NOW THAT the holidays have come to an end, students are going back to routines or even starting new ones. After the holidays, most gyms get busier than usual, and become less of a quiet place to work out and more of a loud and crowded factory full of people. This happens because some people return to their daily gym routines, while others start for the first time with one single goal in mind: new year, new me. For many, this usually means heading straight to the gym as soon as January begins.
Granger students agree this leads to long wait times for equipment, busy treadmills, limited stretching space availability, and so much more. But this usually lasts a few weeks max. Many people lack the discipline, while others continue their efforts.
“I notice that most often the gyms tend to get crowded because people want to lose the weight they gained over the holidays,” Alexa Gines (12) said. She thinks it can be chaotic when the gym gets too busy. “I get sorta overwhelmed because I can hear everyone even with my headphones on! It can really affect my time and routine when there’s a crowd at the machine I usually use. This especially happens with the squat racks, lat pull-down machines, and the treadmills,” she said. Gines feels more motivated during the overpacked gym rush. “It makes me want to stay consistent and go earlier in the morning before school, so I avoid going in the afternoon with all the other people,” she said.
Danae Magdaleno (12) thinks New Year’s resolutions play a massive role in overcrowded gyms. “Although people are trying to build a new character, it takes up space for those who have been building theirs for a long time. It gets upsetting to have those who have been going for a while lose their time to people who will most likely be there for only two weeks,” she said.
It can be annoying to have to change a schedule to make time for the gym. “This usually affects my schedule, with an overcrowded gym, so there are long waiting times you have to deal with. It can be annoying waiting for something that you have in your everyday routine, especially when people aren’t paying attention to how much time they’re taking up on the machine,” Magdaleno said.
Even when the gym is overly packed, Mangdaleno says she doesn’t avoid it and continues with her goals as usual. “To me, it’s just a bunch of people trying to better themselves, and if the gym motivates them, then at least they’re trying,” she said.
Camden Brent Boyt (12) thinks it is annoying that everyone chooses to start going to the gym at the same time of year. “I’d say gyms get crowded because people think New Year’s is a time to make a change, when in reality you can do that any day of the year. I think that’s why they leave earlier because they don’t have the mindset for working on themselves, they have the mindset of working out for a New Year’s resolution,” he said. But he doesn’t let crowds get in the way of his lifts. “When it comes to the crowds, it doesn’t affect me a whole lot, but the most annoying part for me is people ego lifting, unnecessarily doing 15 sets on a single machine, or just not being mindful of other people,” he said.
Boyt thinks that if you need help, just ask someone and don’t be nervous about it.
