Day 89: Homework

Supersets: these past couple of workouts I can really feel and see the difference, my muscles seem to be kicking into overdrive.

Homework: OK, peer pressure, I will submit my gym report. I didn't have to go for a free trial since I have been going to the gym to do my daily workouts 3-4 times per week during lunchtime, not because I'm using the machines (I book one of the aerobic studios, have bands/push-up bars will travel, but because I prefer to workout during the day (not after work) and there is no shower at my office. Here are my observations:

-I think there are 3 kinds of people that go to the gym: 1) people that know what they are doing, 2) people that think they know what they are doing and 3) people that are posing/socializing. The first 2 groups' intentions are good, Group 2 just needs some guidance. Groups 2 and 3 intentions are different, but unfortunately for Group 2 the results are the same. I honestly have no beef with Group 3, as long as they are happy paying the fee, happy with their "results", and not inhibiting other peoples' workouts, either by hogging machines or causing a distraction (which many times they are).

-It would be very difficult to get a proper read on peoples' workouts from just a 1 day fly-by. As often as I go, I see a lot of the same people there every day, and in general they fall into 2 groups: cardio and weights. Although running on a treadmill might not be as efficient for fat burning as jumping rope, if it is regular then I can't see the downside (except on the knees), especially if people actually enjoy running (or the running motion, on a treadmill). If watching TV or listening to an ipod while running does not reduce the level of exertion, I see no harm in that either. The weights people I see 2 different styles: heavy lifting and circuit training. Circuit training is not unlike PCP, mixing in different muscle groups on different days. Heavy lifters are the pump-you-up guys that are focusing on 1 muscle at a time. Very difficult to guage to what extent either type is lifting/exercising to burn, so tough to judge how efficient of a workout they are getting. But from the looks and sounds of it, I'd say many are doing OK.

In general the people at my gym seem to be in pretty good shape and many of their workouts vaguely resemble something that might get the PCP stamp of approval. But I think a more important quesiton is how do they feel? If they feel like their workouts are producing results (and I'm sure most are producing results, just to varrying degrees), and they are feeling good about themselves, then isn't that what counts? In a perfect world, everyone would be doing PCP, and everyone would have ripped bodies and squeeky clean pipes. But not everyone has the means/motivation to reach the Peak. The ones that do and seek it out are better for it, but those that don't but are happy with their results/lives anyway are no worse off....(the exception of course is Group 2 above, or the grossly misinformed like me and my fat back from enema island).

We are only talking about the gym for this assignment. A natural extention of this topic leads me to my PCP Deep Thoughts that I am saving for my Day 90 post...stay tuned...