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The insanity of people at the gym

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posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 12:28 PM
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At times I would go to a really busy gym and all the cardio machines were filled with people on the bikes, steppers, treadmills, etc, working their butts off, dripping sweat, feeling the burn, etc. I'm guessing most of these people were there for personal reasons, either to get into shape, become physically stronger, better health, etc.

When I worked on some of these machines, repairing them, I realized that most all of them work on some kind of resistance and the resistance almost always generated heat. I don't remember any of these machines being useful for anything productive (other than the above mentioned things).

Looking at other machines like generators, air compressors, motors, etc, all of these can be powered by the machines I saw in the cardio room. The thing is, if you told people they had to power these generators, compressors, etc with their body, do you think they would hop on and smile while they dripped sweat and "felt the burn". Would they be happy if you told them "I need more power, step it up to 300 watts!!!"? No? But they will gladly do that so they can "feel the burn" for the last 4-5 mins of their cardio routine...

This also goes for everything in the free-weight area. Instead of free weights, where a weight is raised and lowered XX times, there are machines that emulate the same/similar movement and can be harnessed for the same goals as listed above. I have a feeling people would demand a new invention if they were asked to do this for "work".

After you see this kind of thing it makes it hard to go back to the gym and look at it in the same way, unless you have to do some exercises for rehab'ing an injury or something.

I wonder how much energy is expended in gyms across the world every day as heat, heat that then has to be cooled in the summer to keep the gym from being 150+ degrees. I remember even in the winter some of the gyms could keep the doors open for periods of time b/c of all the heat generated when the place was packed - and I didn't even mention the amount of body heat generated in all this effort.

Just a thought when I was looking over some machines and ways to power them...

edit - does anyone think that a gym could become popular where the work put in actually was productive or there were exercises created where the activity produced something productive or constructive?
edit on 12 13 2018 by DigginFoTroof because: (no reason given)



posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 12:31 PM
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originally posted by: DigginFoTroof
After you see this kind of thing it makes it hard to go back to the gym and look at it in the same way...


No it doesn't.

And the elliptical at the Hilton I'm staying at is broken, send someone to fix it.



posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 12:32 PM
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a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Use muscle heads to power the matrix!

Why didnt Google think of that?

They're all about Results after all.




posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 12:45 PM
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a reply to: DigginFoTroof

This!
Using the energy of kids to power things.
Seriously, those little kids have endless energy, why not use it. win win




posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 12:52 PM
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There was a black mirror episode that basically had people using treadmills and bikes to power... something, it never really said.

But that was their job.


Shockingly enough, some folks go to the gym as a hobby. They actually enjoy it, and the time and difficulty is on their terms.

So it’s not really the same thing.

I’m sure the future utopia or California or some place like it will come up with “green machines” that contribute to the grid. Which would be cool.
But they’d probbaly tax you.


a reply to: DigginFoTroof



posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 12:53 PM
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posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 12:54 PM
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a reply to: DigginFoTroof

My station, police, fire, theatre, animal shelter, courthouse, library, Civic center are all connected...including rock climbing wall, ex machines-weights, pools in city rec. center.

You hit on a GREAT idea here... especially if all the workout machines were all connected to a generator to use/store energy. How 'bout the FLOORS of aerobic/Zumba areas transferring each step into energy, which it already is kinda?

Man! That's like maybe 1,000 people x 18hrs open x 7 days a week....damn! That's a lot of potential stored and usable energy. Steam from the wet areas too...pool, slides, hot tubs, shower areas....x all the different buildings!

We need to go into business together DigginFoTroof!!!

edit on 13-12-2018 by mysterioustranger because: (no reason given)



posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 01:25 PM
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originally posted by: SteamyJeans
There was a black mirror episode that basically had people using treadmills and bikes to power... something, it never really said.

But that was their job.


Shockingly enough, some folks go to the gym as a hobby. They actually enjoy it, and the time and difficulty is on their terms.

So it’s not really the same thing.

I’m sure the future utopia or California or some place like it will come up with “green machines” that contribute to the grid. Which would be cool.
But they’d probbaly tax you.


a reply to: DigginFoTroof



I totally understand going to the gym and enjoying it. It's about achieving something for the most part and it IS totally different when you are forced to do it or when you HAVE to do it, like for survival.

I suspect if you had 2 setups to power something, one that was done voluntarily by people who wanted to be there doing it (for whatever reason or goal) and another where people HAD to use it to generate their own electricity, you would see vastly different outcomes from the use, with the voluntary one having a much higher output (even if they weren't using the product of their work). Now I suspect if they also got a benefit from their output, even if it was "returned energy to the grid" or something, let alone a health insurance of gym membership discount, that you would get even higher outputs from the voluntary people - I suspect they would push even harder.



