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(Slate)   You needed to be at the gym in 26 minutes, and you made it there in 25. But there are no mirrors in which to watch yourself. Is it still possible to achieve the perfection you need in your workout? How can you work out without admiring yourself?   (slate.com) divider line
90
    More: Sad, Psychology, Physical exercise, Gym, Consciousness, Person, Single person, Personal trainer, Reflection (physics)  
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3821 clicks; posted to Main » on 29 Jan 2023 at 12:48 PM (9 weeks ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



90 Comments     (+0 »)
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hubiestubert [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 9:42:20 AM  
Let's just get this out of the way early:

The English Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom [Official Music Video] - HQ
Youtube SHWrmIzgB5A
 
johnryan51 [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 10:02:19 AM  
Fark user imageView Full Size
 
cretinbob [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 10:31:09 AM  
Anyone with LSD experience will tell you that you cover the mirrors first.
 
jars.traptone [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 11:01:54 AM  
IDK. With stuff like rowing it can be helpful to tell if you've got the form down, when you're starting out. And that can be difficult since you don't have an IRL third-person camera mode.
 
beezeltown [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 11:04:42 AM  
At my local YMCA they have a free weight area that is mirrored (where the grunters spend time looking at themselves) and a separate free weight area with no mirrors, sort of tucked out of the way. The machines are out in the open with no mirrors.

I notice the non-mirrored area is primarily used by women and the mirrored area is mostly used by young men. Old fatties like me use the machines in the middle, perhaps because we're more likely to be seen in the event of a heart attack.
 
edmo [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 11:24:23 AM  
Form?

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edmo [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 11:26:10 AM  

johnryan51: [Fark user image 425x464]


Fark user imageView Full Size
 
kdawg7736 [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 11:29:12 AM  
I don't like looking in a mirror when I work out. It is just distracting. In my never-ending quest to become a beefcake, I don't want distractions in the gym.
 
fragMasterFlash [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 12:49:28 PM  
Valerie, call on me. I'm the same boy I used to be.
 
DaveTheGreat
2023-01-29 12:54:51 PM  
I always just assumed they were there to make the room look bigger and to make it look like there was more equipment.
 
InfoFreako
2023-01-29 1:01:08 PM  

edmo: Form?

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khatores
2023-01-29 1:02:10 PM  
Basically, what they're saying is "focus on what you're actually farking doing rather than trying to look in the mirror". Yes. I don't know who decided it was a good idea to put these in but they're really only functional for high-end bodybuilders who are going to stop often and look to check definition, separation and symmetry on particular muscles.

Easy solution: Don't look in the mirror.

I really don't care one way or another if there's a mirror there. The good thing about it is that it does kind of make the room feel bigger, and also allows me to see who is around/behind me. Other than that they're kind of pointless.
 
Unsung_Hero
2023-01-29 1:03:43 PM  

edmo: johnryan51: [Fark user image 425x464]

[Fark user image 425x421]


Having cohabited with a female of the species for a couple of decades now, I can say that at least for my wife what gets her engine revving is a guy who has visible and defined muscle without any jiggly fat.  Thankfully that's not the ONLY thing that gets her engine revving or I'd be a very sad husband.

However, once the guys progress beyond that stage and the guys get big enough that it seems the muscles are the entire point and not general fitness?  That's a turn-off for her worse than a guy who just isn't fit at all.

Generally speaking, those guys who go to the gym to 'get ripped' or whatever are absolutely doing it for themselves and to impress their peers... whether that's what they think they're doing or not.
 
Grizmund [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 1:05:39 PM  
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foo monkey
2023-01-29 1:06:34 PM  
Subby's never seen me work out.  It used to be like shaking jello mold.  Now it's like shaking a 20% less jello.
 
some_beer_drinker
2023-01-29 1:11:48 PM  
I THINK SUBBY SPELLED BAR WRONG
 
Alwysadydrmr [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 1:11:49 PM  

foo monkey: Subby's never seen me work out.  It used to be like shaking jello mold.  Now it's like shaking a 20% less jello.


Fark user imageView Full Size
 
Fark_Guy_Rob
2023-01-29 1:13:38 PM  

edmo: johnryan51: [Fark user image 425x464]

[Fark user image image 425x421]


Science says otherwise:

The results showed that men who were physically stronger and more muscular reported having more sexual partners and, in societies that do not use contraception, these men also had more children than other men.

And also

Greater muscle mass is associated with both more sex partners and earlier age of first intercourse,

And also
In a separate study, women reported that their short-term sexual partners were more muscular than their other partners.

