I wonder if this person has actually been to a church.
Churches are much more communal in my experience, it's not unlikely to end up drinking coffee and chatting with people, while at a gym, people often go in, do their workout, and go out.
Ever been to a crossfit gym? Its as communal as any church. The author is referring to "boutique fitness" like CF, soul cycle, barry's etc. Not typical "globo gyms" like Planet Fitness and others.
People can easily end up on similar schedules and see someone 3-4 days a week for months or years even at Planet Fitness. It's a natural environment to slowly build a friendship.
It depends a lot on the gym you choose. Some CF gyms are extremely RAH-RAH-MILITARY and hardcore focused on competitions, they swallow the "party line" hook, line and sinker.
Others (such as the one I use) are a lot more informal and use the WODs and such as examples and suggestions for workouts, and are very good at scaling the routines for those of us with a bit more mass to heft around. The "fittest on Earth, no room for weaklings" thing may be appealing to some people, but it also raises the bar for entry needlessly high.
From all the literature I've encountered, cardiovascular exercise is the most important for those in a sedentary lifestyle. Weight training is important too, but it's not a replacement for cardio.
Anecdotally, the fittest elders I meet who do office work are those who run and cycle or do other cardio activities.
I'm not saying you can't make friends at a gym, but churches are generally many magnitudes stronger in this department and I wouldn't say gyms replace them much at all.
Churches generally cover a much wider range of experience and you can talk about all of it. Churches allow you to get philosophical. Churches often have participation in making food and provide food over which people can converse. Gyms mostly focus on the nature of the exercise. So if it's a Crossfit gym, you get really into Crossfit. You don't get into other facets of your life that much, I imagine. You might make friends with whom you talk about those other facets, but that's not the same thing, that's just usual making friends through a shared activity.
I haven't been to Crossfit in particular, but I have been to a few club gyms and that was my experience. Not a place where I could talk about the meaning of life or about various problems. But surely a place I could talk lots about the $exerciseStyle.
In a church, you might not even necessarily make friends, it's more that you can just talk to people about open topics and it's expected.
No, but Synagogues and to be honest, I never bonded with that community to the extent as I've made lifelong, deep friendships in CF.
> I haven't been to Crossfit in particular
Then you can't really compare. CF is different from many "club gyms" and others. Maybe its the insane, shared intensity that creates a deep, primal bond (think bootcamp, going to war, etc). Maybe its the militant focus on constant improvement and mutual support. Maybe its the nature of being in a group of like-minded, type-As who all share a welcoming view towards discomfort. Not sure, but I've seen the bonds that it creates, and its nothing like the other club gyms. My source for that is members who've come from Barrys, OTF, etc.
Can confirm; I’ve made a few good friends at Flywheel just from going to classes regularly. Tends to appeal to people with similar lifestyles (working professionals who are competitive and athletic).
Churches are much more communal in my experience, it's not unlikely to end up drinking coffee and chatting with people, while at a gym, people often go in, do their workout, and go out.