Working Out the
UNCC Image
By David McHenry
Miss Hinnant
English 1102-015
April 23, 2014
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Table of Contents
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Slide 3- Research Questions
Slide 4- Thesis
Slide 5- Description of Gym Setting
Slide 6-Common Reasons Why Students Workout
Slide 7- The Facts Behind the Time Spent at the Gym
Slide 8- More Reasons Why Students go to the Gym
Slide 9- Dedication
Slide 10-Why Women Get Involved in Working Out
Slide 11- Feelings Associated with Working Out
Slide 12- Why do they always have partners?
Slide 13- Competition at the Gym
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Slide 14- Segregation in the Gym
Slide 15- Should the Gym be a Mans place solely?
Slide 16- Are Drugs and Vitamin Supplements present
in the gym?
Slide 17- Taco Bell Protein Consumption Commercial
Slide 18- Feelings on Drugs and Other Enhancers
Slide 19- The Results of Using Steroids Video
Slide 20- Are these students working out because it
has something to do with their major?
Slide 21- Does Working out so often affect grades and
socialization with friends?
Slide 22- Language
Slide 23- Reflection and Conclusion
Slide 24- Works Cited
Research Question(s)
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Why do the students work out?
Why do the students spend so much of their time at the gym?
What feelings are associated with working out?
Why don’t the students workout out by themselves? Why do they always have
partners?
Why is their segregation in the gym? Should it be a mans place solely?
Have any of the students ever used steroids or artificial enhancers?
Are these students working out because it has something to do with their major?
Does working out so often affect their grades and socialization with friends?
What effect does language have on the students and the people that surround them?
Picture URL: http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-formulate-your-research-question-1.png
Thesis/Argument
• There are an abundance of reasons and stories behind the motivation and
indulging characteristics that lure so many students to the local gym; including
body image, relaxation, and liberation from school work.
Picture URL: http://blogs.msbcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/thesis_statement.jpg
Gym Setting
• 8 a.m.= An empty concert hall
• 11 a.m.= Feels like the streets of New York City
• Pale yellow walls
• Music Blaring
• Hot as Hell
• Students sport their own style
• Students appear inseparable from iPhones, iPods, and water bottles
• Each body represents the transformed students of UNCC
Picture URL: http://sac.uncc.edu/sites/sac.uncc.edu/files/images/SAC-FitnessCenter-225.jpg
Common Reasons Why Students Workout
• Body Image
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In the words of Body Builder and UNCC student Mike Dixon, “Body image is the main
reason for working out, [in fact], it is the only reason.”
• Societies Views:
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Feel out of place in society when they are compared to others
Feel the need to show others how much “better” they are
• A liberation from the stress of school
Picture URL: http://samspurlock.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/tumblr_mdrkf6xvad1r2zyogo1_500.jpg
The Facts Behind the Time Spent at the Gym
• “Media often provides benchmarks that help to cultivate unrealistic
expectations about muscularity and thinness” (Davis , Karvinen, and McCreary
356)
• Students therefore feel the need to meet these benchmarks made by society,
fitting the “ideal mold”
• Working out is one of the few things the students can control
• It is one of the few times in their college career when they are not being told
what to do
More Reasons Why Students Go to the Gym
• Students often enjoy going to the gym because it is often viewed as a safe
environment without judgment
• According to UNCC student Victoria McClure, working out, “gives me time
to think and work things out in my mind.”
• Students agreed that they went to work on areas of their body that are
often exposed while wearing a swim suit or swim trunks
• Once finished with their workout routine, it appeared that their time spent
at the gym helped cultivate positive feelings about their image and the way
they perceived themselves
Dedication
• There was a large amount of dedication exhibited by the students
• Several students were their on a regular basis, appearing almost everyday
• Of that select group, few even kept a very concise record of exercises, reps, and
events that they participated in on that particular day
• On average, students went to the gym four times a week, for a little over an hour
• This is equivalent to around 210 hours a year, or a little over
a weeks length of time
Picture URL: http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/gym-time-please-do-not-disturb.png
Why Women Get Involved in Working Out
• Women would sit their and complain about how fat they were and how
they looked pregnant
• Leading me to conclude that women have become consumed by the
false realities that media has presented
• The females often felt unworthy, unequal, and incomparable to those
they saw around them
• As a result of this, it was proven that women workout for reasons
revolving around the idea that they, “want to learn to control their weight
through exercise and healthy eating” (Koff and Bauman 556).
