is joining a gym worth it?

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Lovely Salsa said:
Well, internet is useless since I have my body limitations

I guess i should hire a PT for the first times?
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What are your limitations? For good form a trainer (assuming you find a good one, which you ought to) is very important as good form is the basis of everything you'll do, and I highly recommend using one especially if you do have legitimate limitations and want to be stronger.
 
I was on/off on having a gym membership. Honestly I did most of my stuff at home. All you really need (heavily IMO) is a benchpress and a few levels of dumbbells. I added a punching bag too and that was good for cardio and lat work.
 
TheExodu5 said:
I'll give you one tip: for the first two months, pay either monthly or by visit. It might cost you double the price, but at least you won't be locked in for a full year if you decide you no loner want to go. So many people stop going after a few months and end up having to pay for a full year because they signed to a commitment.
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Very good advice. Don't be a sucker. Let a trial be a trial.
 
Lovely Salsa said:
Well, internet is useless since I have my body limitations
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what does this mean? what sort of limitations?

if you are talking about an injury or handicap, you should be able to get some help here:

Workout Programs: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8
Injury Recovery And Prevention: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=91

Just post what's up and they will point you in the right direction. If you have the money and do have some sort of injury/handicap, a trainer is not a bad idea at all.
 
i think im just gonna keep doing what i've been doing

i really just need to find new ways to combat boredom, thread should have been ''how to not be bored all the time''

now people are just gonna talk about fitness thread stuff'

what have i done
 
Gyms don't work for me in the winter time because when it gets past a certain temperature the idea of going outside in gym clothes (even with a coat and boots on) is just awful. Or you could take a giant bag, change your clothes, then you have the option of showering there and taking even longer to get home, or putting your clothes back on all sweaty and disgusting, which is also terrible. So I prefer to work out at home. But that's me--some friends of mine can't be bothered if they try to work out at home, just no motivation. It's really a personal thing.
 
Sunflower said:
What are your limitations? For good form a trainer (assuming you find a good one, which you ought to) is very important as good form is the basis of everything you'll do, and I highly recommend using one especially if you do have legitimate limitations and want to be stronger.
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I have arm and leg movement limitations (had an accident)

I want to have an athlete body....
 
Lifting is pretty dang satisfying. Compound barbell lifts are fun and make my body just feel generally balanced and more functional, and there are some machines that leave my back with a satisfying feeling too- I like seated rows and face-pulls on a cable machine, mainly.


Just don't use the smith machine.
 
Gyms are good for most people because power racks can be pretty expensive. It's easier to pay $20/month for 15,000 square feet of equipment that's just minutes away from your house or job.
 
Sure. I've been gym lifting for 18 years and it's rewarding. Just don't go at peak times if you live in an urban area. That shit sucks.

Unfortunately this thread is going to be hijacked by meatheads arguing about minutae.
 
Lovely Salsa said:
I have arm and leg movement limitations (had an accident)

I want to have an athlete body....
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In that case, definitely get a trainer who has experience with people who deal with injury. They'll likely be worth it, and safety should be your primary concern especially starting out. Have them work with you on mobility and find out what your limits are, and they should set you on the path to what you need. Good luck, and let us know in Fit-GAF how it goes, because we are genuinely interested.
 
The Horror the horror said:
It can be any program. Take the standard 5x5. What's wrong with trying to go for 6 on that last set? Or going for 5, on the 8x6x4 system?
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5/3/1 is a program designed for max reps on your last set. I myself tend to stop a rep or two prior to failure.

I don't see why you would try to do an extra rep in a standard 3x5 or 5x5 program other than to "just do it". To each their own though.

Dude Abides said:
Sure. I've been gym lifting for 18 years and it's rewarding. Just don't go at peak times if you live in an urban area. That shit sucks.

Unfortunately this thread is going to be hijacked by meatheads arguing about minutae.
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swole acceptance plz.
 
The Horror the horror said:
It can be any program. Take the standard 5x5. What's wrong with trying to go for 6 on that last set? Or going for 5, on the 8x6x4 system?
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Because if you're grinding out those last few reps they're probably sloppy? Leave 1 or 2 reps in the tank.

Tuesday was my 5s+ week on 5/3/1 deadlift. I got 8 reps and stopped because I'd compromise form doing more. Why would it be a good idea to go to failure on that every single time I step foot in the gym?

Please don't tell me you're one of those guys who benches while your friend pulls the bar up.
 
