I just watched a video by personal trainer Craig Ballantyne and in it, he mentions that many people would probably feel uncomfortable about performing the exercise he demonstrates at the gym.
I admit, there are exercises that I will not do at the gym because I am self conscious about how I am performing them. For example, I have seen people watch themselves in the mirror while they do jumping-jacks. I probably wouldn't do that or do push-ups at the gym.
It sounds a bit silly to worry about what other people may think but it happens. The video I mentioned is below. It is called the "pull through exercise." It is for working the back of the legs and a good exercise for toning up your back-side.
Are there any exercises you are too embarrassed to perform at the gym?
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Oddly enough, I don’t think I’d mind doing the pull-through in the gym. A push up on the balance ball? Never again. Landing nose first (and seeing it in all its glory in the mirror) was one of those once-is-enough events.
Cammy – ouch! Yea, I would probably stay away from that exercise at the gym too, lol.
I don’t think I would mind doing pull-throughs at the gym either. One that I don’t like doing in front of people (and I really don’t know why) is abdominal cable crunches. I just always get the feeling people are staring when I do them.
@Tom – every now and then I see someone do the abdominal cable crunch at my gym. I think people may stare because they are not familiar with it.
Maybe this is where you are heading with this discussion but I think you have to keep overcoming the barrier of worrying about other people to achieve your fitness goals.
My sister’s personal trainer this week told her to stop wearing baggy clothes to gym to hide her body and she got four comments from other gym members on how great she looked.
Fitness is about constantly challenging our own comfort zones.
I’m such a gym-coward I work out at home instead. I would do this exercise in front of my dog, but only because she’s already convinced I’m crazy after watching me run on a treadmill.
I think I would be scared to do it first but after a while, the benefits of the exercise will pass before my look in the gym. Anyway who cares what you are doing in the gym hein?
@Richmond – I agree, fitness goals are much more important than worrying what others think.
@Merry – That’s cool – as long as you are working out
@Alex – Right, it would feel awkward at first, but eventually you’ll realize it doesn’t matter.
I totally agree with this! I hate going to the gym and this was one of the reasons I never managed to loose any weight or get fitter and healthier. I then discovered an absolute life saver! A book called “No Gym required”, it’s amazing! It covers all aspects of life and how you can go about making lifestyle changes for the better! It helped me turn my life around in just a few simple steps! If you struggle with the idea of gyms – you should check it out!
I definitely know what you mean about feeling uncomfortable attempting new workouts or workouts that you think you might be doing wrong.
I’m not new to the gym at all, but there are definitely times where I worry about if I look dumb doing certain workouts.
I think a few tips to get around this are:
1. Go to the gym when it is less crowded. The less people that are in the gym, the more comfortable you’ll feel
2. Practice the workouts outside of the gym or watch a video to learn the proper technique. Nothing breeds more confidence than competence.
Definitely liked your post.
If you have time check out my blog its an up and coming fitness and lifestyle blog.
http://www.wingmanfitness.com/blog
@Jemma – I’m sure there are a lot of people who also dislike the gym. The great thing is that anyone can get a great workout right at home. Thanks for the info about the book that helped you.
@T. Rosa – Thanks for the tips. Those are good ideas for people who want to feel more comfortable working out at a gym.
I think I’d be inclined to look for a less embarrassing version. But if it came down to it, I’d do whatever I thought was the best exercise, regardless of how it looks.
I actually stopped caring about how I look at the gym. I used to do push ups and sit ups on a balance ball and I was self-concious until less than 30 days after starting I dropped two dress sizes. Now I don’t care how I look at the gym, I care about how I look because of the gym! But great article and video!
I like your comment about self conscience in the gym. i can relate to this. even people who really fit will find someone who looks better than they do and start worring that they look funny or aren’t muscular enough or that their exersises are suddenly weird. what helped me get through this was watching other people in the gym do weird exersises with no shame. I admired them, as i’m sure others did. especialy since weird exersises are usually tough to do exersises. i’m quite a comic myself and so if i didn’t think any less of someone for doing seemingly goofy things in the gym i realized that others would probably be thinking the same. hope this helps.
Sometimes squats can be quite embarassing to do, since you have to stick your butt out on the way down in the movement.
But heck, it’s good for you, so why worry?
This is a great lift, I used it to increase my deadlifts and RDL’s — it really does wonders for your butt too!
Here’s my setup at my local gym (I was able to do more than the stack easily, so now I work with a 45 and a 35 attached via my gym bag’s fabric strap): http://flickr.com/photos/theandystratton/2516855279/
well better goofy than out of shape right?
I’ve been trying to learn the deadlift and I can’t help but feel embarrased having to arch my back/stick out my bottom/drop my arms, looking like a female orangutan. DO you have any tips for the deadlift?
I workout mostly at home because when I started I was so underweight that I couldn’t really lift anything. I knew everyone was staring at me, took only one trip for me to realize that I wanted to buy my own equipment. Now I do it at home for convenience.
Since I have started working out regularly, I find that I don’t feel as goofy-looking but I still prefer to work out at home with a multi gym. I do have mirrors in my workout room, so sometimes, I still get the goofy thing going on.
I think life is too short to worry about what others are thinking about. Really if you are getting fit and others are not (because they are too worried about how they look) then who is doing better. Fitness is about being good to yourself and what better way to be good to your body overalll but take a little risk and not worry what others think.
I work out with guys who cant stop looking at themselves in the mirror for the entire time that they workout. They are the ones looking goofy. You are there to work out and get fit not to admire yourself constantly in the mirror.
Feel very unsure when people are looking at me. A bit self conscious I guess but working on it by trying to go the gym regularly and not worry what others are doing.