Austen Tom
Dr. Brent House
Foundations of Writing
11 April 2013
Marathon Lifestyle: The Study of Gym Culture
In today’s society many people are just about obsessed with physical appearance and
seem to be in search of a remedy to the “perfect human.” Anybody can dream but it takes
dedication to obtain an actual goal. Gym culture has been introduced to people since the
beginning of time through physical fitness. Most people are introduced to gym culture before
they are aware what it is, even children are aware of the culture by respecting the physical
dominance of their parents. The culture itself involves many other sub cultures within the
general culture. Meaning that any form of activity one takes to better them mentally or
physically by physical activity can be categorized as gym culture. Gym culture is about keeping
a productive lifestyle and staying physically and mentally fit. The culture itself brings people
together who would not normally even look twice at each other, ranging from any profession or
age group. It gives people the opportunity to put aside prejudging and stereotypes. It lets
individuals form a bond of mutual respect through the attempt to better themselves by being
involved in the culture. In gym culture social status does not matter, nor does race or religion.
Everyone involved in the culture shares a common interest which brings them together to build
strength for any obstacle life brings forth to them.
Throughout prehistoric time humans quest for physical fitness has been driven through
hunting and gathering. In today’s modern society physical fitness no longer driven by living
requirements, but is still the building block of health and well-being.
History:
Currently people are able to take a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home from
work to eat. In comparison, a nomadic lifestyle meant that people would not be able to eat and
survive without keeping up with nature. It was very common for nomadic people to endure long
journeys up to two days of hunting and gathering. At this point in time being physically fit was
not only essential to hunt and gather, but the main component of survival. All of the trips were
done on foot and all hunting and gathering was done by hand or based off of how physically fit
the people were. If someone was not physically fit they were unable to keep up with the game
they were hunting meaning their family
would starve. In most cases after, the
dominance factor plays a role of safety.
Following the bombing of Pearl
Harbor in Hawaii, the United States of
America entered World War II. Entering
a World war meant that our country
needed a large amount of American soldiers. However, as more men were drafted to the
military, it became evident to the government many of these drafted solders were not physically
fit for combat. It was reported that around half of the draftees were rejected or given non-combat
positions due to being physically incapable. These statistics raised a national wake up call to the
country with regards to physical fitness.
Mind/Body:
Being engaged in gym culture does
not mean physically looking the part, but
actually taking time to go out of your way
to maintain a healthy body and lifestyle.
Typically being involved in gym culture
requires one to be physically fit. Physical
fitness can be broken down into three key
aspects. First is keeping a healthy diet. The
saying you are what you eat holds a truthful meaning to being fit and healthy. In order to keep a
healthy body, it is necessary to eat healthy foods. Studies show that as students from ninth grade
to twelfth grade increase consumption of soda or sugar sweetened soft drinks, grades decreased.
In addition most of these students in the study reported being physically active for fewer than 5
days per week, playing video games for around two hours a day, smoking cigarettes, and getting
less than eight hours of sleep per night. The second key aspect of being healthy is physical
activity. Earlier that day in my chemistry class I found that exercise increases blood flow to the
brain and causes the production of neurotrophins, which enhance the growth of brain cells.
Meaning someone can actually help to enhance the increase of their own brain cells by engaging
in physical activity there for making themself more mentally well rounded as well as physically.
Professor Don Cooper, described brain cells as RAM [random access memory] on a computer
than memory stored on a disk. Brain cells help with memory as well as functioning of the brain
itself. Studies show that a single brain cell can store memory. Meaning that if you can enhance
the increase of brain cells by even one cell by physical activity, you are bettering yourself as a
human just through working out.
According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) the average adult
should spend around two hours and 30 minutes of aerobic activity per week. For a country
where the average American spends 34 hours a week watching television, I found a direct
connection to time spent on technology and time not being spent keeping a healthy body. The
last aspect of keeping a healthy body and lifestyle is your mental health. Recently there has been
a raising increase of interest on how physical activity can play a role in the treatment of mental
health problems and maintenance. In order to maximize the potential of a healthy mind it is
necessary to be physically active. People may not know it but while exercising, they are given
the opportunity to think about important priorities.