If you sign up for a gym membership, you need to commit and go or else there is no point.

My situation right now is that I signed up for a membership at Gold's. Paid the initial membership fee and was supposed to be getting charged monthly on my credit card. This was mid 2011 and they never charged me a monthly fee. I haven't been since August last year and I have no idea if my membership is still active.

Really don't want to go swipe my card and all of a sudden show up as someone who hasn't been paying monthly all this time and be responsible for all the months I haven't been paying. It was a huge PITA to actually get them to get my account setup and activate my membership in the first place so the fact I never got charged monthly is not really that surprising to me.
 
The Horror the horror said:
There is no specific system for executing max reps.

Repping to failure benefits the lifter regardless of the program they're on.
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What? Of course there is. There are programs such as the one I posted (5/3/1) where it is designed to do max reps.

And repping to failure can either benefit or hurt the lifter. It isn't something that you just do for the sake of doing. They have their place in a program. Not every single routine benefits from it.
 
SeanR1221 said:
Because if you're grinding out those last few reps they're probably sloppy? Leave 1 or 2 reps in the tank.

Tuesday was my 5s+ week on 5/3/1 deadlift. I got 8 reps and stopped because I'd compromise form doing more. Why would it be a good idea to go to failure on that every single time I step foot in the gym?

Please don't tell me you're one of those guys who benches while your friend pulls the bar up.
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Yes, dude, I'm one of those guys that has another guy give me a lift-off, holds on to the bar through each rep, and yank it up at the first sign of struggle...
 
FallingEdge said:
What? Of course there is. There are programs such as the one I posted (5/3/1) where it is designed to do max reps.

And repping to failure can benefit or hurt the lifter. It isn't something that you just do for the sake of doing. They have their place in a program. Not every single routine benefits from it.
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If it means an increase in workload, I don't see how it would hurt. I'm not saying go for max on the very first set, but on your last set or on the burn-off set, I don't see the problem.
 
SeanR1221 said:
This sounds like a lot of excuses.

You're talking about this, right?

CS-HSPL_ILBP-hero.png


That's a machine. It's not a free weight.

If your gym is packed 24/7, ask to work in. It's not hard.

You shouldn't need a spotter when you bench.
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I go all out when I lift. My arms will give out. I know cause it happens all the time.
 
FallingEdge said:
What? Of course there is. There are programs such as the one I posted (5/3/1) where it is designed to do max reps.

And repping to failure can either benefit or hurt the lifter. It isn't something that you just do for the sake of doing. They have their place in a program. Not every single routine benefits from it.
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And I'd take it further and say that proper form must be used throughout all the reps. If you're hitching those last couple deads you shouldn't be doing them.
 
The Horror the horror said:
If it means an increase in workload, I don't see how it would hurt. I'm not saying go for max on the very first set, but on your last set or on the burn-off set, I don't see the problem.
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Why are you altering the programs? Just stick to what you should be doing. It hurts because something like a 3x5 increases your weight every workout. Going for broke every workout seems like a good way to have unnecessary load on your joints.
Superman00 said:
I go all out when I lift. My arms will give out. I know cause it happens all the time.
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And you question why you haven't made significant gains.
 
The Horror the horror said:
If it means an increase in workload, I don't see how it would hurt. I'm not saying go for max on the very first set, but on your last set or on the burn-off set, I don't see the problem.
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Compromised form and breakdown of the CNS are two big reasons. Of course, it depends on what you are doing. Going for max reps/failure on something like curls is fine. Doing it everytime for bench isn't always the best idea. If you are truly lifting heavy and compromising form just to get an additional rep up, that is not a good thing. Plus you are taxing your CNS immensely. Higher rep hypertrophy work makes sense to go closer to failure.

There is a time and a place. Even doing something like 5/3/1 where you are essentially going for max reps on your final set has a week where you deload so that you won't tax your CNS. Just because you can do something to failure, doesn't mean you should.

Zoe said:
Why did the conversation switch to deadlifts? Sean started it off by saying a spotter in bench was unnecessary.
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whoops. my mind got multiple things mixed up. editting.
 
Why did the conversation switch to deadlifts? Sean started it off by saying a spotter in bench was unnecessary.
 
SeanR1221 said:
Why are you altering the programs? Just stick to what you should be doing. It hurts because something like a 3x5 increases your weight every workout. Going for broke every workout seems like a good way to have unnecessary load on your joints.