All in all, I think this is a good idea and with the advancement of generators and the reduction of permanent magnet motor sizes (and especially cost), then this could actually be something that could work. I've seen the price for repairs on this equipment and even things like tensioning belts or spring belts cost the price of a motor (that is where a lot of the manufacturer's profit is b/c it's a proprietary part)! With the advance of variable voltage charging systems from the green energy market the energy could be fed back into the system easily even with a wide range of outputs from the machines.



posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 02:18 PM
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Give your top energy producer members a rebate on their monthly fee.



posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 03:26 PM
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the other day i was riding a stationary bike at the gym to rehab my knee. The power went off and i turned to the guy next to me and said "petal faster!" and we did.

But yeah they should hook up the bikes to a generator. I think some place do this actually.



posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 04:01 PM
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When I was a kid I figured they'd just hook tubes up to our butts, the tubes would run hundreds of miles and suck up our farts to power our lives.

Fart Car




Theres half a tank.



posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 04:16 PM
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a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Seems like you have an idea for an invention. Better figure it out before someone else patents it.



posted on Dec, 13 2018 @ 07:59 PM
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a reply to: DigginFoTroof

People wouldn't feel the burn of physical exertion in order to power their homes for the same reason they don't enjoy paying their hard-earned money for necessary responsibilities like insurance but they will pay that stuff hand over fist for things like the latest iPhone.



posted on Dec, 14 2018 @ 12:04 AM
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Like most things, if analyzed to the nth degree, it becomes absurd. You can apply the same line of reasoning to everything that humans do! Why toss that inflated rubber bladder into a nylon bag with a hole in the bottom, when that nylon and rubber could be used for making tires? Why use it for tires when you could use them for shoes to walk places? Why use them for shoes when you could make a nice mat to lay down on?

The reason is the human experience, be it physical or emotional. The machines are not there to be machines and be productive for what ever reason, they are there to suit their creator's wants or needs. Basically the scope of this boils down to having different preferences of what is the correct thing to be absurd about is.



posted on Dec, 14 2018 @ 01:32 AM
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Because lots of Millennials, like previous generations also, can't stop complaining about how they are not treated like special people, somehow find lots of reasons to complain about everything

If they have a reason to go to the gym like that, they will probably also have a reason to complain that their effort is used to earn money which they deserve to own because it was their effort that generated that energy and someone also will find a way to sale it

You see, new generation is called "Generation Z", starting from about 1999 or so, somehow. I don't know who was the dumb**s that chose it but it is what it is

So at least i'm glad i don't belong to the Millennial stuff

So i feel like all the going to the gym because it is what must be done is a dumb thing. I do sports, i go play 2/3 hours of basketball a day, sometimes 1.5 on basketball and 1.5 on Kempo.. I don't really do the gym stuff, that's for like older people, i don't get why not just keep going with the sport you like and it would keep you in better shape than whatever hours you spend on the gym, unless you are body building or just looking for attention and trying to hit it with someone out there somehow lol

So no, no one would do it to generate resources, they will ask for the spent effort back in the form of money, then you'll get all the same crap about how work sucks and how many hours you made and how much you get paid and who pays better and then this guy/girl next to me is this and that and it's making better than me because the owner likes them better and blah blah blah blah blah..

In the end, people are dumb but not stupid.. LMFAO!

edit on 14-12-2018 by BoneSay because: (no reason given)


ETA: Since all previous generations went crazy with controlling issues, it would be no long time before the Black Mirror thing would happen

First people do it because it's nice, and you earn some cash while getting healthy and stuff
Then you do it because you need some cash and that's a sure way to get it
Then you do it because you can't make it without that cash
Then the control freaks invent laws to regulate it all, because you know, everyone has to get their share
Then you do it because it became a business and it is regulated and you are unable to live without the money, it is a half time job

Then it becomes ridiculous, like in Black Mirror lol

en.wikipedia.org...


edit on 14-12-2018 by BoneSay because: (no reason given)



posted on Dec, 15 2018 @ 12:01 AM
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I am reasonably certain tht a gym in portland oregon is partially powered by transduced heat/friction generated by members. Its a good idea.



posted on Dec, 15 2018 @ 08:30 AM
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a reply to: DictionaryOfExcuses



I am reasonably certain tht a gym in portland oregon is partially powered by transduced heat/friction generated by members. Its a good idea.


I saw that earlier, the green micro gym or something.

Fascinating.




posted on Dec, 15 2018 @ 08:48 AM
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If someone gave me the option of hopping on an aerobic powered treadmill generator attached to my house that would give me free electricity for a day in return for 30 minutes of 120 bpm output, I’d be all over it.

...and teach my dogs how to use it for those days I wanted a rest day!



posted on Dec, 15 2018 @ 03:35 PM
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I love gym.

Joining was the best decision I ever made.

In fact, if the gym knew how much I actually enjoyed it, they'd probably boot me out.


edit on 15-12-2018 by halfoldman because: (no reason given)




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