then never comes again is almost pure profit.

What strikes me as far more plausible and profitable: home fitness equipment companies going down this path. There's only an upside for them. And their challenges are straightforward engineering, sales and marketing:

1) Add a wireless module to their equipment. 2) Update their equipment software (badly needed anyway. 3) Expand their (largely existing) progress-tracking software. 4) Establish a data exchange format. 5) Go shopping for partners. 6) Market the crap out of it.

I'm honestly surprised they didn't all run down this path when the Wii showed them the way.

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#58

Post by frossie »

ryanelkins wrote: post #43
9oliYQjP wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I wonder if this co-op mode would be better suited to teams within the same gym" Definitely, this. Make it a cooperative group effort like skipping, not a competitive team sport. See my comment here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1687502

Yeah I like the idea of a group working towards a common goal that everyone is contributing to more than trying to beat someone else. Competition works really well sometimes but perhaps not in this case.

On the other hand, a lot of people who are social/motivated by team psychology already have other motivating options, like team sports, group classes etc.

The interesting thing in this idea (which I agree with the comment that it would be great for home equipment) is that it allows you to tap into your motivation circuits even when you are engaging in a solitary activity.

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#59

Post by eru »

gaius wrote: post #56
eru wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found power cleans to be at least as much fun as running.

Hang cleans are my favourite at the moment :-) But it's not fun that squeezes out the last rep, it's sheer bloody-mindedness.

Yes. Though that can also be a kind of fun. I guess it's not worth to fight over definitions.

Do you plan to progress to full power cleans later?

Re: Scott Adams: Your Next Gym

#60

Post by elai »

MtL wrote: post #39

We do not need all these gimmicks. We need people to know what is good for themselves, and start doing something about it. Call me oldfashioned, but I am of the impression that: + No RFID chip in my backpack will make a mountain hike with 50lb weight added any more fun, any more useful, any more easy or anything else. + No RFID chips in the my plates will make my sets of squats or deadlifts any more fun or easy. + No…

The typical gym experience is incredibly tedious (and boring) for the average person, and removing the tedium is what this targets. And game mechanics can be very good in habit formation. If wii fit actually gave a person a work out other than pushups, sit-ups and a couple other poses, you would see a lot more fit people out there.
Post reply on HN