dorothea (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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lifting_heavy_things2011-08-22 05:19 pm
dorothean) wrote in lifting_heavy_things2011-08-22 05:19 pm
A sad little gym
Elsewhere rydra_wong encouraged me to post about what equipment the little gym at my apartment complex has.
The only things I've ever seen people using are the cardio machines:
(1) two stationary bicycles
(2) two treadmills
(3) one elliptical machine
There are weight machines, the sort you sit down on, and that have adjustable weights on pulleys (don't know how to describe them any better):
(4) one that has levers for flyes and other levers for pushing forward
(5) one that has a pull-down bar and levers for pulling forward
(6) one that has something to lift up
(7) one in which you hook your legs over and pull up on the weight with your ankles to strengthen your thigh muscles
And then the saddest part, the free weights (in front of a mirror, but with no room to swing them or a bench to sit or lie on):
(8) two 10-pound dumbbells
(9) two 30-pound dumbbells
That's it! No pull-up bar!
Yet, there must be many much worse gyms out there; and this one is free with my rent. I've never had a free gym in my neighborhood before, so I really should take advantage of it.
Any clever ideas? Tell me about worse gyms you have known?
(If it helps, I am not athletic, not interested in running, and have little upper-body strength, but want to become overall stronger for things like hiking.)
rydra_wong encouraged me to post about what equipment the little gym at my apartment complex has.The only things I've ever seen people using are the cardio machines:
(1) two stationary bicycles
(2) two treadmills
(3) one elliptical machine
There are weight machines, the sort you sit down on, and that have adjustable weights on pulleys (don't know how to describe them any better):
(4) one that has levers for flyes and other levers for pushing forward
(5) one that has a pull-down bar and levers for pulling forward
(6) one that has something to lift up
(7) one in which you hook your legs over and pull up on the weight with your ankles to strengthen your thigh muscles
And then the saddest part, the free weights (in front of a mirror, but with no room to swing them or a bench to sit or lie on):
(8) two 10-pound dumbbells
(9) two 30-pound dumbbells
That's it! No pull-up bar!
Yet, there must be many much worse gyms out there; and this one is free with my rent. I've never had a free gym in my neighborhood before, so I really should take advantage of it.
Any clever ideas? Tell me about worse gyms you have known?
(If it helps, I am not athletic, not interested in running, and have little upper-body strength, but want to become overall stronger for things like hiking.)
no subject
For building overall strength, there's a lot you can do without any equipment at all, using the weight of your own body for resistance. You could start with planks and gradually work up to push-ups; you could start out squatting with no weights and work up to the 10-lb dumbbells, you could do some serious yoga -- all of these will build core strength as well as targeting major muscle groups.
Machines can be good to begin with, but I would advise you to do some online research to learn what the machines in your gym are actually for (if the brand name and name of the machine is visible on it, you can copy that down and then look it up), and how to use them properly. If you're smaller or larger than average, you'll probably need to adjust them, too.
no subject
I should look up the machines. I was spoiled by the university gym that had instructional signs on everything!
no subject