I self-identify as a gym rat. My body begins to feel ill and lethargic if I go even a week without working out. I have been working out at a gym regularly for the last eleven years. I consider going to the gym an almost spiritual duty. I believe in a personal philosophy that you must keep your body in the best shape you possibly can at all times so that it will be clean and ready if called into service for a greater cause (whatever that might be). I know that might seem silly to a lot of people but I really mean it. It isn’t about vanity. I actually eat four servings of fruits a day also, because being in shape isn’t just about going to the gym but about taking care of your health in general.
When I am at the gym I do not socialize. I only know the first names of one or two people at my gym. I always workout alone, I wear headphones, and 80% of the time I am there I don’t even make eye-contact with anyone. The gym is my “me” time. It is where I meditate on the things bothering me as well as on the things I am happy about. I toss around ideas for blog posts and also consider whether I should ban that one commenter who has been bugging me for months. It is my hour and a half of refuge from the storm outside.
An article published this week at Slate.com has got me reconsidering everything. Far from living a good example, maybe I, and those of you like me, are just a bunch of freaks in the making:
There have been three major terror attacks in the West over the past five years–9/11, the 2004 train bombings in Madrid, and the 7/7 suicide attacks on the London Underground. For all the talk of a radical Islamist conspiracy to topple Western civilization, there are many differences between the men who executed these attacks. The ringleaders of 9/11 were middle-class students; the organizers of the Madrid bombings were mainly immigrants from North Africa; the 7/7 bombers were British citizens, well-liked and respected in their local communities. And interpretations of Islam also varied wildly from one terror cell to another. Mohamed Atta embraced a mystical (and pretty much made-up) version of Islam. For the Madrid attackers, Islam was a kind of comfort blanket. The men behind 7/7 were into community-based Islam, which emphasized being good and resisting a life of decadence.
The three cells appear to have had at least one thing in common, though–their members’ immersion in gym culture. Often, they met and bonded over a workout. If you’ll forgive the pun, they were fitness fanatics. Is there something about today’s preening and narcissistic gym culture that either nurtures terrorists or massages their self-delusions and desires? Mosques, even radical ones, emphasize Muslims’ relationships with others–whether it be God, the ummah (Islamic world), or the local community. The gym, on the other hand, allows individuals to focus myopically on themselves. Perhaps it was there, among the weightlifting and rowing machines, that these Western-based terror cells really set their course. [Link]
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p>Ouch. Talk about a body blow. I am definitely going to meditate on the ramifications of this article while I am working out today.
Mohammed Sidique Khan, leader of the cell, worked on his protégés in “informal settings,” primarily at a local Islamic bookshop where they watched radical DVDs and at local gyms, some of which were based in rooms below mosques. According to the report, “Khan gave talks [at the gyms], and worked out.” He set up two gyms, one in 2000 with local government money–which means that government officials unwittingly funded one of the settings for his efforts–and another in 2004. [Link]
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p>This is the part that really scared me. Especially given my own beliefs as outlined above:
Khan seemed to view gym and sports activities as more than an opportunity for physical bonding; he also appeared to consider them moral and pure, an alternative to the decadent temptations of contemporary society. Healthy living, as a doctrine, appears to have been close to his radical heart. In Khan’s talks to young Muslims and potential recruits, he reportedly made numerous references to keeping fit. His talks “focused on clean living, staying away from crime and drugs, and the value of sport and outdoor activity,” says the British government’s 7/7 report. Perhaps it was the gym setting that nurtured the 7/7 cell’s combination of arrogance and fury, its seeming belief that they were good and the rest of us were rotten. [Link]
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p>Bottom line? I am going to keep going to the gym and I am going to keep avoiding contact with everyone. For your sake, if you see me at a gym then don’t talk to me 🙂
And for the record, I don’t believe that I am good and the rest of you are rotten. Well, except for that one commenter.
Now we have the root cause of terrorism. It all started with Pumping Iron and its star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who for all purposes brought body building and physical fitness to the masses of the world. The Terminator lives and he had a plan all along.
The skynet computer thing was only a ruse to divert all of us. LA fitness, Ballys, 24 Hour fitness, Gold’s Gym, etc. is the real Skynet. Damn.
Hanuman was the world’s first terrorist!! See? Everything came from India only.