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Feelings Associated with Working Out
• Individuals, once finished with their workout session, “perceived themselves
to be thinner” (Koff and Bauman 561).
• Working out was seen as an internal benefit, helping individuals to feel more
confident with themselves
• It created a, “particularly strong case for the positive physical and
psychological benefits of wellness” (Koff and Bauman 561).
Why do they always have partners?
• It was rare to see someone working out alone
• It appeared that working out was considered a “partner activity” in the eyes
of students here on campus
• Students sought the assistance of others for both motivation, as well as
friendship and company
• “Resistance exercise appeared not sufficient enough to produce feelings of
increased acceptance” (Moore, Mitchell, and Bibeau 296).
• As a result of this lack of acceptance, students worked with others hoping to
find this increased worthiness
Picture URL: http://www.maurilioamorim.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/workout-buddy.jpg
Competition in the gym
• Men were often seen utilizing their time in the gym as a public means of
competition, instead of a time to motivate and encourage
• Men were always working with someone who was the same caliber physically
• “Men who were easily made anxious, had strong perfectionistic tendencies, and
were highly focused on their physical appearance and their body fitness,
tended to report the highest drive for muscularity” (Davis , Karvinen, and
McCreary 355).
Picture URL: http://tknopp09.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/arm-wrestling.jpg
Segregation in the Gym
• Men only worked with men, while the women only worked with other women
• Women were never seen in the free weight section, while it was rare to see the
men in the aerobic sections of the gym
• Women hung around the machines and ellipticals, focusing more on abs and legs
• Both sexes appeared to utilize these areas, and the equipment available, as a
means to develop their “swimsuit body” mentioned before
Picture URL: http://images.smh.com.au/2012/08/28/3590130/gym_729-620x349.jpg
Should the Gym be a Mans Place Solely?
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None of the students I interviewed felt that it should be a mans place solely
The students believe that the two gender population serves as a catalyst for
motivation and a drive to do better in the presence of both genders
Men have the chance to perform for the women, and women have the chance to
show off what they are made of
Jacob Harris, one of the students I interviewed, felt that, “both genders can benefit
from working out.”
In support of this point, Victoria McClure willing proposed the idea that, “men can
help encourage women to do more. In the same sense, women can help men
because the men will try to impress [the women] and help them to work out in
order to become stronger.”
Are Drugs and Vitamin Supplements
present in the gym?
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Appeared that all men carried some type of vitamin supplement, as all bottles were
full of swirled powders
Conversations buzzed about the “new drinks” that GNC and other vitamin stores were
putting on their shelves
After I had conducted all of my interviews, it was apparent that everyone admitted to
having used some type of vitamin or vitamin supplement
Most students stated that they had only consumed protein and other natural vitamins
Tiffany Ruther, an exercise major here at UNCC, felt that, “you can go without [dietary
supplements] because the things that come from them, never outweigh all the
negative effects that can result from [their] use” (Ruther).
Picture URL: http://www.globalchange.com/images/stories/steroids.gif
Taco Bell Protein Consumption Commercial
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoe_SsEgc3Y
Picture URL http://www.informedmeateater.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/power-protein-commercial-2.jpg :
Feelings on Drugs and Other Enhancers
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Students have the ill-conceived notion that, “anabolic-androgenic steroids
are drugs that increase athletic performance” (Kersey 237)
It was agreed that these supplements were more of a mental booster to get
individuals hype, rather than an actual muscle increaser and assistive drug
Victoria McClure, one of my interviewees, mentioned that steroids and other
supplements, “are going to affect your mind and body, because if it is not
natural, it is not supposed to be there.”