If you are a man and want to get laid, hit the weights.
 
gameshowhost [OhFark]
2023-01-29 1:15:03 PM  
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Nick Nostril
2023-01-29 1:19:18 PM  
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kabloink [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 1:26:46 PM  
I would just hire a double to act as the mirror

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El Rich-o
2023-01-29 1:27:50 PM  
I would have thought the mirrors were the whole point
 
Richard Freckle [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 1:30:14 PM  
I spend way too much time wondering what percentage of poor gym form videos are actually real.  I have a low bar for our species but they test my perception a little hard.
 
Elliot8654
2023-01-29 1:31:40 PM  

khatores: Basically, what they're saying is "focus on what you're actually farking doing rather than trying to look in the mirror". Yes. I don't know who decided it was a good idea to put these in but they're really only functional for high-end bodybuilders who are going to stop often and look to check definition, separation and symmetry on particular muscles.

Easy solution: Don't look in the mirror.

I really don't care one way or another if there's a mirror there. The good thing about it is that it does kind of make the room feel bigger, and also allows me to see who is around/behind me. Other than that they're kind of pointless.


I find the mirror helpful for compound lifts checking form, i.e. we have one in front of each squat rack so you can see your knee and chest position.

Mirrors to check form, I get.
Mirrors to ogle yourself flexing for 20 minutes? Nah
 
Groupon boob job
2023-01-29 1:32:32 PM  

khatores: Yes. I don't know who decided it was a good idea to put these in but they're really only functional for high-end bodybuilders who are going to stop often and look to check definition, separation and symmetry on particular muscles.


Not entirely true. I agree with the idea that you shouldn't be staring into them while working out. But having to reference when you're not sure if you're keeping good form is helpful. I made a gym in the basement for my wife and I and put up a couple mirrors. Though most of the time now if I have doubts I just take a video to look at after.
 
berylman [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 1:34:16 PM  
This is why in my minimalistic home gym without mirrors I placed a crying clown on black velvet to stare at and give me the inspiration to overcome all physical inadequacies.
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buravirgil
2023-01-29 1:40:32 PM  
Admiring the mirage in the mirror.
I Built An Entire Room Made Completely Out of Mirrors!
Youtube 1rBafWR3b50
 
Kalyco Jack [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 1:42:32 PM  
Fark user imageView Full Size
 
Froman
2023-01-29 1:46:42 PM  

Fark_Guy_Rob: edmo: johnryan51: [Fark user image 425x464]

[Fark user image image 425x421]

Science says otherwise:

The results showed that men who were physically stronger and more muscular reported having more sexual partners and, in societies that do not use contraception, these men also had more children than other men.

And also

Greater muscle mass is associated with both more sex partners and earlier age of first intercourse,

And also
In a separate study, women reported that their short-term sexual partners were more muscular than their other partners.

If you are a man and want to get laid, hit the weights.


Funny how despite always claiming to be the victims of body shaming and unrealistic standards, women across the whole range of body types are attractive to a significant amount of the male population(some unique, some overlapping), while attractive men pretty much all have the same body type. That's part of the point of the 4 Marvel Chrises meme. Of course they all going to look alike. And that ideal isn't even healthy. Most have too little body fat and need an insane caloric requirement to maintain that physique, not to mention that most people will need supplements of dubious safety to get there.

Training for vanity's sake is a zero sum game.
 
senor peacock
2023-01-29 1:50:43 PM  
I find the mirrors are useful for checking form while using free weights
 
BafflerMeal
2023-01-29 1:53:04 PM  

senor peacock: I find the mirrors are useful for checking form while using free weights


Yup
 
born_yesterday [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 1:53:51 PM  
Yeah, I use them all the time to check form, and would miss them. Setting down the last deadlift rep? Let's check to verify our back is still straight at the bottom. Squat depth? Look forward into the mirror and breath.

The very idea of not having mirrors in a gym sounds unsafe or at least very inconvenient.

Richard Freckle: I spend way too much time wondering what percentage of poor gym form videos are actually real.  I have a low bar for our species but they test my perception a little hard.


I have seen shiat that would turn you white. Imagine the absolute worst way to bend your back to pick a heavy weight off of the ground--like, imagine it's part of a Mel Brooks skit level of ridiculous. I've seen it. I have no idea how some people don't get hurt immediately, let alone after habitual lifting. That said, I'm sure there are no small number of staged videos.
 
GORDON
2023-01-29 1:55:22 PM  
Mirrors are important to me to see if I'm using proper form.  I have nerve damage and with my eyes closed, I'd lift things lop sided.  Mirrors make sure I'm even on both sides.

But go ahead and call me a narcissist, if it makes you feel better about yourself.  A lot of people do that.
 
stuffy
2023-01-29 1:57:56 PM  
th.bing.comView Full Size

I don't go to the gym to watch myself workout.
 
H31N0US
2023-01-29 2:05:54 PM  

cretinbob: Anyone with LSD experience will tell you that you cover the mirrors first.


Truth.

Not so with mushrooms, though. I'm farking beautiful when I'm on mushrooms. Also when I am not. But mostly when I am.
 
