Topic > A study of the culture surrounding the gym community

IndexIntroductionTheoretical frameworkDiscussion of methodology and methodsI have further divided this section into two parts as follows:Participant observationQualitative interviewsField of workData analysisA reflective momentConclusionIntroductionWhile I was in elementary school, the children in my class they were about my size. Then we got to the middle class. At this level, my peers had gotten taller and bigger. As they got taller and bigger, I didn't. At one point, I asked my parents if I would ever grow up like my peers. They would have given me hope. However, this did not happen quickly. Many rhetorical questions crossed my mind. As time went by, my friends started going to the gym. I felt a little embarrassed about my size; so I wouldn't accompany them to the gym. This is because I thought the gym was only for the energetic. I thought other gym-goers would make fun of me because of my inability to exercise. In college I noticed some changes and decided to visit the gym for personal training. Every time I went to the gym, I found different people. I used to know that the gym was for “meat heads” and well-built individuals. However, with my experience, I now understand that anyone can attend gym sessions. Both men and women train in the gym. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay I have always been curious about the gym community. I felt it was necessary to find out more about personal training and the culture around personal training. My goal is to know what personal training in the gym entails. I would also like to know the effects of personal training on the body. I am curious to determine the changes that occur in men and women after attending personal training sessions at the gym. I'm excited to begin my study of personal training and the culture surrounding it. In this article I will present analyzes of the culture around personal training. I will also talk about the importance of personal exercises together with the people who frequent gyms the most. I will also discuss how women negotiate for their gym space during personal training at the gym. I chose to study this because I felt that the literature on sport and fitness had not addressed the issue satisfactorily (Atkinson, 201; p. 210). Additionally, the study will analyze how men and women use their spaces during personal training. It will dig deep into the cultural matrix and its effects on men and women. I've noticed, for example, that the social mandate for personal health and the pressure to achieve a functional, natural body influence women to exercise. Surprisingly, little research has been conducted on these influences either. If you visit some gyms, you will notice some gender differences. Therefore, I will argue that the idea that everyone needs to go to the gym may seem impractical. For some men and women the idea of ​​going to the gym is completely inconceivable; perhaps because the gym appears to them as an unnatural practice. Therefore, many prefer personal training activities such as running, hiking, kayaking, etc. (Gardner and Martin-Jones, 2012; p. 167). This calls for the need to look at outdoor/indoor exercises and artificial/natural exercises. The gym is the ideal place to carry out the study on how personal training affects women's bodies and gym culture. In my study I will use different theories ongym and personal training. First, from cultural geography, it is evident that the gym space is a social space for both women and men. All movements, actions and behaviors of men and women reflect and create this space. Remember, gym space is crucial to understanding physical fitness and body culture. Second, Foucault's work on “disciplinary space” will help to theorize how gym movements and practices influence the body. It will also help to understand the surrounding culture personal training. Normally, in sport and sociology, researchers use theories to explain the effects of personal training on the body and cultural aspects. Finally, I will draw on the work of Henri Lefebvre, “The Production of Spatial Theory.” Additionally, I will consider the work of Michel de Certeau. Michel de Certeau's work is crucial in studies related to the gym and personal training. From the work of Michel de Certeau, I suggest that people recognize personal training in the gym as a “cultural product” (Longhurst and Johnson, 2014; p. 277). The emergence of Zumba dance and the decline of Reebok step aerobics, for example, are a clear indication of the evolution of gym culture (Thompson, 2016; p. 133). Zumba dance has been widely adopted by women all over the world. This is a demonstration of what women want in regards to personal training. My project will focus on 3 gyms and 25 participants consisting of female gym goers, aerobics instructors and personal trainers. Sports studies, cultural studies, and cultural geography will help examine physical training and its effects on the body. Additionally, sports studies, cultural studies, and cultural geography will help explore gym culture. Key questions awaiting theoretical and research reflection include: How does physical training affect the body in the gym? What is the essence of physical training? What is the culture around physical training? This article will answer these questions. Theoretical Framework In answering the framing questions, this article will critically examine physical training in the gym. The focus will be on the effects of physical exercises on the body and the culture of personal training among women. Researchers say that physical exercises constitute the fundamental part of human health and fitness. Therefore, it is important to understand the fitness practices that women undertake most during personal training at the gym. Remember, perceptions about certain fitness practices can define the culture around physical training. In this article, ethnography will provide an expanded platform to reexamine personal gym training in the context of culture. Therefore, it will become easier to address existing shortcomings and gaps. This article will delve further into the topic by exploring how ethnographic methodologies can broaden our understanding of physical training and the culture surrounding it. Maxwell (2012; p. 99) states that ethnographic perspectives provide platforms that facilitate examining the complex world of “lived experience” from the perspective of those who experience it. Throughout the article, the term culture will be used broadly to refer to various variables including ethnographic, demographic, and status. Discussion of Methodology and Methods Answers to the research questions and issues that arose during the formulation of this study will dictate the methods and methodology that I used. My unstructured moments of explanation and the need for narrative clarification will guide my investigation into the culture ofgym and on the effects of personal training on the body (Lapan, Quartaroli