shemirateinayim wrote on 28 Jan 2010 01:38:
GUARD you're awsome! We don't need more moderators, we need tour-guides. That means that a few of us 'regulars' (myself excluded) must actualy tour the ENTIRE site, numerous times, untill we know where everything is! And then we can direct people to all the wonderfull information that was already compiled by GUARD!!! Oh and we need somone who can use a search feature, DO I see the 'Dark Knight' raising his hand?
...you called?
As far as working out in mixed gyms, I ALWAYS have a better workout in one. I can lift more and train harder because crazy me thinks (like all guys) that the super attractive "cardio bunnies" who are on the elipticals and hanging out by the pink dumbbells actually care about how manly I am when I throw around the big weights.
These half naked girls either a) have no shame and dress that way without realizing it's kinda degrading to themselves b) have no self esteem and dress that way to catch your attention (it's a fact that girls nowadays have ridiculously low self esteem, and cunning guys exploit it, especially in college but I digress) c) have no shame and dress that way to get your attention. Kinda sad if you think about it, so why would you want them to be so interested in you? It's not like you would take much interest in an empty person who forgot where their clothes are.
Even better than a mixed gym, even a coed college gym (yes I have trained in those before), is a serious, hardcore, gym. These are usually "officially" coed, but the lack of pink dumbbells and over-smiley 140 pound personal trainers with stupid haircuts and too many positive words in their vocabularies tends to scare off the womenfolk. I'm talking about places where there probably aren't any TVs, there's minimal cardio equipment (no women remember?) and guys who
warmup their bench press with 225 or their deadlift with 400 are a dime a dozen.
You want a better atmosphere? That's it. You will be motivated more than any college gym environment could ever motivate you.
You should find one in your area.
If that doesn't work out (for logistical or financial reasons) then try to go during off-peak hours. The trainers there can probably tell you when that is and when the fewest females come in (probably really early in the morning) but you might get some weird looks asking them when the best time to avoid the girls would be.
Also, stick to the free weights. Girls tend to use machines and pink dumbbells that are pretty much worthless. They almost never use the power rack out of a baseless and irrational fear that they'll get "muscly" like the freaky steroid abusing womanoid things in the bodybuilding magazines if they god forbid lift anything that weighs more than 2 pounds.
You CAN get an intense conditioning/fat loss workout using free weights, and you'll keep your muscle mass. PM me for more info if you're interested.