These key aspects act as life’s three legged stool. Without the support of one of the key
categories the stool of physical fitness falls. Each aspect holds its own significance to ultimate
physical fitness and without all three the actual goal of physical fitness cannot be achieved.
Distinguish Lifestyle and Members:
Members of gym culture range from kindergarten teachers to marines on the frontline
protecting our country. Even children who play any sports are involved in the culture. Gym
culture acts as almost a secret society anybody can become a member of. The great part about
gym culture is everyone has equal opportunity to dedicate themselves to engage in the culture.
No matter race, religion, or social status within society, it is everyone’s personal preference as to
if they feel the need to be physically active. There are no limitations to be involved in gym
culture. Everyone individual animal on the face of the earth has equal opportunity to be involved
in gym culture.
The understanding that everyone involved in gym culture strives to better themselves
mentally and physically establishes a mutual respect between everyone involved. In the new
Planet Finesses around Philadelphia I noticed there were the same signs in every gym, “No
Judgment Zone.” These signs promote the mutual respect throughout gym culture by letting
members know that no matter what level of physical fitness, everyone is headed toward the same
ultimate goal.
The Walk:
During the walk I see other people involved in gym culture also walking to and from the
gym. Depending on the weather people are dressed in either shorts or sweat suits. During the day
the was a cool breeze with the sun shining bright. As I walked past the quad I saw it filled with
people some even being involved in gym culture. It was packed with people playing volleyball,
having baseball catches and throwing Frisbee. The energy I could feel was indescribable. A
feeling of productivity I would not normally feel. Approaching the rec center I see people exiting
the gym after their workouts. Their facial expressions seem happy and confident almost showing
feeling of achievement or progression. People look like they are carrying themselves confidently
walking out of the gym no matter how much muscle they have on their body.
As I get closer to the doors I begin to feel my blood running almost like my body knows I'm
going to be working out soon. Through research I found most gyms in modern society are run as
a business. Meaning to be an active participant with that particular gym you need to pay for a
membership. In my case the schools tuition acts as payment toward my gym membership.
Opening the doors I read signs that say I must have my identification card ready. My school
identification card verifies my membership to the school gym. As I approach the desk I see the
cardio gym full of ellpticals, stair masters, and treadmills. Behind the desk is a crate full of
basketballs ready to be used by students. As I turn to my right I see two full sized rock climbing
walls and I'm ready to enter the rec center. I walk towards the huge rock climbing wall and make
a left facing a long walkway. This walkway leads me to the locker room. During the walk down
the hallway, to my left is the weight room for strength training. To my right there are 5 full size
basketball courts full of students playing. Some people also practicing yoga or stretching on
mats in the hallway.
Locker Room:
Entering the locker room immediately reminds me of all sports I have played in school. The
locker room is used for preparing for physical activity and a relaxing finish after practice or
workouts. The locker room is not the most pleasant place but for athletes it is the safe room of
the gym. If someone is not used to spending time in a locker room they may not feel comfortable
with it. The smell alone can make someone skip the locker room step in the process of going to
the gym. As soon as you step foot in the locker room there is a lingering smell of humid body
sweat. Once you have played a high school sport you almost get used to the stench. Sharing the
same locker room with all other seasonal sports forms an indescribable fetor.
After I get past the smell I am ready to
change and prepare for physical activity.
Walking down the hallway towards the lockers
I see people looking at themselves in the mirror
and others changing. Some people are
changing to leave the gym while some are
preparing for their workouts. Throughout the locker room you can find people talking to each
other about anything. As I pick a locker and unlock my pad lock I hear people talking about
school work and their previous workouts. Before opening my backpack I remove my watch and
put it in my bag along with my cell phone and keys. I take out my shorts, sneakers, and extra tee
shirt, and replace my vans, jeans, and sweat shirt with them. After changing I put my clothes in
my back pack and lock my bag in a locker. Walking out of the locker room my mind is set on
preparing to engage in physical activity.
