rant: exercise machine displays

[Anonymous]

This is OP. I guess I'll just have to google the machine manuals to figure this out.

BTW I do intense intervals on the the elliptical and definitely get my heart rate way up and work my way through an article. I guess I read more in the off intervals than on. It's not like you can't look away for a second!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can you read a magazine while exercising??

+1

Unless you're trying to use walking on the treadmill as a means of "going for a light casual walk" while it's pouring rain outside. But generally, if you can read while you're exercising, you're not exercising nearly hard enough.

If you're on a machine where you're not bouncing a lot, like a stairmill or an elliptical, you certainly can read a magazine.

It's pretty hard to do if you're getting your heart rate up and sweating, even fast walking, on an incline, or a bike. The people I see with magazine are always looking very leisurely. Not sweating, not going fast or looking strained, no color in their face from the increased blood flow. I wonder if these are the same people who say they go to the gym and complain about the scale never moving.

This is actually sort of funny. With the exception of running on a treadmill or taking a spin class, I would love to see someone working so hard on say, a recumbent bike, or even an elliptical, that they couldn't read a magazine. I can set my treadmill to 15% incline and walk for an hour at 4.0 mph, get a great workout and still read a magazine.

Please tell me you're not holding on to the treadmill. Otherwise you are definitely not getting a "great workout:

LOL - I love the old partner in the office gym leaning back on the treadmill while holding onto the handrail. I asked him, "how fast do you think you could actually go without holding on?"

This bad habit is rampant at a couple of the gyms that I frequent, and I have no idea how it caught on. There is no semi decent personal trainer that would suggest doing this - and it's also bad for your posture. What on earth kind of exercise does this mimic???









THIS WOMAN IS A BAD INFLUENCE, DO NOT DO WHAT SHE IS DOING



This woman knows how to do things right



Also this woman - you go girl



Clearly I feel very passionate about this subject. I just don't understand how and why this terrible trend caught on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I listen to audiobooks with my heart rate in the 170s on an elliptical. I'm sure I could read a magazine as well.

How are these two things even comparable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I listen to audiobooks with my heart rate in the 170s on an elliptical. I'm sure I could read a magazine as well.

How are these two things even comparable?

This is OP checking in. Today I opted for a podcast while doing intervals w/HR up to 160. I think I probably covered about the same amount of text in a podcast vs a magazine. It's actually not hard to read while working out. You just ... read. I don't know how else to explain it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I listen to audiobooks with my heart rate in the 170s on an elliptical. I'm sure I could read a magazine as well.

How are these two things even comparable?

This is OP checking in. Today I opted for a podcast while doing intervals w/HR up to 160. I think I probably covered about the same amount of text in a podcast vs a magazine. It's actually not hard to read while working out. You just ... read. I don't know how else to explain it.

Not doubting that. Just don't understand how someone thinks that because they can LISTEN to a book, they could also read one during their exercise. Very different, especially if the speed you're going has a lot of up and down movement (running, sprinting, jogging, etc).

I personally either listen to music or watch YouTube. Trying to keep track of the words as I sprint is too frustrating and I feel like I'm not retaining what I'm reading, if that makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I listen to audiobooks with my heart rate in the 170s on an elliptical. I'm sure I could read a magazine as well.

How are these two things even comparable?

This is OP checking in. Today I opted for a podcast while doing intervals w/HR up to 160. I think I probably covered about the same amount of text in a podcast vs a magazine. It's actually not hard to read while working out. You just ... read. I don't know how else to explain it.

Not doubting that. Just don't understand how someone thinks that because they can LISTEN to a book, they could also read one during their exercise. Very different, especially if the speed you're going has a lot of up and down movement (running, sprinting, jogging, etc).

I personally either listen to music or watch YouTube. Trying to keep track of the words as I sprint is too frustrating and I feel like I'm not retaining what I'm reading, if that makes sense.

I think I likely retain more than the audio. You can read faster than you listen. I do intervals, so of course when it gets really tough I'm not reading. But I found I wasn't really listening to the podcast at those moments either. The elliptical is smooth enough that it's not a problem to focus on the page. But I'm a reader - one of those kids who used to read a book walking down the street!