Missing the point

I tend to blaze through my workout routine but sometimes I do sneak a peek at what others are doing in the gym, mostly for inspiration but occasionally for sheer entertainment. There's this Indian guy who only does upper body workout and nothing else, which makes him look like a very buff Mr. Potato Head: bulging pecs and arms complemented by a pair of reed-thin legs. There are also a couple of Indian guys who always work out in tandem. Both are obviously overweight with the belly to show for but never once I see them do any cardio exercises. They always monopolize the abs crunching bench, much to my annoyance, and pull up their shirts in-front of the mirror after every abs crunch set to see if there's any reduction in belly fat. Today, one of the said guys actually pulled up his shirt while twisting his body on the oblique equipment. He was facing the mirror, of course. And later when I went down to have a drink of my usual 100 plus at the mamak place I saw them both each ordered a big helping of nasi dalcha and fried chicken. Yep, that's just what you need for a post-workout nourishment! There's also one scrawny Chinese kid who does the rounds on the weight machines in rapid succession without any regard to what specific muscles to focus on. He'd start his lightning-quick round from the various pecs machines to lat pull to shoulder press in maybe less than 10 minutes, and repeat it for a few more times.

I'm not sure why some people do what they do at the gym - and do it without any clue whatsoever. Maybe they're just too proud to ask for guidance from the instructors, afraid of looking less "macho" in-front of other gym rats. This is after all a place where you can almost cut the testosterone-laden air with a knife.

For the two Indian guys trying to work off their belly fat they are missing on a basic fact of human anatomy: fat and muscles are two totally different types of tissues. Abs crunches only stimulate the abs muscles, not the subcutaneous fat that covers them. Yes, the abs muscles will become ripped and stronger after many, many crunches but they will be well-hidden behind the fat. The only way to blast those fat away is to sweat your ass off on the treadmill or the stationary bike or the rowing machine or do any of the aerobic workouts. Also gorging on nasi dalcha right after the workout is never a good idea.

As for the skinny Chinese kid building muscle mass requires focus and good planning. One should divide the weekly workout routine into various muscle groups in order to maximize the results. Usual 3 days a week routine, and mine as well, is as follow: pecs/triceps/delts (Monday), lats/traps/biceps (Wednesday) and lower-body (Friday), along with two or three cardio sessions (30 mins or so) and the requisite compound workouts like squat and dead lift. I also do abs crunches at the end of the overall workout.

This is not to say that I'm better than some people at the gym. It's just that if one wants to do something then do it right. Equip yourself with the knowledge and the know-hows. There are plenty of resources out there, so take your pick. Doing it blindly will only be a waste of your time and money with nothing to show for at the end of the day.