Is there any truth to this?

[FitFossil]

Is having a fan on while working out "bad for your muscles"? I overheard this today.

There's this rather portly older man at my gym who gets mad at anyone who turns on the fan. He wears about 3 layers of clothes and spends about 30 minutes on the ab machine.

Now I've always enjoyed the fan because it feels good and makes me want to work harder. I and the 99% of the other people are working hard and rarely idle, so there's no chance of our muscles freezing up, so what could possibly be "bad" about it?

Normally I follow the rule 'don't take workout advice from anyone you wouldn't want to look like' but thought I'd ask the board...

 

[The Shadow]

Is having a fan on while working out "bad for your muscles"? I overheard this today.

There's this rather portly older man at my gym who gets mad at anyone who turns on the fan. He wears about 3 layers of clothes and spends about 30 minutes on the ab machine.

Now I've always enjoyed the fan because it feels good and makes me want to work harder. I and the 99% of the other people are working hard and rarely idle, so there's no chance of our muscles freezing up, so what could possibly be "bad" about it?

Normally I follow the rule 'don't take workout advice from anyone you wouldn't want to look like' but thought I'd ask the board...

I personally don't like it.

I can see how it might make it easier to get sick if it's blowing in your face and you are very hot....

 

[wilson6]

"I can see how it might make it easier to get sick if it's blowing in your face and you are very hot...."

I can see how it might make it easier to develop a heat related illness without the fan blowing.

When we did performance tests on trained cyclists, we had fans blowing on them constantly otherwise they'd never have finished the rides. None of them had any problems.

If the gym is hot, without air circulation you're core temp will rise rapidly.

However, while the fat guy with three layers of clothes may need the fan, you may not. He might be better off to lose a couple of layers rather than make everyone else uncomfortable. If he refuses, turn off the fan and give him about 20 minutes. He'll either take off some clothes, leave or pass out. Regardless of the outcome, your problem will be solved.

W6

 

[Sassy69]

I don't like having a fan blow directly on me either, though when a nice draft passes thru while I'm deep into cardio its literally heaven.

On the other hand I hate that feeling of becoming cold all of a sudden, particularly when I've been sweating. I don't know about "healthy" for you but I sure dont' like it.

 

[The Shadow]

"I can see how it might make it easier to get sick if it's blowing in your face and you are very hot...."

He might be better off to lose a couple of layers rather than make everyone else uncomfortable. If he refuses, turn off the fan and give him about 20 minutes. He'll either take off some clothes, leave or pass out. Regardless of the outcome, your problem will be solved.

W6

Well I was on the tradmill completely naked at the time...so

 

[JLo]

I peronally pick the cardio machine that is furthest away from the fan. I love to sweat and the fan prevents me from sweating so much.... I like to feel hot....

 

[FitFossil]

However, while the fat guy with three layers of clothes may need the fan, you may not....

W6

But that's the irony of it! ...the fat guy w/all the clothes HATES the fan. I guess even w/ all those clothes he never gets hot because all he does is that Nautilus Ab machine (that is when he's not handing out unsolicited training tips).

 

[keiko]

The geezer seems to think if he's hot,. he'll burn more cals. but it's the other way around. Keeping the immediate envirnment cool will make your body work to get it up to a hotter temp and thus burn more fat. Cold air makes you sleepy, just as your body temp drops when you go into a deep sleep. (Which is why, when driving cross-country, don't open the windows for a cold blast to wake you up--doesn't work.)

While hot, hot temps (like in Bikram yoga) make you more flexy, it doesn't follow that you'll burn more fat.

Tell him, at your advanced stage of muscle development, you really need to work out in a meat locker.

 

[karde]

Just tell him to fuck off. The fans are in the gym to be used.

 

[wilson6]

"Just tell him to fuck off. The fans are in the gym to be used."

Agree.

Had it twisted around in my mind. I thought he wanted them on.

Gotta have some air circulation in the gym to avoid overheating, but I agree, I hate when I'm sweating hard and hit a blast of air.

W6