A new start....

I've never used a gym that was not associated with part of an academic institution. I know that sounds weird, but it's not really that weird when you consider that for the past 13 years (high school + college + 5 years of graduate school) I've had an available weight lifting room, pool, track, and other fitness accouterments at my disposal, basically free. Sure, it was buried in my college tuition, and I have to pay a 15.00 $ "Activity Fee" for graduate school, but compared to an actual gym membership, it's pretty cheap (baller).

Now, I've been going to Wilson & Brodie gyms on Duke's campuses on and off for the past 5 years. And let me say...they are gorgeous. Huge skylight windows, an indoor rock climbing wall, amazing and up-to-date equipement just touch the surface of the things I love about them. They also have (probably literally) a ton of new weight lifting equipement, not to mention brand new flooring, and nice lockers/bathrooms.

Now that Ryan has a new job, we have joined a gym closer to our house so we can continue going together. We checked out a few gyms in the area and realized that there are basically two types: ones that cater to moms and have spent their money on a big child care center, have lots of Zumba and aerobics classes, and are stocked with many many ellipticals and those that don't. Because Ryan and I care more about how many full racks, half racks, and weight lifting machines a gym has, we went with the latter.

We went today (for leg day), and right away it was very clear that there are a lot of differences between the Duke gym (which is admittedly nicer) and this gym (which is more of a grungy hardcore sort of gym). I will list some pros and cons below that I've noticed, but also just some general differences that amused me during my workout.

Always want to end with the good, so I'll start with the bad:

Cons:

• When I said grungy, it really is. Some of the equipment is torn, they have a few "sanitizing stations" which are almost hidden and I didn't see people using frequently, but most of the free-weight room in general actually just looks dirty and worn.
• The elliptical I chose this morning was broken (and since there are only ~6...it may be an issue during busy times)
• No bumper plates. I love bumper plates, especially for deadlifting, and alas, there are none. They are allowed, so I'm thinking of buying my own.
• All very old, very well-used equipment. 

Bumper plates -- Love the colourful ones!

Pros:

• They have not one, but TWO (2!) T-bar rows. Back day, here I come!
• It is pretty empty. I had to wait for nothing. Not one machine, not one piece of equipment. Nada.
• The free-weight area is set off in a dark back room. No one except the few people in there can actually watch you. This makes it a lot easier to focus, and to be a little less self-conscious :-).
• It's 5 minutes away from our house, and there is always parking! 

T-bar row. These are awesome!

And now for what separates a very expensive, catered to undergrad/grad/faculty gym from more of a powerlifting gym.

1. There are no "5 lbs." increments on the machines in the free weight room. Also, the pins are actually thin pieces of metal with a nut on the end. (See picture below).
2. The main rack of dumbbells starts at 20 lbs. You have to go searching in the back corner for anything lighter, hence, an absence of girls who like to lift pink 5 lbs. dumbbells :-)
3. There is a chalk station in the corner. (See below).
4. They don't actually mind if you drop bars with 45-lbs. plates on them.
5. There are about 20 belts (half of which are clearly made for guys that weigh 300+ lbs.)
6. Speaking of, I actually saw a powerlifting dude that was definitely in the 300 lbs. range. Muscle, fat and all, this guy was huge. 
7. Their selection of post-workout protein bars all have 30+ grams of protein. No Odwalla bars or anything remotely granola-y.
8. There is a white board with strongman records on there: I saw in the few seconds I glanced at it a  750 lbs. deadlift and a 600 lbs. bench. Doubtful, I will ever get on there, but theres some motivation right?

No 5s here. Also, interesting pins :-)

Chalky in the back corner. Badass records on the whiteboard.

My over-all feeling: It was different. Definitely different. Definitely outside of my comfort zone, as I have typically been used to the school/university type gyms. I've been once or twice to a few other gyms in New Jersey when I visit home, but definitely have not seen any like this. I feel a bit "badass" in this gym, but also a bit out of place. Hopefully as the time goes on I'll get more comfortable with the people there, the new routine, and the new equipment.

The gym newbie.

Closing thought: Although I like the camaraderie of a membership gym, at some point I would love to build a nice home gym, with everything I like there. There's a large up front cost, but then there is no monthly fee, no travel time, no lines for equipment  Just Ryan, me and the weights. That will probably be my perfect gym :-).