Girls & the gym (U.K)

[AnarchistFish]

Eh, I blame the societal sexism. There, I said it, it was the elephant in the room, but I call it, it's sexism.

In today's cultural view we are told that REAL MEN are manly and muscly and are uber-strong and can benchpress hundreds of kilos. So sociey pressures men to become REAL MEN and coerces them into going to the gym and working on their six pack.

However, society also talks to women. Women are told that proper ladies are slim and toned, but not muscly. Same situation, women are coerced into becoming proper ladies and go to the gym.

Of course this isn't true for anyone, but I reckon's it's a valid reason for your observation.

How is it sexism if it affects both sexes?

 

[farscythe]

male . and i go to the gym because i enjoy the work out and i go for general fitness rather than bulking up.
so yea mostly light weights in large numbers for me

 

[IamQ]

Female.

I go to the gym to, as you so aptly, put it. "Perfect" myself, that, and I find it entertaining to exercise to some good music. But you're mostly correct I like to believe. Mostly.

The Cor put it pretty right I think. People want to be comfortable with their own self. =)

They mostly come at night. Mostly.

Sorry, couldn't stop myself.

OT:

I have nothing to contribute here. I haven't been to a gym for years, so I don't remember how it used to be.

 

[Charli]

If I go to the gym, it's for therapy. I find a running machine and good track list of music one of the most mind cleansing activities there are. I don't go there to 'perfect' or 'fix' anything frankly.

I'm of the "healthy body makes a healthy mind" mindset and even if it's only a little exercise, or a walk, it makes me feel a lot more stable while doing my mental activities, gaming, drawing, raiding in WoW and the like.

Female also, just for another case point. I'm not in dire need of any adjustment to my body I feel. I don't relate well to the majority of my gender so I suppose I see your point. I'm probably ugly as sin to those crazed perfectionists, but sod it, I'm probably alot more comfortable for it.

 

[Shock and Awe]

Its not so much a gender thing as a self confidence thing, male or female has little bearing on it. I personally go for self improvement.

 

[Roofstone]

Female.

I go to the gym to, as you so aptly, put it. "Perfect" myself, that, and I find it entertaining to exercise to some good music. But you're mostly correct I like to believe. Mostly.

The Cor put it pretty right I think. People want to be comfortable with their own self. =)

They mostly come at night. Mostly.

Sorry, couldn't stop myself.

OT:

I have nothing to contribute here. I haven't been to a gym for years, so I don't remember how it used to be.

Haha, brilliant. Didn't notice I did that.

 

[Jimbo1212]

Could i just point out a flaw in your logic OP that "nobody is perfect".

My point remains though.
Why do guys go to the gym to turn themselves from normal to great, where as many women want to turn themselves from bad to normal? It just seems that guys and women have a very different concept as to why the gym is there and when/what to use it for.

Are you suggesting Women should "attain perfection"? because some consider "perfection" a possible option where as some don't seek such a thing since no body can ever be perfect or reach perfection.

I'm asking why so many women are complacent and will not try to better their appearance beyond average to poor, yet men are do not have the same mindset.

It goes both ways really; there also women who go to the gym to "perfect" themselves and there are also men who go to the gym to "fix" themselves.
When the reasons are broken down to the core they are in essence the same, everybody wants to look awesomesauce and be comfortable with their body. That is at least how I think about it.

This exactly.
You often see girls who want massive muscles and big guys who want to shape down a bit, it really just varies.

Where is your gym situated? I have never seen a girl who wants massive muscle nor a guy who wants to shape down. Just girls who want to not be fat and guys who want to be able to punch through walls.

 

[Daffy F]

I would say 5% of guys go to drop weight (95% go to get massive)

I'm not trying to do either of these when I'm at the gym. You have forgotten people who just wish to keep themselves fit, or people who want to improve strength and/or stamina. Neither of which involve getting massive.

