Our Survey Results!!!

All the questions we've asked about the gym and the culture of those part of the gym community have been answered, and here is what we found! Some answers seem to fit the stereotypes of what we think about with regards to the people that attend the gym. However, other findings were surprising and allows us to ask more questions about what it's really like to live a life of fitness at a gym. For instance, what about the gym culture makes those that don't attend the gym, not go? This is the first step in a process of understanding not only the culture of the gym, but also the culture of those that don't attend the gym. This means, more research must be conducted! What do you all think about the survey and the results? Did it surprise you? Did it reinforce stereotypes that you've had all along? Let me know and gym-on!

Diversity in Athletic and Gym Culture at USF – Cultures on Campus Blog

Below is a questionnaire that will aid us in understanding the athletic and gym culture at USF, and to also understand that diversity within that culture. Please answer all questions as honestly and fully as possible to help us better understand the USF gym culture and to celebrate the differences within it.

Individual’s name will be kept strictly confidential. Information from this questionnaire will be used simply as data represented in our blog, Cultures on Campus, that we can analyze and understand the diversity within the gym culture of USF.       

   

Name                      xxxxxxxxxxx                         

Age                         21                          

Sex          64% Male & 36% Female                   

Major                     Social Topics Majors and Fitness/Health Related Majors                             

Year                        Mostly Freshman and Juniors                           

How often do you attend the gym? Between 2-4 times a week                

For how long do you spend on each session?                                Average of 1 hour session                

Do you exercise alone or with friends/companions?                   Alone                    

What types of exercises are you involved in?                Males = Free weights, Females = Classes       

Do you focus on weight loss, physique, health, recreation, attraction, meeting new people, etc.?

                                _Top 3 = Physique, Attraction, Health_________________

Do you focus on your appearance when attending the gym?

_______________ Yes = 82%, No = 18%_________________

What type of clothing do you wear for the gym? i.e. Brands, types of tops, bottoms, shoes, etc.

_____Top Two Brands: Nike & Under Armour, Shoes: Nike, Shorts: Nike & Addidas____________ 

Do you enjoy the exercise process, or is this process something that you don’t enjoy? Please explain.

                Majority say yes, but they enjoy the results of going to the gym more so               

Does the exercise aid in your ability to perform your career, job, or will aid in your career/job in the future?

                Other than appearance, No = 76% and Yes = 24%__________________

If so, what career/job/line of work?                 Huge variation, between healthcare, to law enforcement to the arts

Do you take part in sports activities, and if so, which sport?

___Mostly males were a part of teams, like football, soccer, etc. with variation    

Outside of the gym, how do you see the portrayal of gym culture, such as in the media like television or magazines?

___The gym is seen as being dominated by those that are already in shape                          

Do you believe that the gym is a place for everybody, whether someone is in shape or not?

                Yes = 86%, No = 14%                                                                           

Social Media Power.

Truth is Social Media has a great impact in our generation to desire people to look a certain way. It doesn't matter what race, ethnicity or color or even gender you are it will impact your life either way. Why? Well reality is that through social media network we are being influenced and intrigued to live a certain lifestyle people live to determine physical results. While many may be postive others may be negative. Social media is loaded with images that aim to inluence from the vain-glorious selfies of beautiful women on Instagram to healthy living bloggers posting daily meal recaps and well easily to fall into a same comparison trap. There are Four good/ bad ways social media can influence your health and fitness.
1. Social media is an endless stream of information. By participating in Twitter chats and joining niche groups like Facebook it gives you the access to like minded people. Updates from other runners can inspire you to push harder and inform you information you may never know about it.

2. Social media can trap you in a sea of self-criticism. It's so easy to compare and look in the mirror and tell yourself you aren't good enough. Instagram has endless stream abs shots, flexed muscles and plank times right in your face for self comparison.

3. Social Media links to tools and teachnology that make it easy to keep track of your health and fitness. Theres many social application like for example MapMyRun to MyFitnessPal and countless other social applicatioms you can connect yourself one step further to those that do as you do or not.

4. Social media give you a voice to anyone; be wary of misinformation. You give somone a blog and they're suddenly a personal trainer, pumping out workouts that promise to shape you up or burn those calories. Anyone can provide answers in health forums so we should be careful about the info you might absorb.

Fun Facts About the Gym: Things We Should've Known but Don't!

Going to the gym doesn't have to be such a daunting task. Especially when there are a bunch of fun new facts that you can learn about the gym by clicking the link below!!! For instance, as it turns out, gyms are more lenient than we think when it comes to pricing, and the most common and popular exercise is walking! Gym life can be different than we expect, so check these facts out and learn more about what you can do to be more active.

Fun Facts About the Gym

No Stress. Gym.Yes!