M. Nam
Abhi
Check this out. You might have read the news about what happened in London today when the police raided a house in Forest Gate. About 250 police took part following intelligence that the house was being used to construct bombs for suicide bombing attacks. A Bangladeshi guy was shot, although his wounds are not life threatening. Anyway, I was just reading a report in the Times the drama and check out this quote from a relative of the suspected terrorist:
Gyms are good places to bond for extremists. Another thing to note is how fascist movements, from the Nazis, to Japanese Ultra Nationalists, to todays Islamist extremists, have always been accompanied by a kind of cult of the body and health. These connections are interesting.
Hmm..Not LA Fitness. I worked in the corporate offices and worked out at the Irvine Gym. The most dangerous thing I saw there was a 13 year old in juicy coutour sweats complaining about the age limit on the weights. 🙂
Brendan O’Neil, the author of this Slate article, has a blog of like-minded, left of center socio-political perusals at:
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brendan_oneill/index.html
By the way Abhi (maybe for future reference), you really did not have to clue us in on your devotion to the gym…sometimes just posting the article is more than sufficient to elicit thought provocations.
My fat ass needs to hit the gym now and get some fruit in my belly
I’m a big fitness fanatic. I’m also a part-time certified fitness instructor and personal trainer. And this revelation of yours is scaring me Abhi, though i sport an ‘Om’ tatoo on my left tricep, they might ascertain my religion and leave me alone. However, i’m also hoping to get bigger than any of the guys there so that if they decide to make trouble, my size will discourage them from pursuing the matter( though this goal might involve 2 more years and literally chugging protein shakes all day). However, i’m willing to make that sacrifice given that scenario.
Your post reminds me of a fascinating article that appeared in the NY Times a couple of months ago, that talked about a 24-hours Queens gym, where South Asian cab drivers head after their shifts. It’s a labor union type dynamic at some level, and a bonding experience. That’s the sense I got. What I remember most about this article is that one of the guys told the interviewer that they have one rule they all follow: They don’t discuss politics! Makes sense. Given the Indian penchant for passionate beliefs/affiliations, no one would get around to working out.
In all my years of working out in neighborhood gyms as well as “fitness centers” of hotels around the world, I have come to one conclusion. Most of the people working out are not mainstream, middle-of-the-roadies that you work with, mingle with, are related to, etc. etc. The gym rats are either too sculpted, too good looking or too grotesque. Some of them definitely look like psychopaths, the kind who could go on a murder rampage or launch a terrorist attack with towel in one hand and a water bottle in the other. I am like you, Abhi. I stay clear of everybody when I am at the gym.
oh… I get it now… when someone calls me a towelhead, they’re talking about how much I work out. doh.
it is also possible that the attackers/suspects were obsessed w/ physical fitness to the degree involved because of a perception that they are “soldiers” who should be in peak physical shape, resulting in an obsession with working out and anything else that would keep them in optimal condition for their mission
oh man i have a new excuse to not go to the gym.
I have another explanation – They want to get in shape for the 70-something virgins that they’ll get in heaven.
Hi Abhi and everyone, I’d like to pose a, perhaps dumb, question; is it normal behaviour to walk around in the buff, in the locker room, in your Gym? Do note that this is not an attempt to
pervertchange the direction of this discussion. I live in the Middle East and am a regular at a popular Health Club and have observed with much mirth the clashes of Locker room etiquettes of different cultures. Dudes who don’t cover up but dive for cover as soon as a kid walks in:), White dudes who decide to cover up to avoid upsetting local sensibilities, but, have no clue about “wearing” a towel without it falling off every two seconds:), A desi uncle who dyes his hair next to the showers:), The conservative Arab who looks with sharp disapproval at the hairy Brit arse right next to him:); the list goes on. In my opinion, the buff-culture permeated mainstream western society through Public Schools and the Armed Forces, which were traditionally all-male bastions. Personally, I cover up when I am in the Middle East, as at least some people here would find it offensive if I didn’t and might even consider me gay – ah, that ultimate straight-male fear of being branded bent:); but, when I am in the west I do what the majority does; I can’t afford to be branded a prude either:), can I? PeaceGym rat eh? licking lips Well HELLLLOOOOO Abhi.
