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Essay / A Study of the Culture Surrounding the Gym Community When they were in elementary school, the kids in my class were more or less my height. Then we arrived at the middle class. At this level, my peers were getting bigger and bigger. As they got bigger and bigger, I didn't. At one point, I asked my parents if I would ever grow up like my peers. They would keep me hopeful. However, this did not happen quickly. Many rhetorical questions ran through my mind. Over time, my friends started going to the gym. I felt a little self-conscious about my height; therefore, I would not accompany them to the gym. It's because I thought the gym was only for energetic people. I thought other gym goers would make fun of me for my inability to exercise. In college, I noticed changes and decided to go to the gym for personal training. Every time I went to the gym, I met different people. I used to know that the gym was for “meat heads” and well-built individuals. However, through my experience, I now understand that everyone can attend gym sessions. Men and women undergo personal training at the gym. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original Essay I have always been curious about the gym community. I felt the need to learn more about personal training and the culture around personal training. My goal is to know what indoor personal training is. Furthermore, I would like to know the effects of personal training on the body. I am curious to establish the changes that occur in men and women after undergoing 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. Additionally, I will discuss the importance of personal exercise alongside the people who go to gyms the most. I will also discuss how women negotiate their gym space during personal training at the gym. I chose to study this because I believed that the sport and fitness literatures 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 delve deeper into the cultural matrix and its effects on men and women. I've noticed, for example, that the societal mandate for personal health and the pressure to achieve a functional, natural body motivates women to exercise. Surprisingly little research has also been devoted to these influences. If you visit some gyms, you will notice some difference between the sexes. Therefore, I will argue that the idea that everyone should go to the gym may seem impractical. For some men and women, the idea of going to the gym is completely inconceivable; perhaps because for them, the gym seems like an unnatural practice. So, many prefer personal training activities like running,hiking, kayaking, etc. (Gardner and Martin-Jones, 2012; p. 167). This requires looking at outdoor/indoor exercises and artificial/natural exercises. The gym is the perfect place to conduct a study on how personal training affects women's bodies and gym culture. In my study, I will use several gym and personal training theories. First, from the point of view of cultural geography, it is obvious that the sporting 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 essential to understanding fitness and culture. Second, Foucault's work on "disciplinary space" will help to theorize how the movements and practices of the gymnasium affect the body. It will also help to understand the culture around personal training. Normally, in sports and sociology, researchers use theories to explain the effects of personal training on the body and cultural aspects. Finally, I will draw inspiration from the work of Henri Lefebvre, “The production of spatial theory”. In addition to this, I will consider the work of Michel de Certeau. Michel de Certeau's work is instrumental in studies related to the gymnasium and personal training. Building on 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 changing gym culture (Thompson, 2016; p. 133). Zumba dancing has been widely adopted by women around the world. This is a demonstration of what women want in personal training. My project will focus on 3 gym facilities and 25 participants including 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. In addition, sports studies, cultural studies and cultural geography will help explore gym culture. Fundamental questions awaiting theoretical reflections and research include: How does physical training affect the body in the gym? What is the essence of physical training? What is the culture around fitness training? This article will answer these questions.Theoretical FrameworkIn answering the framing questions, this article will critically examine fitness training in the gym. The focus will be on the effect of exercise on the body and the culture around personal training among women. Researchers say exercise is a fundamental part of human health and fitness. So, it is important to understand which fitness practices women indulge in more during their personal training at the gym. Remember that the perception of certain fitness practices can define the culture around fitness training. In this article, ethnography will provide an expanded platform to re-examine personal training at the gym in the context of culture. This will make it easier to address existing gaps and shortcomings. This article will take the argument further by exploring how ethnographic methodologies can expand our understanding of physical training and the culture surrounding it. Maxwell (2012; p. 99) asserts that ethnographic perspectives provide platforms that facilitate the examination of the complex worldof “lived experience” from the point of view of those who live there. Throughout this article, the term culture will be used in a broad sense to refer to various variables including ethnography, demographics, and status. Discussion of methodology and methods. Answers to the research questions as well as issues that emerged throughout the formulation