and Riemer, 2011; p. 67). First of all, during the study, I did not need to know the exact number of women and men present in the facilities to determine the gender with the greatest attendance; I wanted to know why. Second, I didn't need to determine on a scale of 1 to 5 how comfortable women felt whenever they entered male-dominated facilities; my goal was to understand how they dealt with discomfort. In light of this, qualitative research “involves an interpretive and naturalistic approach to its subject…qualitative researchers study aspects in their natural environments, to make sense of or interpret observable facts about the meanings that people attach to them” (Maxwell , 2012; p. Of course, one of my goals was to determine the effects of physical training and exercises on the body. It seems that the qualitative research paradigm is suitable for my project. Remember, I did not intend to use this study only to question gendered physical activities, but also to establish the culture around gendered physical activities (Andreasson, 2014; p. 67). Initially, it seemed appropriate to pay attention to the ethnographic methodologies provided Gardner and Martin-Jones (2012; p. 132) argue that ethnographic research is “disturbingly personal”. As I thought about the most appropriate methods for this project, I had in mind “the paradigms that shape the personal education of men and women. These paradigms are rooted in the ever-evolving cultural matrix whereby both genders approach fitness practices through various aspects that define their sexual orientations. For example, a woman will approach physical exercise and sport through her own body, a model of femininity, and in conjunction with gender prejudices in an incomprehensible society. It is clear that the culture of the gym and personal training are different from the sports culture, which for a long time sidelined women and girls. Sports cultures have always trivialized, marginalized and prevented women and girls from participating or contributing. Women's participation in sport is not optimal. In light of this, it is believed that aerobics is for women, and the gym is for men. Therefore, using various multi-site participant observations alongside semi-structured interviews, I sought to learn how women intersected personal education discourses and spaces with their personal histories and sexual orientation. I focused less on their socialization and more on how gym culture influenced their thinking about going to the gym. Therefore, my preference for methods established in the area of ​​anthropology (Longhurst and Johnson, 2014; p. 54). Sparkes and Smith (2014; p. 138) state that “while anthropological investigations reflect the consequences of the institutional framework within which socialization processes occur, they also take the analysis a step further by recognizing the ways in which such limits cultural experiences manifest themselves in the qualitative context of the participants themselves. “I used semi-structured interviews and observation simultaneously in exploring the topic. These approaches improved my ability to see and ask questions while in the facilities. I was able to collect sufficient data through participant interviews. From my observation, the attendance of women in the facilities was not optimal. I learned that gym instructors bring women into the facilities on purpose through their efforts. Furthermore, I felt it was necessary to interview the instructors regarding the issuefurther divided this section into two parts as follows: Participant observation In participant observation, I focus on Spradley's (2016; p. 87) comments on the ethnographic perspective on the cultural matrix. I selected participant observation for this study with the intention of exposing gender, personal training, and gym culture. Otherwise it would have been difficult to understand both gendered fitness practices and gym culture. My method of participant observation reflects the transience of physical training culture. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to live in the gym exercising and making observations. However, I spent a lot of time in the gym. During fieldwork I noticed that many gym-goers think about personal training even when they are not in the gym. This was also evident during my casual interviews with some participants. While personal training can sometimes be a personal commitment, there is a company version. Normally, as time passes, gym goers tend to identify with each other as a community, not forgetting that people attend gym exercises for different periods of time. Some will even suddenly stop without notifying anyone. It is easy to notice that a certain person who has always been at the forefront of aerobic sessions is not there. When he or she passes away, the gym community normally starts asking many questions. The gym community will start wondering where their most active member is. Question culture is common in the gym community. Also, while studying, I couldn't speak or listen to everyone. This established the culture of transient members allowing me to integrate. Personal training takes place in gyms. It means that temporary member culture is common in the gym community. It's obvious that people will come and go. Some attend personal training at the gym for a few days and then leave (AllenCollins, 2011; p. 187). During my study, I kept separate notebooks for the three gym facilities. I would record notes based on demographic, ethnographic, and status variables. I did it on the field and in the gyms, and subsequently compiled them. I transcribed some of my written notes to form part of my software-assisted analysis. The three facilities where I chose to carry out my research were in line with the needs of my study. I engaged in participant observation for about a year. I spent much of my research time at facilities and in the field. Qualitative Interviews I was no stranger to personal training and the gym. I was also no stranger to gym activities. Qualitative interviews are an important part of my project. The qualitative interviews gave me access to some crucial aspects of gym culture. I had no idea about these aspects before starting the study. Several reasons from Atkinson (2011; p. 21) prompted me to start using qualitative interviews. Among the reasons are the need to create comprehensive descriptions to carry out, integrate different positions in order to understand the cultural matrix, and outline the processes that individuals should use to determine the routine. Furthermore, there is a need for a holistic description of systematic functions, to interpret events and to establish the experiences of other people. Interviews are essential for any form of work that requires in-depth analysis of various readings. In this case my analysis is not based on the text but on personal training in the gym and the culture that surrounds it. In my sample, I wanted women and men who had experienced the culture of.