Observational Research at a Local Gym

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Observational Research
My observational research was conducted at a local gym in a nearby housing development. I chose this particular local gym because I wanted to observe young people engaging in activities that are aimed at innovating themselves. I also wanted to prove that there is a universal attractiveness to a correctly proportioned body which further causes young people to visit the gym on a regular basis.
Since many youths have different weekly routines, I decided to visit the gym on three separate Fridays. Approximately fifty different individuals visited the gym per hour. Sixty percent were men whereas the remaining forty percent were women. Upon entering the gym, I instantly noticed that it was separated into three main sections. The first section was the cardio section which consisted of stationary bikes, elliptical machines, and treadmills. The middle section consisted of several cable machines purposed to target different areas of the body. Moreover, the last section consisted of free weights.
The first detail I observed was that there was a separation of sexes between the three sections of the gym. Out of twenty young women that occupied the gym on my first day of observation, a majority of them chose to work out in the cardio section. It was very clear to me why a majority of the young women chose to exercise in the cardio section. As recorded in various studies, a majority of young women do not want to be described as muscular. This is because of contemporary media associate’s attractiveness to being skinny (Kumari et al., 46). The physical characteristics of the young women in the cardio section concur with this theory; they were in shape, but not muscular.
On the second day of my observation, I observed that on average, only five to seven young women would use the cable machines for their upper and lower body. These young women had initially started working out in the cardio section and extended their workout to the cable machine section. These young women looked more athletic and had more muscular and toned bodies. I also noticed that out of these five young women, only two visited the free weight area. On my final day of observation, I did not observe any young women in the free weight area. This caused me to wonder why young women would shy away from using free weights. Free weights have the same physical effects cable machines have, often with more advantages and freedoms (Greenfield, np). I would infer that young women would not feel feminine enough when exercising with free weights considering were made primarily for use by men. It is also possible that the young women did not feel comfortable enough to use free weights in an area that was dominated by men.
I also noticed that there were a few females who were overweight. These girls were not familiar to me, and I only saw them on two occasions in my observational experience. They did receive a few stares from other occupants in the gym, and I can recount one instance when a member of the gym was intentionally rude to the ladies. Even though a majority of Americans are overweight, it is still taboo and frowned upon by society, especially gym society, to be overweight. However, I was espec...