The All-Connected In The Fitness Rooms

I had the opportunity to test new "all connected" machines. The principle is simple: when you badge, the machine adapts by positioning your size, your amplitude, your numbers of reps. This connected everything can be very interesting to prevent injuries, to save time. However, is the "all-connected" in fitness rooms not an obstacle to building social connections? This first article will deal with the "all-connected" level of the practitioner. A second article will focus on the machine and coaching part.

The development of bodybuilding on the web is a very important point in our sport and health society today. Indeed, bodybuilding and "fitness" have become the solution to lose weight. In fact, companies and all the business that revolves around health and bodybuilding are very present in the daily lives of these sports people or simple enthusiasts. To reinforce this, the development of social networks is fast and insidious because the new phenomenon of FitGame offers supply and demand at the same time! One of the key phrases that emerges from my conference at the world fair of fitness is indeed: "the room without snap, it is not muscu!".

It is important to define the different uses of the image of fitgamer on social networks, then the beneficial use of the web in the world of bodybuilding, and finally, the excessive use of these networks in sports halls.

The different use of the fitgamer image on social networks

It is important to realize that the connection is ubiquitous in the practitioner. Indeed, every day, social networks invade transport, work, toilets and even the shower! This extreme use of networks and new technologies offers advantages and disadvantages. Having social networks on your phone is no longer just a pleasure or a need, but a standard. Anyone outside this environment will be excluded because it is not "normal" in 2018 not to have networks on phone. There is, however, a very interesting advantage that is well connected with this omnipresence networks: contact with the world. You can, whatever the place, your occupation to be in contact with the whole world.

In fact, communities are developing under the cover of reality TV that tell their passion. We speak then of communities of practice 1. To participate and to be admitted as protagonist of this community, it is necessary to have an adequate language, adequate actions. Concretely, it becomes habitual and "natural" to take a picture of his sports bag (the same every day) to keep running his "friends / fans / communities" (other fitgamers so) of the important fact: the action of going to the room. Then comes the creation of numerous "virtual identities" which are only a modified copy of ourselves: Mr. and Mrs. "fit" on Facebook or Instagram.

This need for belonging is fulfilled by and through its networks. However, what is the impact of the key people, the models, the motivators of these communities? Influencers are fitgamers who make themselves known and then impact a community by making it evolve (good or bad). These people share their videos and photos and their "fans" want to do the same. By motivating them, these influencers allow them to return to sport. A flat that I suggest you simply check when coming to the fitness fair: do you really believe that these influencers actually do all the "miracle" exercises they show you on a daily basis or, is this a way of doing things? visibility and fact, money? One example of the handling of the FitGame is done here.

The beneficial use of the web in the world of bodybuilding

Anyway, this "all-connected" takes place in our lives and meets many needs including: the need to find the right answers. When the practitioner starts (or not), he usually seeks answers quickly and free of charge. Internet clearly responds to this and the place of influencers makes sense because they have control over the visibility of their community. Conversely, is not it very rewarding to be able to find "the only answer" to his questions through the web? The important thing is to find the right information. And that's the concern because visibility is not synonymous with skills or knowledge.

It is clear however, that the time saving is very important since it does not seem then necessary to make an appointment with a specialist, to wait, to go to the appointment, to explain your situation, to go home. Just click on your favorite browser and get your answer.

Similarly, physical trainers can make their coaching profitable for prospecting at the same time as they gain confidence in their client. They start the coaching session and film their client doing the movement. This allows the customer to have, in addition, a video of their movement to see the progress. But also to share this around him (since the videos are usually done on Instagram or SnapChat). In fact, these customers become inspiring for their friends. A downside then comes out: when the coach films, he does not correct the client and his attention drops. During a class with a friend, this is conceivable.

Excessive use of these networks in sports halls

Despite all these benefits, you have noticed that some drifts take shape. It is time to talk about the phenomenon of FitGame (bodybuilding on the web) and drifts of all-connected. First of all, regarding the need to film themselves / take pictures to share with the community, it became clear that many practitioners do it at the expense of their practice: the performance put forward in the photo goes before the real performance. The example of Street Workout is the most obvious since the techniques are very hard to learn but thanks to the instantaneous photos, some do not hesitate to hurt themselves to make a single photo. Here is an example made for a conference: at the time of the photo I could not realize the board. However, we can believe that I hold, despite the bad position,Bad posture

In fact, the search for visibility seems to entail risks to the quality of our movements, to the respect of our rest periods, to the healthy practice of bodybuilding. To reinforce and conclude on this idea it is important to talk about these new practitioners that I interviewed for my doctorate and who explains that they are afraid of the eyes of others and to be filmed without their knowledge. In fact, people who are badly in their skins like to devalue and humiliate beginners. Among the effects of this fear, the interviewees told me to get their belly back on the machines, block their breathing to get their belly even more, do not dare to use some machines that prevents them from hiding their fat. This discomfort and this fear of being displayed on the networks is significant of this new world of FitGame which has its advantages but also its excesses. The "all-connected" then, yes, but respecting others. This is not currently the case in many places. In addition, this craze for the development of his image actually reduces conversations in theaters: the most obvious example is that of "parsers" who drop their phone time to secure the movement and then returns there just after.

Is everything connected in the fitness rooms not an obstacle to the development of social links? Concretely, the evolution of new technologies allows many non-negligible benefits. However, drifts are felt with the major link that exists between sedentarity, the use of social networks and the development of virtual social links. It must therefore be understood that there is a danger to this "all connected" by the practice developed at the extreme of these networks that become real virtual companions. Virtual companions that quickly replace the companion-human. The "all-connected", an interesting and powerful development if it is well used, with some drifts that you must avoid to avoid the dangerous excess of this "connected everything".