of this study will dictate the methods and methodology I used. My moments of unstructured explanation and the need for narrative elucidations will guide my investigation into gym culture and the effects of personal training on the body (Lapan, Quartaroli, & Riemer, 2011; p. 67). First, during the study, I did not need to know the exact number of women and men in the establishments to determine which gender was more frequented; I wanted to know why. Second, I did not need to determine on a scale of 1 to 5 how comfortable women felt entering male-dominated establishments; my goal was to understand how they dealt with discomfort. In light of this, qualitative research involves “an interpretive, naturalistic approach to its subject matter…qualitative researchers study aspects of their natural environments, to make sense of or interpret observable facts about the meanings people bring to them” ( Maxwell, 2012; Of course, one of my goals was to determine the effects of physical training and exercise on the body. The qualitative research paradigm seems appropriate for my project. Remember, I not only intended to use this study 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 given ethnographic methodologies. Gardner and Martin-Jones (2012; p. 132) argue that ethnographic research is “incredibly personal.” When thinking about the most appropriate methods for this project, I had in mind "the paradigms that shape the personal formation of men and women." These paradigms are rooted in the ever-changing cultural matrix in which both sexes approach fitness practices through various aspects that define their sexual orientations. For example, a woman will approach physical exercise and sport through her body, a model of femininity, and in conjunction with sexist prejudices in an incomprehensible society. It's clear that gym and personal training culture is different from sports culture, which has long marginalized women and girls. Sporting cultures have historically trivialized, marginalized and prevented women and girls from participating or contributing. Women's participation in sport is suboptimal. In light of this, there is an idea that aerobics is for women and the gym is for men. Therefore, using various multi-site participant observations as well as semi-structured interviews, I sought to learn how women intersected discourses and spaces of personal formation with their personal histories and sexual orientation. I focused less on their socialization and more on how gym culture had influenced their ideas about going to the gym. Hence my preference for methods established in the field of anthropology (Longhurst and Johnson, 2014; p. 54). Sparkes and Smith (2014; p. 138) assert 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 wayof which these cultural limitations manifest themselves in the qualitative context. » experiences of the participants themselves. » I used semi-structured interviews and observation simultaneously to explore the topic. These approaches improved my ability to see and question while in the facilities. I was able to collect sufficient data through interviews with the participants. From my observation, the frequency of women in the establishments was suboptimal. I learned that gym instructors deliberately bring women into the facilities through their efforts. Furthermore, I found it necessary to also question the instructors on the matter. I have 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 goal of exposing gender, personal training, and gym culture. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to understand both the fitness practices of both sexes and the gym culture. My method of participant observation reflects the culture of ephemeral physical training. Of course, I wouldn't have managed to live in a gym exercising and observing. However, I spent a lot of time at the gym. I've noticed during my field work that many gym-goers think about personal training even when they're not in the gym. This was also evident during my informal interviews with some participants. Although sometimes personal training can be a personal effort, there is a societal version. Normally, over time, gym goers tend to identify themselves as a community, keeping in mind that people participate in physical exercises at the gym for different periods of time. Some will even stop abruptly without warning anyone. It's easy to notice that a certain person who has always been at the forefront during aerobics sessions is not there. When he or she disappears, the gym community normally begins to ask many questions. The gym community will begin to wonder where their most active member is. The culture of questioning is common in the gym community. Also, during the study, I couldn't talk or listen to everyone. This established the culture of transient members, which allowed me to fit in. Personal training takes place in gyms. This means that the culture of temporary members is common in the gym community. Obviously people come and go. Some do personal training at the gym for a few days and leave (AllenCollins, 2011; p. 187). During my studies, I kept separate notebooks for the three gymnasium facilities. I recorded notes based on demographic, ethnographic, and status variables. I did it on the field and in the gyms, then compiled them. I transcribed some of my written notes to form part of my software-assisted analysis. The three institutions in which I chose to undertake my research matched the needs of my study. I practiced participant observation for about a year. I spent much of my research time in the facilities and on the ground.Qualitative InterviewI was not new to personal training and the gym. Plus, I wasn't new to gym activities. Qualitative interviews constitute an important part of my project. The qualitative interviews allowed me.
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