I have never been to a gym in another country so I can only speak about America. In men’s locker rooms in America everything goes. There is no “naked eiquette.” While washing my hand at a sink I have witnessed a guy next to me blow dry his privates with one leg up on the counter. Usually it is an inverse relationship to age though. The younger fit guys usually follow an unwritten etiquette and are more discreet about slinging their goodies every which way. Middle aged men and especially old men just let it fly. Nakedness is embraced though so even if you are disgusted by a naked old man trying to close-talk to you in the middle of the locker room, you are the one who looks silly if you indicate your disapproval. I have never heard or seen someone openly complain about nakedness in the locker room.
It’s funny how, when I have been to the gym with friends/colleagues and any white guys amongst us start flashing themselves around in the changing room (not regarded as weird here in the UK either), it’s always us desis who suddenly start averting our eyes, throwing our hands up in front of our faces, and going “Whoahhh, heyyyy, John, put that away, man !”
You can take the desi out of the desh, but you can’t necessarily take……..
😉
From a former female Desi gym rat:
After having taken a shower and congregating near their lockers, the women just took of their towels and put on their undergarments– snapping bras into place, putting on undies, etc– all the while chit chatting and laughing. I’ve come across only a very, very few who feel uncomfortable at the thought of being booty naked in front of others. But for the most part, no one really cared (apart from those who pointedly looked for isolated locker aisles to change into their clothes).
The great Ricky Gervais explained why guys whistle in the locker room. Im parapharashing, but he said when guys whistle in the locker room, they are really saying “How could I possibly be looking at your penis, when I am busy whistling”
A little off the subject, I know.
That is an interesting observation Abhi, and I think it holds true for the place that I go to as well. However, talking from a western locker room perspective, what this probably indicates is the younger generation’s inherent tendency to pre-empt any circumstance that might result in their sexuality being misunderstood. Older generations went into a locker room that never recognised the gay-issue and hence didn’t have to deal with it; therefore, I think they are oblivious to any misleading connotations of their in-the-buff demeanour. Jai, I think you meant: “Whoahhh, heyyyy, man, put johnny away!”:) CAD, I already knew that from the many times I peeped in there; I’ve got bumps on my head where heels hit me:) Peace
Er, at the risk of being banished from SM for a million years, was that the moment you decided to go for that Military style short hairdo?:)
And I consider sinking into the couch, eating cheez-Its while my eyeballs are glued to CSI reruns, a daily meditation I cannot miss.
It hurts to say this, but it’s time to acknowledge that we can never be together Abhi…Religious differences.
I am definitely one who tries to get changed as quickly as possible and I try my best to avoid seeing any gratuitous nudity. That said, it seems that there are a fair number of men who insist on talking to you while their man-parts are going every which way. The most disconcerting example of this was an older “uncle,” that I didn’t know nor had ever seen, who came up to me, while wearing nothing at all, only to inform me that he had an attractive, eligible daughter. Now, I’m not one to snark at the Desi-dating network or the arranged marriage thing, cause it works for some people. But for God’s sake, man, could you at least put on your boxers first?!?!?!
The first thing I was going to get you to do was to give up the death sticks. 🙂
I’ve heard that young girls try to pick up the most discreetly packed sanitary napkins and try not to be seen buying them. Young women lose this shyness and feel free to shop for them without hesitation. Older women (close to menopause) actually loudly ask the shop assistants for them and pick up the more brightly colored ones as if to announce “Hey, I’m still a full-blown woman”. Could it be the same dynamic with older guys walking around letting folks see that their apparatus hasn’t yet fallen off..?
What’s with y’all gym folks always going after the death sticks 🙂 I read something a long long time ago about how nicotine makes you smarter. Cam anyone say that about exercise? huh? I dare you.
Sleepy — looks like you might need some rest. 😉
AK, well being from Texas, I can clearly see that all those sites rely on fuzzy math 🙂 but yeah, I do need that rest.
I guess people are grasping at straws now to let Islam off the hook!
road rage is my daily cardio other than that i love bowflex. trying to get my one-pack turning in to ripped six ones
“While washing my hand at a sink I have witnessed a guy next to me blow dry his privates with one leg up on the counter.”
You really crack me up sometimes, Abhi. 🙂