Anyone here go to a YMCA gym?

Anyone here go to a YMCA gym?

Whats it like? Is the religious aspect too "in your face" or is it ok?

Faith in God is the foundation of every excellent physique.

God gave you the marble and the chisel.

The only thing "in my face" at the YMCA is the weirdo in the bathroom.

...

>YMCA
literally who

Its a place where you can when you are short on cash, you can stay there and you'll have a good time.
They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys...

>he doesn't believe in a Supreme Being

Never gonna make it

yeah. it's pretty well equipped where I go to.
4 half racks, a platform, a handful of benches and dumbbells.
of course, the usual menagerie of weight and cardio machines, too.

As far as religion, I don't think the name is about as far as religion extends in this one. Maybe it varies by location? i don't know.

In the 1840s, a British Christian farmer who had recently moved to the city was concerned at the sinful lifestyle he saw the lower class workmen exhibited. He thought that the cause of all the drinking, gambling and violence that these people occupied themselves with was both a lack of God and a lack of options - more "wholesome" hobbies like reading, appreciating art, bible study, etc required money or time these people didn't have.

So he set up the first YMCA in London, which stands for the Young Men's Christian Association. The idea was that it was a place for labourers to spend time on non-sinful pasttimes like exercise, sports, reading, etc as well as providing free beds and food for these poor citizens. The idea was that by demonstrating the power of Christian kindness, he would convert all the people who had initially come to the YMCA just for the free food and/or ocmpany. The movement spread internationally, and there are now about half a thousand chapters of the YMCA all across the globe.

YMCAs nowadays focus more on the homeless than just workmen, but they are still a great place to go to meet new people and get incredibly cheap food and lodgings if you're, say, a skint tourist or just plain out of money.

The actual "Christian" part varies hugely between YMCAs though - some are fanatical and some are practically secular.

George Williams, the founder of the YMCA, has a stained glass window in Westminster Cathedral dedicated to him.