Cardio Gym:
As the long hallway from the locker room to the cardio gym winds down, I begin to notice other
people working out. People I see running around the track remind me that I should run to get my
blood pumping. I open the doors to the cardio gym straight ahead of me at the end of the
hallway. Inside this gym there I noticed there are mostly females. The females are mostly
running, on elliptical, or on the bikes. Some people are even in there doing strength training on
machines. I walk over to a bike and get on planning to ride it for about ten minutes as a pre
workout warm up. There are eight televisions lined up on the wall for people to watch while
exercising. Most people on the treadmills are also watching television. Each television has a
different channel on. Some have
news reports, others have ESPN,
and others have games playing. I
personally choose to listen to
music, but still watch the television
for further entertainment. I remove my backpack full of valuables and place it next to the bike I
chose to warm up on. Getting on the bike I make sure the bike is adjusted to fit my body size to
maximize the prevention of injuries. After ten minutes of riding the bike my blood is running
and I feel my muscles are prepared for strength training. I begin to slow each cycle on the bike
until I came to a complete stop. Keeping my headphones in I get off of the bike and proceed to
put my backpack back on. After completely warming up on the bike I plan to head to the weight
room to engage in strength training. I head left back towards the doors, walking in front of
people watching television I feel a slight uncomforting for some reason. I take a drink of water
to the right of the doors before strength training to act as a small break to catch my breath.
Weight Room:
Leaving the cardio gym I again walk down the hallway towards the locker room. Only
this time I stop before I pass the basketball courts on the right hand side. On my left are the
doors to the weight room. Before entering I can see a majority of males inside. I hear music
coming from a boom box in the corner and different groups of people conversing. I open the
door to the weight room. Entering the weight room I remove my back pack once again, except
this time I turn to the right and see a wall full of open cubbies. Each cubby is about a foot and a
half by a foot and a half, just enough space to fit my back pack and sneakers. I place my book
bag and sneakers in a cubby and turn around to see a gym packed with people. So packed that it
is hard to find a machine or weight of your preference. I wait until the machine I am planning to
use is open and ready for use. This particular day I planned to work out my chest and triceps,
and was waiting for a bench press bench. I sit down and see a friend of mine in the gym, Ronal.
Ronal looks as if he may have been an athlete in high school or possibly even college.
We both greet each other and I ask him if he would take some time out of his workout to help
spot me. Spotting is simply supporting another person during a particular exercise, with an
emphasis on allowing the participant to lift or push more than he could normally do safely.
Basically, in order for me to maximize my potential strength training on the bench press, I need
my friend Ron as a spotter to act as security so I do not drop the bar across my neck and get
injured. After three sets of 10 I am done on that particular exercise. I begin conversing with
Ronal about gym culture and he seemed fascinated by the energy he put toward the conversation.
I proceeded to question him to gather further information. “What do you think distinguishes
someone that comes to the gym everyday even though they may have had been working the
entire day, from a person who works all day and goes home to watch TV on the couch all night?”
I asked Ron. He replies,
“The main characteristics that distinguish someone that comes to the gym after a long day of
work instead of going home and watching TV are determination, and a strong commitment. It’s
very easy to go home after a day of work and just relax; it takes someone with drive to go push
their body after a day of work, instead of retreating to the couch.” Showing strong passion about
taking that next step and going to the gym I knew Ronal was serious about gym culture. “Do
you have a job?” I asked. Ron began to explain “I work at Home Depot part time and school
alone right now is almost full time job, so it can sometimes get hard for me to find time to
exercise.” I noticed that not many people get paid to exercise which is also a cause of why
people do not go to the gym. I began to form an understanding that people who do go out of
their way to engage in gym culture, know that it is helpful for their productivity throughout life,
not just inside of the gym. That being said I wondered “How much time do you have remaining
after school work and work to go exercise and how to you choose when to go?” He states “Not
much I don’t have enough time to go everyday although I would like to. I try to build my
exercise schedule around my work schedule. Meaning if I have work at Home Depot or school
work to complete, I know that I am not going to be able to go to the gym. It’s all a matter of
priorities, some people put the gym as a main priority before work or school work, I choose not
to.” Since there are people who do put the gym as a main priority I questioned “Are there
different levels of how serious one can take gym culture?” “Yes of course, there are many
different types of gym goers. You have the people that go every here and there to make
themselves feel better about their daily habits, you have the ones that go a couple times a week to
maintain a decent level of health, and then you have the ones that go religiously which I consider
to be 6 out of the 7 days a week, if not all seven. Also gym culture doesn’t just have to do with
what you do in the gym, there’s things that you have to commit to outside of the gym too, such
as a healthy diet.” By him explaining that I understood that this culture was so complicated that
there are different levels of how engaged individual members could be. Ronal was giving off a
sense of productivity I did not typically see with people outside of gym culture. I then
respectfully asked him, “Does being involved in the gym culture affect your grades in school?”