            

It is stated that 7 out of 10 adults experience stress or anxiety and most people state that it interferes moderately in their life. It is impossible to eliminate it but you can learn to manage stress. The American Pyschlogical Assoication surveyed 2008 and more people reported physical and emotional symptoms due to stress than they did in 2007, and nearly half reported that their stress has increased in the past year. According to a recent ADAA online poll, 14 percent of people make use of regular exercise to cope with stress. Exercising  is one of the most recommended by health care professionals. I guess it's safe to say the gym releases our main stress.

                                                               

STRESS AFFECTS US ALL!

Ready for boot camp? We should ask our ROTC guys!

Ok, I know I don't look the part anymore, but I miss my PFTs. What a rush the first time I did it in Basic Training. And yes, there is an obstacle just like this in the AF boot camp. For those who know, HOOAH AF.

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by Stew Smith

Prepare Yourself for Boot Camp

Why show up at your boot camp or a service academy unprepared for the physical fitness test? You would be surprised, but many people are physically unprepared for life in the military when they arrive. Why make life your first time away from home any more stressful than it already is? 

If you show up fit and able to pass your respective Personal Fitness Test (PFT) easily, the fitness part of boot camp will be a stress releaser - not a stress increaser! If you prepare yourself properly, you can go into the military able to compete instead of having the mentality of just surviving. This makes all the difference in the world between those who graduate and those who quit. 

You have to take a running test - so run! You have to take a swimming test - so swim! You\'ll also have to do push-ups and sit-ups. Some boot camps even have you do pull-ups- so practice those calisthenics. 

Here are the exercises of all the PFTs, with helpful tips to increase your overall score on test day: 

Test Yourself

The anxiety felt by most service members is largely due to performing within a time limit. The more your workouts are timed, the better you are at "pacing" yourself, thus eliminating most anxiety. 

Pull-ups

During the pull-up and push-up test, you want to perform these as fast as possible while adhering to the proper form and technique. Also, look straight up at the sky in order to use your back muscles more for pull-ups. 

Recommended Workout

Pyramid workout. Start off with just one pull-up for the first set, two pull-ups for the second set. Continue up the pyramid by adding one pull-up for every set possible. When you can no longer continue, repeat in reverse order until you are back to just one pull-up (Ex. 1,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1). 

Push-ups

Placing your hands in the wrong position can seriously affect your maximum score. A perfect location for your hands is just outside shoulder width. This position enables the chest, shoulders and triceps to be equally taxed. Keep hands at shoulder height when in the up position. Your push-ups will be weakened if your hands are too low, wide, close or high. 

Recommended Workout

Try five sets of maximum push-ups in five one-minute periods. 

Curl-ups (sit-ups)

This is an exercise you need to pace. Most people burn out in the first 30 seconds with 30 curl-ups accomplished, only able to perform another 20 or so curl-ups within the next 1:30. By setting a pace at, for instance, 20 sit-ups every 30 seconds, you can turn your score of 50-60 to 80 with very little effort. 

Recommended Workout

Try timing yourself with 5 sets of 30 seconds, setting your pace to your goal. A good pace is 20 sit-ups in 30 seconds - totaling 80 sit-ups in 2 minutes.

Running

For most people, the most challenging event of any PFT is by far the run. Timed runs equals pace. The most important thing is to not start off too fast. Learn your pace and set your goal by pacing yourself to the finish. For instance, if your goal is to run the 2 mile run in 14:00, you must run a 7:00 mile or a 1:45 - 1/4 mile.

Recommended Workout and Techniques

The Four-Mile Track Workout has worked for many military and short distance runners for years. The Four Mile Track Workout is broken into 1/4-mile sprints and jogs and 1/8-mile sprints and jogs for a total of four miles. The workout goes as follows: 

4 Mile-Track Workout

- Jog - 1 mile in 7:00 - 8:00
- Three sets of:
- Sprint -1/4 mile
- Jog - 1/4 mile in 1:45
- Six sets of:
- Sprint -1/8 mile
- Jog - 1/8 mile 1:00

Do this workout without walking to rest. The only rest you will receive is during your slower jogging pace. Try to catch your breath while you jog. Have fun with this one it is tough. At first, you may have to walk in between fast running.

Military Fitness Vs USF Fitness

 Hey guys. After some serious thought, I decided what I wanted to do for my blogs. I'm gonna look at the project from a different perspective, the military side. Basically a comparison of required fitness vs optional fitness. Not that the military is the only career that requires fitness training, but I do have that experience. Anyhow, hope you like it.

Let's Talk Gym

             

Before we talk the serious details let me share a little laughter. So I'm sure we have all met a few people like this or even have been there ourselves in this position before. Lol!  But once we make the full commitment we learn to investigate and full feel what are the great perks of going hard at the gym. Definitely doesn't mean it will happen from one day to the next but day by day we will progress to where we want to be. I most definitely can state the gym was never my bestest friend but have fully been committed to it for about six months now and hope too see great changes each day.