Gym Selfies Are Really Good
Social media is full of gym selfies of people beaming with sweat after a good workout. It’s also full of people complaining about selfies at the gym. Are those who accept them obsessed with themselves? Attention hungry? Does it negatively affect the way you, as a viewer, feel about your body? Should everyone stop taking them?
I would like to propose a revolutionary alternative: maybe people should do whatever they want. Maybe gym selfies will bring more joy to the world than they take away. Maybe, if they bother you, the problem is not with the selfies.
Manage your feed
I find some types of gym related social media content really inspiring, while others tire me out or annoy me. If you have content on your social media that drives you crazy, unsubscribe or mute those accounts and consider what you would rather watch.
For example, I do not watch a lot of people that make selfie posing in the gym – not because it is something wrong, but because I want to see how people are doing something. I follow people who demonstrate their impressive lifts or illustrate their daily workout routine. Seeing someone’s devotion reminds me that I can be that devotee too. If there is a selfie here or there, I don’t mind; if I’m not in the mood to watch one, I scroll through it.
Once you can identify what’s bothering you about your gym selfie in your timeline, you too can make the right choice. Unsubscribe from those who make you feel bad about yourself or whose social presence just doesn’t enrich your life. If someone posts bold selfies every day, and you’d rather not see so many of them, then they may not be the problem.
Other people’s selfies are not about you
In truth, people take selfies in the gym for themselves, their friends, and their followers, and they have their own reasons for doing so.
Suspender videos and body photos are useful for assessing progress over time. Fitness videos may or may not fit the definition of gym selfies (depending on who you ask), but they are a valuable tool for anyone working with a distance coach or trying to analyze their own exercises.
Gym related social media posts are also a way for many people to participate in the community. Maybe you work out at home or go to a commercial gym where others don’t share your specific fitness interests. But you want someone to know that you are working every day for a big goal – whatever that may be – so that you don’t feel so alone. Often times, you are more likely to find this person on social media than, say, endlessly telling your colleagues about it.
I became familiar with this method, especially during a pandemic. I see them training and they see me; we keep each other’s personal records and empathize with days that aren’t going well. We can plan together how to overcome an obstacle or discuss where to buy the best pair of knee-length sleeves. These people are my gym friends, whether I ever see them in real life or not.
Even more benefits of gym selfies
Gym selfies, lift videos, and anything else can also be helpful to those watching them. When I study a new elevator – say, a magazine – I subscribe to its hashtag on Instagram and start watching people reach it. I keep track of their shape, but I also pay attention to where and how they fit in the gym or at home. This is how I found that a couple of splints can be a good cushion, for example under the end of a log.
These posts may also help you find a new gym – I’ve checked gyms and competition venues by looking at the tagged posts in those locations to know what to expect when I get there, or to overcome my fear of trying new things. It is also inspiring to read the signatures of people when they post about overcoming their own fears or setting or achieving a new goal.
Gym selfies are almost always more than narcissism. And what’s wrong with that when they’re really just the ones craving a few likes? The desire to be liked is part of human existence.