Often times, these supplements were seen as a solution for athletic pressures
It is believed to help, “Maintain competitive ability against others” (Kersey
242)
Weisgarber points out the fact that, “diet and exercise alone can lead to
muscle growth and development, as long as you consume the proper amount
of protein recommended for your daily intake” (467)
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The Results of Using Steroids
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz9Bxr_9dsI
Picture URL: http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/sports/headers_93880/Tsteroids_risk.jpg
Are these students working out because it has
something to do with their major?
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Their was a general trend between working out and the chosen profession
Three were Kinesiology students, pursuing degrees in exercise science
One was Nursing, who felt that working out was vital for her success and perception by
future patients
The individuals told me that working out often did help them chose the professions and the
majors they would strive for.
Mike, answering this question, stated that, “I came to be a Kinesiology major because I love
working out, and I love the body, so I felt that the occupation fits me best.”
By working out, it shows a level of consideration for their patients well being in future
occupations, as well as a basic idea of what their patients will go through
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Does working out so often affect
grades and socialization with friends?
• It would seem that their time spent on homework would
decrease with the extensive amount of time being spent working out
• Though this proved to be false
• Rather it seems that they have a formulated idea that, “If you have certain
times that you do your homework, and certain times you go to the gym,
you will be a more regimented person, so it will improve your school work.”
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It appeared that the students who came in later in the day, and early into the evening,
had a set schedule, and knew exactly what to do
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Language
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The individuals who were a part of the “gym culture” had formulated phrases and
generalized terms used while working out
Though at first glance it appears different, the “language” is still common English
Jacob Harris pointed out the fact that, “We have kind of formed our own terms. For
the most part, I would say that we just shorten the words and use abbreviations
when talking about certain areas of the body.”
Most of the terms are those utilized by physicians and therapists when talking
about various exercises
This contradicts my original idea that a measurable level of dedication and
motivation could be administered by the various terms utilized
Picture URL: http://fitspacegym.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Fitness_1-300x289.jpg
Reflection and Conclusion
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I was able to disprove a whole spectrum of myths and ideas about working out
I was capable of portraying and manifesting the lifestyles of these individuals
After finishing my research, I concluded that the students who workout are not only an
insecure population, but are also molded by societal views; striving to meet the
benchmarks set by society
The students who worked out aren’t any different than the general population of students
here on campus
The gym is considered a desirable avenue for individuals to reach both internal and external
satisfaction with their image
Picture URL: http://www.sytropinfindings.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/myths-vs-facts.jpg
Works Cited
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Davis, Caroline, Kristina Karvinen, Donald R. McCreary. “Personality Correlates of a Drive for Muscularity in
Young Men.” Elsevier: Personality and Individual Differences 39.1 (2005): 349-359. Science Direct. Web. 26
Mar. 2014.
Dixon, Michael. Personal Interview. 12 Feb. 2014.
Harris, Jacob. Personal Interview. 12 Feb. 2014.
Kersey, Robert D., “Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use Among California Community College StudentAthletes.” Journal of Athletic Training 31.3 (1996): 236-245. PMC: United States National Library of Medicine.
Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
Koff, Elissa, Connie L. Bauman. “Effects of Wellness, Fitness, and Sport Skills Programs on Body Image and
Lifestyle Behaviors.” Perceptual and Motor Skills 84.2 (1997): 555-562. Ammons Scientific. Web. 12 Mar.
2014.
McClure, Victoria. Personal Interview. 10 Feb. 2014.
Moore, Justin B., Nathaniel G. Mitchell, Wendy S. Bibeau, John B. Bartholomew. “Effects of a 12-Week
Resistance Exercise Program on Physical Self-Perceptions in College Students.” Research Quarterly for
Exercise and Sport 82.2 (2011): 291-301. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and
Dance. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
Ruther, Tiffany. Personal Interview. 14 Feb. 2014.
Weisgarber, Krissy D., Darren G. Candow, Emelie S.M. Vogt. “Why Protein Before and During Resistance
Exercise Has No Effect on Muscle Mass and Strength in Untrained Young Adults.” International Journal of
Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 22.6 (2012): 463-470. National Center for Biotechnology
Information. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.