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You DRIVE 7.5 minutes to the gym? Why not just run there?

Sorry. I'm going to pass judgment here. In many ways.

There are number of logical reasons someone might need to drive to the gym. If the access there is interstate highways or rural roads without sidewalks, if the area they need to pass through is high crime, if the heat index is high enough to make running outside physically dangerous, if they are shift workers or just working out in the middle of the night (24/7 gyms don't mean 24/7 well lit and safe streets to get to them), or if they are unable to run but might be going to the gym to swim or do other low-impact workouts.

That said, turning around and getting headphones seems like both a waste of time and a waste of energy. Most gyms have TVs, some even have TVs on the equipment.
Personally I like headphones for treadmills but they aren't very safe for either weightlifting or running alone on the streets.

i can totally understand the round trip. i always hated watching tv during workout, and the iPod gives you a bit of privacy with the music (or audiobook) of your choice.

and when you drive 7.5 minutes, you have to run what - 15? 20? 30? not everybody likes to run, and not everybody should run. (my knees would kill me if i tried running, but i still can do a lot of sensible exercise in a gym)

I work out at a YMCA Express and more often than not, they have Christian rock going in the afternoon. Working out is hard enough to get psyched for as is, but to add the punishment of crappy music is just too much. My workouts are better with my music, and this is something that has been well-established through research, too.

Who cares if this person is driving 7 minutes to work out? A seven minute drive is several miles, seems reasonable to me. "You drive 20 minutes to work? Why don't you just walk it?"

If you're able to pay any attention to the music at all, you're not working out hard enough

I hope you didn't drive back home to get the iPod...

When I lived in an area that didn't have a safe place to run, there were a few times when I accidentally showed up at the gym without a sports bra -- which is physically essential for me for anything above low impact exercise.

So instead of my usual treadmill or elliptical cardio routine, I rode a stationary bike. I never thought I was a bike person, but it was nice and I felt it the next day (in a good way) since I used different muscles.

In other words, it's good to mix things up a bit. Maybe stepping out of your ipod workout routine once in awhile might be a good thing.

No judgement on the driving to the gym part. Access issues, distance, weather, time restrictions, not being a runner or just not feeling like a run are all perfectly good reasons.

If I'm working out on my own, I usually prefer having my own music. It helps me get motivated, set a pace for my workout, and drown out other gym sounds -- e.g. exaggerated grunts coming from under freeweights, or that one unfortunate day when the gym folks decide they hate you and play nothing but country. All. Day.

That being said, in this situation I probably would've done without the iPod, mainly because of time considerations. My days are usually pretty packed, so I doubt I could've spared the 15-20 mins.

I just find it sad that we never give ourselves time without noise and artificial distractions. Granted, the gym may have crappy music or tvs on too, but I like to concentrate on myself and what I'm doing while working out. And for that reason, I don't even belong to a gym - free weights at home and running in the park. Saves money too. I also grew up as a competitive swimmer - a sport where earbuds were just not an option.

When I run outside, I don't need music to help me along. In the gym, though, music or the tv is a necessity.

I have to have something to keep my focused while working out. I have no clue as to why people feel the news is a great thing to watch will working out. CNN would not be my 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice to watch will burning calories. I can watch a sitcom or something, but otherwise I'm all about my ipod. I have tons of music and movies - sometimes I watch Sex and the City while on the treadmill. I believe it's more about what will motivate you more.

When I am working out, I listen to terrible music that I would be embarrassed to play in my car.

Think Britney Spears - I don't know why.

I can not work out without my headphones. I get too distracted by what is going on around me.

I walk to my gym though.

Homebody, there are now boneconducting headsets so you can listen to music in the pool. They work great. Music helps people distract themselves and allows them to train harder, which is the purpose of the gym or the pool.

I think it's great that we can have music in our life whenever and wherever it enhances our experience or our performance. And good on the author for going back, getting music, and getting a workout in, rather than doing a substandard workout without it.

http://www.gearfuse.com/swim-with-your-ipod-shuffle-and-bone-conduction-headphones/

here2help: one of the things I most enjoy about swimming is the isolation from everyday sounds, actually. And training harder is not my purpose when I work out, relaxing is. Yes, I find it relaxing to have my pulse at 180 and to be thinking about nothing - just letting my body take over. I've never done yoga, but suspect they don't crank the music in yoga sessions - do they?