 

[MarsProbe]

Well, it's likely been said already, but I've seen men who are clearly going to the gym to "fix" themselves, as you put it. While there are of course those that are there to perfect themselves (oddly, these are the guys that seems to spend more time hanging around the free weights talking than they do exercising).

At least at my gym, I notice that the majority of females I see at the gym don't appear to be in need of much fixing (ya know what ah mean (say that one in your best EMH voice ). Best ask them yourself though, I'm no expert.

Personally, I'm mainly there to keep fit, get a bit of tone and hopefully ward off the dreaded paunch while I'm at it! :O

 

[Jimbo1212]

I would say 5% of guys go to drop weight (95% go to get massive)

I'm not trying to do either of these when I'm at the gym. You have forgotten people who just wish to keep themselves fit, or people who want to improve strength and/or stamina. Neither of which involve getting massive.

Read top line
Also you have to remember that anyone who is fit is not going to look bad or normal either.

Well, it's likely been said already, but I've seen men who are clearly going to the gym to "fix" themselves, as you put it. While there are of course those that are there to perfect themselves (oddly, these are the guys that seems to spend more time hanging around the free weights talking than they do exercising).

At least at my gym, I notice that the majority of females I see at the gym don't appear to be in need of much fixing (ya know what ah mean (say that one in your best EMH voice ). Best ask them yourself though, I'm no expert.

Personally, I'm mainly there to keep fit, get a bit of tone and hopefully ward off the dreaded paunch while I'm at it! :O

Maybe I just have bad luck and end up at the gym advertised by fat fighters or something.
What is the average age range of the women who are in good shape because at my gyms the overweight women/girls have mainly been 16-24 (no excuse) or 50+ (fair enough).

 

[Princess Rose]

So why don't both genders have a positive attitude to the gym and use it as a tool to perfection rather than a tool to fix themselves?
Or is this just something that is in the U.K and not in other countries?

You assume that either one is a healthy attitude.

I think men trying to become "massive" as you put it, is supremely unhealthy. Sculpting muscle like that is often obsessive and kind of gross. Guys - being well developed is fine, but being a huge body builder doesn't do anything for most women.

Either way, the goal is to alter one's body to suit some unrealistic image. Both are unhealthy.

 

[Minjoltr]

Spoiler: The best reason I've seen for quitting a gym.

Maybe these women just stopped going because they decided they were fine with themselves and moved onto other things.

Also, this:

Either way, the goal is to alter one's body to suit some unrealistic image. Both are unhealthy.

I often wonder about people like Madonna. She has a reputation for being super-fit, exercising for half the day and looking pretty sleek for someone her age and she certainly puts a lot of work in.
But when does she actually get to enjoy being Madonna?

 

[Speakercone]

All you really need for a full workout would be a barbell with about 50kg of weights, a gi or really sturdy piece of cloth, a good pair of running shoes and a place to run. Maybe a bike if you prefer cycling to jogging. I sorted all my workout needs for life at a cost of around £150, and £60 of that was the shoes. As such, I tend to think that people go to the gym to be seen working out. There's no need for the crazy membership fees most gyms charge, but that's hardly the point is it. The gym is a social club. The aim is to do something with ambient sociability, not necessarily to get fit.

There's also another reason both men and women go to the gym, and that's if they're training for sport. The gym in this case is a way to achieve a goal, in this case being better at your sport of choice.

 

[Belaam]

I would disagree. I go to the gym to, as you say, "fix" myself. When I hit around 210lbs, I start hitting the gym and jogging until I get down to 180 or so. Then I quit going and a couple of years later am back heading back down to 180.

 

[dickywebster]

Actually i know a girl who goes to the gym to both keep fit and screw her personal trainer.
Sounds like a plot from some tv show, the personal trainers a girl too!
No really, shes the only person who goes to that gym for none fitness reasons, its hilarious to our close friends =P

Oh and to troll the guys, but thats just cause she could probably kick their asses, go awesome lass!