He replied, “If anything, I would say that gym culture actually improves your grades because it
teaches you time management and how to keep a schedule. Without time management skills a
lot of time may be spent wasted. It is also said that exercise promotes positive brain activity and
a larger flow of oxygen to the brain, which would help you with school work.” Earlier that day
in my chemistry class I found that exercise increases blood flow to the brain and causes the
production of neurotrophins, which enhance the growth of brain cells. Meaning someone can
actually help to enhance the increase of their own brain cells by engaging in physical activity
there for making themself more mentally well rounded as well as physically. Professor Don
Cooper, described brain cells as RAM [random access memory] on a computer than memory
stored on a disk. Brain cells help with memory as well as functioning of the brain itself. Studies
show that a single brain cell can store memory. Meaning that if you can enhance the increase of
brain cells by even one cell by physical activity, you are bettering yourself as a human just
through working out. I could not help but wonder what brings people into gym culture. A ask
Ronal “What brought you into gym culture?” He claims “Playing on sports teams brought me
into gym culture. Being on workout regiments as well as the constant need to keep physically
fit. ” To me this meant that no matter what age, once a person is introduced to gym culture they
understand the importance of it and have a hard time leaving the culture. But for a person that
has never been involved, they are used to carrying their everyday life without involving gym
culture.
Basketball:
In order to get a basketball at the school gym you must leave your school identification card as
collateral. At the main desk I not only show them my identification, but hand it to them and
remove one of the basketballs sitting on the desk. I look at the clock behind the desk and it reads
1:30pm. The woman working at the main desk takes my school identification and places it in a
small black box made to fit index cards and smile. As I walk towards the basketball courts I am
holding my basketball and my backpack filled with my valuables I brought to the gym. At the
courts I notice there are people already playing their own pickup games. The rules for pickup
basketball at the gym are simple. The winner stays on the court and the loser leaves, the people
who called next game have reserved rights for the court after the previous game is over.
Walking closer I notice people have already called next game, meaning there is no way I will be
able to play right away.
Others are waiting to play in the next game. I walk to an open court to
the left to warm up my shot and practice a little. Behind the baseline and in between the indoor
track and the wall there is an open bench. Typically these benches are used to place your
sneakers, backpacks, or anything someone does not or cannot carry while playing basketball or
running around the track. I sit down
on the bench to re lace my sneakers
tighter so that I can maneuver easier.
As soon as my sneakers are tied tight
enough I put my backpack under the
bench so that I will see anyone
around my valuables if necessary. I
walk on the court with my basketball
and begin to shoot free throws to warm up my shot. At this point I am the only person on this
particular court. After I shoot free throws I take a couple lay ups after getting my rebounds.
Soon enough other people waiting to play on the main pick up courts come to the court I am
shooting on to join me. Once new people come and not every person has a basketball to shoot
the shooting around rules change. As someone is shooting the basketball others who do not have
the ball in their possession try to get rebounds in order to have their chance to shoot. Once a
person obtains the basketball from the rebound he or her gives the basketball back to the person
who missed the previous shot for their chance to take a layup before being done shooting. But
until someone misses a shot it is almost a small game of make it take it. Meaning that the person
with possession of the basketball shoots until they miss a shot, before taking their layup. I take
my first shot and make it; a tall athlete gets the rebound and gives it back to me. I take my
second shot and make it as well. At this point the person who got my first rebound approaches
me and asks me “Do you have five yet?” Meaning do I have five people to play the next game
with yet. I humbly answer “No, not yet.” He then asks me to play on his team in the next game.
