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I work out at home (Jillian Michaels woooo!!!) and, well, I do it in my bra and panties, in front of a mirror. I like to see my body changing and see which muscles are flexing as I exercise and watch them become more visible the more I work out, it helps to motivate me. But it also strikes me as extremely vain. IIN?
This is so normal I don't think you'd believe it. Ever workout at an actual gym? That's literally what everyone does, myself included. You like looking at your muscles flexing and getting a good pump. A little vanity I believe is actually a healthy thing for your self esteem and overall body image.
Really? Whenever I go to the gym, most people there are in baggy clothes just trying to get a workout in and the ones admiring themselves in the mirror are total creeps. If that's vanity, it's repulsive.
Interesting, rarely, if at all do I see people in baggy clothe. Now that I think about it, I have not seen a single person wearing baggy clothe at the gym. I don't know what makes these people creeps in your eyes, but it's pretty common at my gym. If you like how you look then why is it so bad to check yourself out?
Perhaps we live in different countries or maybe we're thinking of different people altogether. Where I live the majority of gym-goers do dress modestly (t-shirts and yoga pants or shorts) and the people who don't are usually looking for attention.
Worse are the guys who admire themselves in the mirror; I mean, it's in a public place for pity sake! It's more than watching their form for flaws as they do their reps. Actually, I stopped going to coed gyms because I got so fed up with those idiots treating the gym like it's a meat-market. They're under the impression that anyone they hit on should automatically love them as much as they love themselves. They think that physical appearance is the only thing that matters. They can also be heard bragging to their weight-lifting pals (as if nobody can hear them) about all of their sexual conquests. These guys are gross.
I've been to gyms before wear they dress modestly, and I'm not saying most guys at my gym don't, I'm just saying that people like the way they look. Myself included, I do check myself out especially when I'm doing bicep curls, for the same reason as the OP.
The guys you're describing sound like stereotypical meat heads, those douchebags are annoying. However, don't think that all buff guys are like that. Honestly there are not guys like that at my gym at all. Most guys there like how they look, and it's a pretty friendly community. However, if I had the experiences that you've had then I would totally avoid the gym since I would think that all guys who go there are vanity addicts who compensate by working out.
I think if it makes you feel like an otter in the water just splashing around making otter waves, that is really cool.
Thanks for the comments guys! I still think it's slightly vain of me but probably harmless and it's not like I'm drooling over myself in the mirror (I keep an eye on the less toned bits too!) so I guess if it works for me and keeps me going through my work-out, it's ok.
It's only vain if you are being vain about it. You need to watch yourself in the mirror to make sure you're doing the exercises with proper form.
If you've ever been to a health club or gym, you should remember all those mirrors, right? Mirrors EVERYWHERE. They certainly are not there to make the place look bigger. They are there for exactly the same reason you look in yours. Go for it and become a real hardbody; it's sexy!
perhaps you could take some pics OP...make it more visceral for us...help us answer your question better.