Everyone has walked into the gym looking to build muscle mass by throwing a few dumbbells around, but it is not that simple sometimes. People from all walk of life go to the gym to better their health and lifestyle etc. and this leads to a wide variety of lifters and people working out at these gyms. Most of these people start out with no idea of what to do or how to do it. While a lot learn and make progress, some cannot make the gains. Today, in this post, we will touch on every different type of person that can find working hard or hardly working in the gym.
Starting out, there are the young guys or beginners. Now to specify this is not all beginners, here we are addressing the people that remain a beginner due to lack of consistency etc. These people always have the right ambition or spark to begin with, but it tends to fizzle quickly. These people can range from high schoolers, to some college people trying to avoid the freshmen fifteen, to even some older people that are, for the first time, getting into working out now that their metabolism is not racing 100 MPH. Usually the main reason for this type of person to be in the gym is because self-confidence or some form of peer pressure, but in some cases as well it can be to just begin to better oneself. Their friend is gaining muscle mass, so they decide they can do it too without any knowledge of proper lifting, or the person feels some form of comfort issues with themselves, so they try to jump into lifting as well. These beginners do not have a certain lifting schedule to follow which is important. Too heavy of weight and terrible form is very popular among this group as well. According to a writer for The Telegraph, a newspaper, “If the first thing you do when you hit the gym is start curling, you could be using your time more efficiently In most cases.” I agree that the new comers are never going for the big lifts or full body exercises because lack of experience. YouTube is where many young guys see extremely in shape people doing all these high-level training that they think they can do and it is not the case. On average, beginners last one to two weeks without giving up. After that the lack of results or pain of soreness is easily the fastest killer. Without the results that most people get right away, these people lose motivation and just give in, to come back and try again in a few months. Everyone is a beginner at some point but the rest of the types of people in the gym are the ones that have made it past this beginner phase.
Next in line is the little guys trying to put some form of weight on. Everyone knows these guys that have insane metabolism but only do not put on pounds. These guys in the gym can be anyone from high schoolers to even older men. The little guys are in the gym to maybe get some form of muscle on their bones and use that to pick up some chicks or get back at siblings and or friends. These guys are usually focused on the upper body area. Biceps and chest are two very popular muscle groups in this area. These types of lifter can last from a few days to months. This is probably because they know they are tiny and it will take time to get some muscle going. The little guys do not usually make any type of muscle growth. This is not because of lack of effort or work, it is mainly because of diet and metabolism.
Another common type of person found in the gym is the big bulky or thick boys lifting a lot of weight. These guys are usually strong and only lift a lot of weight. These guys are the lineman type that are either in high school still or are older and are about later twenties. The reason there are no college age guys is because they are most likely all at D1 football where they have their own weight room, so seeing them around that age is unlikely. The hefty guys are in the gym to be strong and look like a man. That is the only reason. The lifts these people do are all very similar to powerlifters in some respects. Most popular lifts would be bench, deadlift, and leg press. There are obviously a few more for biceps triceps etc., but those are not as consistent. The hefty guys usually lift for years on and off and have been lifting their whole life on and off. They can do this because they maintain that strength with the food they eat and jumping in and out of the gym is not as hard for people like this. The only significant results these types of lifters get is usually in strength. Some slight definition may show through the fluff or larger body size, but it is not very much.
Branching off the previous bulky lifters, comes the powerlifters. These two groups are mostly related because in most cases the powerlifters work their way from a big boy to more of a powerlifter. Along with those guys, powerlifters can come from all walks of life. In most cases these people are usually heftier guys but sometimes there can be smaller people that go into the powerlifting style of lifting. The powerlifters are in the gym for one reason only and that is to get as strong as possible. The more weight they squeeze onto that bar, the better. The harder the lift is, the better. The less people that can do it around them, the better. These people are here to throw weight around. Like the previous group, powerlifters will focus on fundamental lifts like deadlift, squat, and bench. Jordan Syatt, a writer for a fitness website called Elitefts.com, says, “competitors attempt to lift as much weight as possible for one repetition in the squat, bench press, and deadlift.” This statement supports the fact that these lifters are there to get the basic lifts done. They also do compound movement lifts like cleans, and snatches. In many cases powerlifters get into competitions for these lifts. These lifters will work out their entire life until their body starts to say no. Sometimes powerlifters will slowly tune it down into a normal gym goer because of health. Powerlifting is not the best for someone’s body body. Body lifters are not usually the most defined muscular guys around, but they gain a certain size and pop to their muscles that is only obtainable with lifting extremely heavy. They carry a bit of fat on their bodies because of the eating habits. This is to keep up with the nutrients their muscles need to maintain strength etc.
The next group is athletes. This can be any person in any sport, from softball to football. Usually they will not be in a public gym because most programs have a personal school or campus gym where these lifters do their training. The athletes are in the gym to strictly get better at their sport. They are in the gym because of a coach or trainer that gives them instruction. The lifts this group does is entirely relative the sport they are in. Football players will train agility and explosive strength in legs, while boxers will work footwork movement and back and shoulder dexterity for throwing jabs. Fundamental lifts like bench and squad are usually universal for all athletes. The athlete lifters will lift as long as they are in the sport. Some of them move onto powerlifting or bodybuilding after high school or even college sports. These lifters get results based on their sports as well. A football player will have hamstrings and calves that are huge while hockey players will have massive quads and hip flexors.
Bodybuilders is the last major, and most common group of people at the gym. These are the people looking to be picture perfect on the beach with 8-pack abs and huge biceps and chest muscles. This can be anyone that works and wants to look good. These lifters are at the gym because they are addicted to the feeling of being swollen and then sore all night. The way bodybuilders lift is slightly different than anything else. These lifters will drop a few pounds to add twice as many reps. The harder one can push them self to do those extra reps, the more actin and myosin tear past each other in the muscle cells causing the muscle fibers to tear. This is what causes the swelling and soreness after lifting for a lot of reps. Therefore, powerlifters do not like to do a lot of reps. The sorer they are, the longer the recovery takes, the harder it is to get strength fast. Bodybuilders will focus on every muscle on their body. Lots of isolation lifts instead of compound lifts. This helps focus the damage to one muscle causing that one to get larger. The bodybuilder groups are most into steroid use. This is even the guys that are not huge they want a nice body without putting in the work. The results these people get are insane. Bodybuilders are huge toned balls of muscle that have been chiseling away at their body for years. The bodybuilders usually lift like this for as long as their body will allow. There are some 60-year-old men and women that manage to continue and maintain this type of lifting.
Finally, the last group is less of a group and more the outliers. The people that are working out as an athlete but are also bodybuilding, powerlifters that are athletes, or people going to the gym to be healthy. These people can be anyone if they go to the gym and grab some weight.
Everyone at the gym is there to make some sort of change to their body. The reason there are so many types of lifters is because everyone is different. Because of genetics and the way muscles develops etc., everyone must find the lifting style that fits them. Some people, though they may work hard, cannot compete with a powerlifter that is genetically suited for that type of training. With so many body types and lifters at the gym it is hard to pick a type that is superior over the rest, because there is no best way.
Works Cited
“10 Schoolboy Mistakes You’re Making in the Gym.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 1 June 2017, www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/10-schoolboy-mistakes-youre-making-in-the-gym/.
Syatt, Jordan. “The Beginner’s Guide to Powerlifting: Everything You’ll Ever Need to Know about Competing.” Elitefts, www.elitefts.com/education/novice/the-beginners-guide-to-powerlifting-everything-youll-ever-need-to-know-about-competing/.