I accepted which meant that we have the rights to the court next after the loser of the previous
game leaves the court. At this point the game before ours had just started. I am still conversing
with this athlete whose name is Ryan. I begin to tell Ryan I am doing research on gym culture.
He seemed very interested and began to explain to me “No one better to talk to man. I’ve been
involved in gym culture almost my whole life!” At this point I could not help but to ask “How
long have you been involved in gym culture?” Ryan begins to explain to me “Ever since I could
remember I had a ball in my hand to play with, I did not start competing in sports until I was
around five or six years old playing basketball in a local league.” This interested me because his
story seemed similar to mine, although I first started my involvement in gym culture by playing
tee ball. Ryan seemed like he was very much involved in gym culture. Since he seemed so
deeply involved in the culture I wanted to know the reason. Most people are involved in gym
culture for an ultimate reason to have fun or to stay physically fit. I questioned Ryan “How
important is staying fit to you?” He replied “Very important, because without being physically
fit I could not function throughout the day. I need a little time in the gym to release some of my
energy and have fun.” From this response I figured that Ryan was involved in gym culture just
to have fun and to use it almost as a therapeutic visit to the gym. This made me wonder if he had
an actual goal to keep himself coming back to the gym. I asked Ryan “Do you have a goal
within gym culture?” He explained to me “Yes, my goal within gym culture is to build my leg
muscles up to be able to dunk by the end of this year.” After explaining his goal I asked “What
steps are you going to take in order to achieve your goal within gym culture?” He replied “I am
playing basketball everyday even if I’m just shooting around. In the weight room I focus on leg
press, toe raises, and leg extensions. I also run a mile before every workout to get my blood
running and muscles warmed up.”
At this point the game we were waiting for was just about wrapping up. The team we
assembled through shooting around walked over to the court where the teams were still playing.
We waited on the sideline analyzing the team who seemed as if they would win. They had one
two tall kids, two average sized kids, and a small muscular student playing point guard. My
team was conversing on who would be best fit to play defense against each person on the
opposing team. We decided that I would play defense against one of the averaged sized students
around my size. The energy I could feel was overwhelming. I felt my adrenaline begin to pump
through my veins and was ready to compete. While shooting around other students on my team
seemed quiet and reserved. Right before the game we all began to talk prepare to play.
As the game we were waiting on finished the teams shook each others hand and the
losing team shamefully walked off of the court. The winning team seemed very confident and
full of energy. As our team walked onto the court we began to shoot around and talk to the
winning team. People started to analyze each other’s shots and lay ups. Once everyone seemed
about ready we gave the winning team possession of the ball first out of respect.
As soon as we checked the ball to begin playing the mood completely changed. It
seemed as if no one else was in the gym besides us. My focus was entirely on winning this
pickup game and what steps were necessary for my team to take in order to do so. The student I
was playing defense against was slow on his feet and seemed uncertain about his shot. I felt
confident that we could win. Our team began playing well together. We began to form a
chemistry that was strong and necessary to defeat the other team. With that chemistry our team
began outscoring the opposing team and playing at a quicker pace. People on my team who
seemed very reserved before the game started let all of their energy out and began taking control
of the game by communication. By talking to one another our team was able to understand what
to do and how to do it. Ryan had the ball at the top of the key and signaled for a pick on his left
hand side, the pick was set and it was game point. He made a quick move past the defender,
passed the ball to one of my team mates and he took the shot. The ball seemed as if it were in
the air for an hour, when it approached the rim my heart dropped. The suspense of that quick
shot left the entire team speechless, waiting for the ball to drop in the net. The shot went in and
our team won. After the game we all shook hands and I conversed with Ryan a little more about
high school sports and gym culture.
The importance of this culture is completely necessary for mankind to be aware of
because of how much it affects people’s everyday lives. Without gym culture people would limit
themselves physically and mentally. People who are involved in gym culture better themselves
by staying active and productive.
Works Cited:
Dugdill, Lindsey. Physical Activity & Health Promotion. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell, 2009. Print.
Steinhaus, Arthur H. Toward an Understanding Health and Physical Education. Dubuque, Iowa:
WM.C.Brown, 1987. Print.