Gyrfalcon [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 2:06:04 PM  

senor peacock: I find the mirrors are useful for checking form while using free weights


Otoh, if your form is crappy, as I have seen far too often, you're just watching yourself do it wrong.

Not you, personally, but in general.
 
H31N0US
2023-01-29 2:06:37 PM  

senor peacock: I find the mirrors are useful for checking form while using free weights


Bro, if you can't FEEL when your form is off, I need to ask, do you even lift?
 
sinko swimo
2023-01-29 2:10:50 PM  

berylman: This is why in my minimalistic home gym without mirrors I placed a crying clown on black velvet to stare at and give me the inspiration to overcome all physical inadequacies.
[Fark user image 259x194]


recently saw a movie with Mickey Rourke as a meth maker in CA. the similarity is disturbing.
 
jjorsett
2023-01-29 2:11:19 PM  
How can you work out without admiring yourself?

Admiring myself would be highly Narcissistic. I simply bask in others' admiration of me.
 
W_Scarlet
2023-01-29 2:12:47 PM  
From my experiences as a weight lifter and boxer, a mirror is only a useful tool if you understand what your form should look like, to begin with. Otherwise it's just preening.

And if you understand what your form should look like, you don't need a mirror to tell if you're doing it right, you've already learned to slow down and do it right.

This is why having a good instructor is a tried and tested method that has endured for as long as we've had skills to cultivate. The best methods are passed on by those who succeed. A mirror can't give you the benefit of their knowledge.
 
bughunter [BareFark]
2023-01-29 2:13:11 PM  

Alwysadydrmr: foo monkey: Subby's never seen me work out.  It used to be like shaking jello mold.  Now it's like shaking a 20% less jello.

[Fark user image 425x318] [View Full Size image _x_]


[THE SIMPSONS] Homer's check - up with Dr. Hibbert
Youtube i021EtSXSGM
 
robertus [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 2:13:18 PM  
Fark user imageView Full Size
 
Froman
2023-01-29 2:15:53 PM  

GORDON: Mirrors are important to me to see if I'm using proper form.  I have nerve damage and with my eyes closed, I'd lift things lop sided.  Mirrors make sure I'm even on both sides.

But go ahead and call me a narcissist, if it makes you feel better about yourself.  A lot of people do that.


I wonder how many other people actually know what proper form looks like though. They just go straight to lifting weights and looking at themselves in the mirror thinking "yep, that looks right." Most people would benefit far more from actually hiring a personal trainer.

Can't really blame the owner if the users of the mirrors were more into checking out their form(or other peoples') for vanity's sake and she wanted to do something about it. These days especially with how social media treats the gym it's understandable.
 
senor peacock
2023-01-29 2:28:26 PM  

H31N0US: senor peacock: I find the mirrors are useful for checking form while using free weights

Bro, if you can't FEEL when your form is off, I need to ask, do you even lift?


mostly I use the rotary hip machine to keep my lower back together
 
TheYeti
2023-01-29 2:29:50 PM  
If I were really checking my form on anything I cared about I'd have to be looking at a mirror from the side, which I think would be bad for my form and maybe my health if I got distracted.  I'll stick to using my phone to make video...in the privacy of my own home.  I'd feel weird filming myself in a gym.
 
WTFDYW [BareFark]
2023-01-29 2:38:45 PM  

edmo: Form?

[Fark user image image 220x275]


That looks like Drew when he had hair. Lol
 
NotARocketScientist
2023-01-29 2:38:50 PM  

kdawg7736: I don't like looking in a mirror when I work out. It is just distracting. In my never-ending quest to become a beefcake, I don't want distractions in the gym.


I had an aerobics class that had mirrors on the front wall. I'm a klutz and tend to get tangled up in my own limbs anyway. In addition, I'm fat. That's why I was taking an aerobics class. The teacher would throw in stuff that took actual coordination to do. Between the mirror showing a lot of motion, the speed required, and trying to reverse what she was doing (she faced us) I could never get those right. The mirror was actively worsening my performance. In addition, who wants to see a whale trying (but failing) to do aerobics?
 
WTFDYW [BareFark]
2023-01-29 2:39:36 PM  

InfoFreako: edmo: Form?

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[Fark user image image 250x250]


LMAO
 
milizard
2023-01-29 2:45:30 PM  
I did ballet as a teen. Mirrors were really useful to check our form, because our teachers taught us what the proper form should be. However, it feels easier and more comfortable not to use proper form. The studio I went to did not have mirrors on the opposite wall, so staring into mirrors wasn't a constant thing. The goal is to have proper form when dancing in front of an audience after all.
 
Huggermugger [BareFark]
2023-01-29 2:50:47 PM  
I'm as blind as a blindfolded bat, so I just take off my glasses while I work out at the gym.
 
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