 

[Blow_Pop]

Female.

I go to the gym to, as you so aptly, put it. "Perfect" myself, that, and I find it entertaining to exercise to some good music. But you're mostly correct I like to believe. Mostly.

The Cor put it pretty right I think. People want to be comfortable with their own self. =)

So why isn't everyone at the gym and why do so many women give up after going from fat to normal, rather than going from fat to "perfect" ? As I mention above, do you think it is insecurity and that the women are not honest with how they look?

Because some women find perfect to be going from overweight to being healthy. If I recall correctly it is highly unhealthy for a lot of women to have the six pack abs and all that. Means they have to malnourish themselves to get to it(there are exceptions of course but general populace though I heard that over 8 years ago so maybe studies have changed). Perfect has a different meaning to everyone. Maybe in their eyes they see themselves as perfect and don't feel the need to do more than that. Maybe they have some issue in their life that causes them not to be able to go any more. There are a million and one reasons for the why(for women and men since it goes both ways). Personally as a female, I don't go to the gym but that's because all the women out here who go to the gym are uberly skinny and complain they are fat and blah blah blah so me being bigger than them(i'm still slim mind you just not like them)it gives me a complex and I lose my desire to work out. I go running with friends and exercise at home instead. More comfortable that way.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

It goes both ways really; there also women who go to the gym to "perfect" themselves and there are also men who go to the gym to "fix" themselves.
When the reasons are broken down to the core they are in essence the same, everybody wants to look awesomesauce and be comfortable with their body. That is at least how I think about it.

Well from my experience I would say 5% of guys go to drop weight (95% go to get massive), and 5% of girls go to get in shape, with 95% going to drop weight.
However, when the girls drop the weight, they then stop going. They don't want to look their best, they just don't want to look terrible, where as the guys want to look their best.

I think it's a matter of what is normally considered "best" for each gender. The ripped look is considered attractive on guys, whereas muscular girls (I mean bulging biceps muscular, not just strong) isn't as popular.

 

[Mr Pantomime]

Eh, I blame the societal sexism. There, I said it, it was the elephant in the room, but I call it, it's sexism.

In today's cultural view we are told that REAL MEN are manly and muscly and are uber-strong and can benchpress hundreds of kilos. So sociey pressures men to become REAL MEN and coerces them into going to the gym and working on their six pack.

However, society also talks to women. Women are told that proper ladies are slim and toned, but not muscly. Same situation, women are coerced into becoming proper ladies and go to the gym.

Of course this isn't true for anyone, but I reckon's it's a valid reason for your observation.

I would have gone for option b: Its more acceptable for a man to be fat than a woman. So most fat men would accept their bodies, not get in shape, and have everyone be cool with it. But a woman would have a stigma against her if she was fat. So she works out. So at the gym, youre more likely to see fat women trying to fix themselves, and men trying to perfect themselves. Because the perfecters of both genders are already there, but only a large amount of fat women and a far smaller amount of fat men.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Could i just point out a flaw in your logic OP that "nobody is perfect".

My point remains though.
Why do guys go to the gym to turn themselves from normal to great, where as many women want to turn themselves from bad to normal? It just seems that guys and women have a very different concept as to why the gym is there and when/what to use it for.

Are you suggesting Women should "attain perfection"? because some consider "perfection" a possible option where as some don't seek such a thing since no body can ever be perfect or reach perfection.

I'm asking why so many women are complacent and will not try to better their appearance beyond average to poor, yet men are do not have the same mindset.

because some women happen to be fine with the way they look fat or not there are a majority of women that are fine with being fat or skinny either way not having the desire to attain the perfect body is natural more than instinct because that means my instincts are totally wrong because i don't desire muscles at all and i'm a guy i like to have the slim average appearance and not look like Arnold because i sometimes see that as macho and over the top silly rather than a form of perfection.