And you question why you haven't made significant gains.
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Now you just assuming shits. Have I told you how much I lift? Did I say I don't do free bench? I don't do them every time. Each person body is different. If it was, we wouldn't have all these different workout regiments. I'm at 150lbs when I use to be 120lbs. And I'm done.
 
Not for me. Forced contracts that are hard to get out of and shitty prices. Here anyway.

I just bought my own bench and weights
 
SeanR1221 said:
Why are you altering the programs? Just stick to what you should be doing. It hurts because something like a 3x5 increases your weight every workout. Going for broke every workout seems like a good way to have unnecessary load on your joints.
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Never said go for broke every workout. I specifically said that there was nothing wrong with going for another rep on your very last set, so as to not jeopardize your program. Explain to me in detail how going 5x5 and going for 6 on that final set would hurt your workout?
 
i have a confession to make, i never go over 5 reps for deadlifts on 5/3/1. high rep deads always seem like a recipe for injury. 5x10 BBB no thank you.
 
I tried the whole workout at home thing with P90x. Just not my thing. I wanna relax at home not workout. So I do endorse gyms. However, I do think gyms are terrible for novices.

Meaning, a typical gym you're basically fucking around if you're a novice. Go on the elliptical, do some bicep curls and leave. You usually need to be hyper motivated to get more info on programming. Most people don't follow a program written by experts.

Although some Crossfit boxes suck, this is were the better ones get it right. They have mandatory classes to learn fundamentals. It's group based, so you make friends and get more motivation. It's skill based. You learn stuff like olympic lifts, gymnastics, not just your normal globo gym routine that I mentioned above.

But most people, unless highly motivated or just have pretty simple goals--just doing cardio for example, tend to spin their wheels at gyms and it never becomes a life time habit.

Say what you will about meatheads, but the nicer ones, and I never meat the stereotypical ones that you see in Planet Fitness ads, are dedicated and are very helpful and they're usually being doing it for years.
 
Superman00 said:
Now you just assuming shits. Have I told you how much I lift? Did I say I don't do free bench? I don't do them every time. Each person body is different. If it was, we wouldn't have all these different workout regiments. I'm at 150lbs when I use to be 120lbs. And I'm done.
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Yes?

Superman00 said:
It's not a pulley machine though. It is still free weights. I don't do the benches cause it is massively pack at my gym and they are never free. Plus I hate doing heavy weights without a spotter and it is annoying to ask people to spot.

Although when I say I haven't put on a lot of muscle, my definition of a lot is different than the OP. lol
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The Horror the horror said:
Never said go for broke every workout. I specifically said that there was nothing wrong with going for another rep on your very last set, so as to not jeopardize your program. Explain to me in detail how going 5x5 and going for 6 on that final set would hurt your workout?
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Well which is it. Are you throwing in an extra rep or repping to failure. Make up your mind.
 
Worth every minute and every penny, don't expect visible results for the first 3 - 4 months, but after a year when you look at your old photos, hot dang!
 
SeanR1221 said:
No you're not. What if you can handle 3 more reps?
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If you can do 3 more reps on the last set of 5x5 then obviously you need to add more weight to the bar, genius.

Anyway, I'm done going back and forth with you. I should have known better than to engage in a strength training discussion with someone who believes no one should need a spot.
 
The Horror the horror said:
If you can do 3 more reps on the last set of 5x5 then obviously you need to add more weight.

Anyway, I'm done going back and forth with you. I should have known better than to engage in a strength training discussion with someone who believes no one should need a spot.
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When did he say there's no need for a spotter? Have you seen the fitness thread, SeanR goes with a lifting buddy every time.
 
bangladesh said:
I am thinking about joining a gym after believing for so long that they were a waste of money because you can do all of what you need right at home. (keeping a good diet, getting moderate exercise by walking and commuting) And of course, before gyms were even a thing people still managed to be healthy.

But I'm just often bored to death at home all the time, I do nothing all day but sit and browse the internet and jerk off. So maybe getting away from home and going to the gym can be a mental benefit, too. Maybe it can be refreshing. Gyms seem to have become real popular in the last decade but what does NON-GYM Gaf think about gyms?
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Why not build a home gym so you can jerk off while lifting?
 
The worthwhile-ness of the gym depends on your fitness goals. If you wanna get big and strong, you're gonna need a really good home gym. You need to measure the cost of buying v. membership of local gyms. If you just wanna cut weight? Eat less, walk more.
 
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