Have just got back on line after a two and a half week break,(new internet provider) my local gym is the council one about a third of the price of the private one up the road. For a yearly (or monthly)fee I can use the gym and its classes as many times and as often as I like (I have tried the spinning and have taken to it), the local swimming baths (I manage a session at least once a week) the sauna (once a week after a hard session in the gym) and the golf course (never used other than as a jogging track or short cut to the gym)One or two posers of both sexes use the facilitys. I have to admit some of the females have better tattoes than the males and in more interesting places + the heart rate has been known to jump when the eye sees level of the back strap of some of these lasses but most people go for a hard work out and there is a good age spread from the teenager to the 80+ who all help each other.

He's more of a scruffy toad actually.

I am now rather looking forward to tomorrow nights session, and reporting back.

Best tell Jane to iron my shorts and vest in readiness, she is implying that I am a tad scruffy !!! Matt.

I'm more of a pilates man, strengthen the core and all that. Now raise that pelvic floor muscle

We can move into interesting territory with this thread. I've taken up Yoga quite strongly over the summer and it will be interesting to see what effect that has on my fitness. Further, since I follow eastern philosophies keenly I often use such techniques on events when the going gets rough. "It's all in the mind". (Try telling that to the feet!). Garfield

It seems that the fittest people wear the grottiest clothing and don't give a wotsit about what anyone else thinks. I like to think that I am in this category, especially as the fittest people just get on with their 'session' instead of sitting around looking for someone to talk to. And if someone does try to talk to them, they just carry on anyway, until the 'intruder' wanders off looking for someone else to pass the time with, then claiming that they've had a really good workout!

There really don't seem to be many sweaty red lobsters at all, more like wobbly jellyfish. I see more sweaty red lobsters on LDWA events!! And with much better bodies too!!

The best 'gym wear' I've ever witnesed in Burnley was a rather glamourous lady who used to spend several minutes removing her make up before donning gym lycra, and then applying waterproof 'gym makeup' (taking several more minutes) before exercising. She'd then spend about 15min in the gym, before removing the gym makeup and reapplying the street makeup: ie an hour's gym session but only 15min in the gym. Needless to say, she never had the 'sweaty red lobster' look.

Matthew is well known in these parts for his 'retro look', he was into 'grunge' years before the fashion was invented.Jane

Water fountains, saunas, steam rooms - by 'eck you're spoilt.

Not in mid-Wales. 7 working machines and 1 x gizzmo with pullies and weights on. All in a tiny little room. As for music, some muppet always turns the radio on, which consists of one grotty speaker permanently tuned to "Radio Maldwyn" (local radio Newtown) aaaaaargh !!!

Perhaps we should report back on general atire of our local gym users, see which geographical area comes up with the most outlandish gear? I would bet on Montgomeryshire for the 'retro look'.

Just come back from the gym but didn't wear my pink lycra tonight. Very few there and even less in the pool. Sauna and steam room to myself. Guess everyone else was out blowing themselves - and others - up with fireworks.

Although I don't use my iPod in the gym I have used it on early morning runs around the city walls, along the canal and river. Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is sooo good at that time of day. - Garfield

Like Matt, I have started going to the gym now that the clocks have gone back. Some observations: It seems that there are now 4 must-have items to walk around with. One is the bottle of water, despite the drinking fountain provided. The second is the mobile phone, all the better to block the equipment and tell the world your personal business. The third is the ipod or mp3 player or whatever it is that extends to peoples' ears so that they become oblivious to anything else. The fourth is a flannel used to smear non-existent sweat all over the machines.
There are also the peacocks with their fingerless gloves and swaggering stature and peahens in pink lycra who stare at them.
Talk about a human zoo!!
Seriously though, I have found that after only 4 'sessions' + swimming, my training run times have improved significantly and I'm not bored yet. It depends what your programme involves and what your goals are. I would not advise going to the gym without specific intentions and, of course, I still exercise outside whenever possible. The forecast for this weekend is great!!

Matt I think it's "or what"

Some of the younger lads make me chuckle. The one last night had the hairstyle, had the cool shorts, had the cool trainers etc. He did a few token weights - about 5 minutes maximum, mounted the running machine next to the good looking woman in there. Revved it up to as fast as he could gallop, and I swear did no more than 3 minutes on it at full tilt. Shut it down, tossed his cool hair ..... and went home.

Cool or what? Matt.

you need to find a new gym with more women in it, no i,m not being sexist,it's quite entertaining watching their antics esp when there are two of them they get on to the machine say cross trainer and spend 20mins chatting and hardly any training and the clothes they wear are straight out of the 80s

can't afford the gym anymore but found it useful for interval training

There is the attraction of watching the beautiful people (females of course) toning themselves so it does have it's advantages. But for £13 a yearagainst £30 a month membership plus a horrendously expensive joining fee the LDWA is much better value.

Not a slave Matt. It is just that I found them usefull when I was short of time and could not get out. I have used them since as a part of my work outs (along with swimming and walking) and if you have a problem, you can put your mind to that while not having to think where you are going to put your feet.
David H

Whoops: spelling mistakes - blame the rum and can't find an edit! Matt

The clocks have changed, and I have just had my first winter 'gym session', as part of my strengthening for next year.
Not wanting to pur too fine a point on it, I hate the gym, it has to be the most boring form of torture known to man (and women) especially to those used excersising outside.

4 minutes on any single machine and I am going out of my head with boredom - and 10 minutes is my limit before changing instruments of torture. I do give them some stick though - there is nothing else to think of.

I see David Hammond is clearly a slave to the torture machines, does anyone else indulge - and does it do any good? Matt.

p.s. Have you seen the forecast and moon? Night walks instaed of gym for a few days.