Gym-wise
Sun Herald
Sunday February 5, 1995
ANY gym can look good to the uninitiated, especially if you catch it at peak time when its bursting with lycra and well-chiselled biceps. It might look hotter than the Hardrock Cafe on a big night, but the visuals can be distracting. So before you sign up for a hefty membership (most big city gyms are fairly pricey) you should decide if it's the right place for you; if it's a safe, healthy environment to work out in and if it has a congenial atmosphere. After all, if you're 50 and overweight you're never going to feel happy sweating it out with 14-year-old narcissists.
When you're trying out gyms carry a checklist of requirements with you. Atmosphere and comfort are important but the things you should never compromise on are the health and safety aspects. Sometimes these are not apparent, especially for the exercise-illiterate. For example, if you plan to do aerobics ask if the workout room has a concrete floor or if it's specially "sprung" and shock-absorbent. Most good gyms have this kind of flooring because you can incur serious stress injuries jumping for hours on concrete.
Exercise physiologist Herb Groeller from the Cumberland Health and Research Centre outlined these basic requirements for a good gym.
* Make sure the fitness instructors are properly qualified. They should have a degree in exercise science or some kind of fitness leader accreditation from the Fitness Industry Association. "Many gyms are now advertising the fact that their personnel hold exercise degrees," Groeller said. A good aerobics instructor should be aware of the kinds of people in his/her class and should be asking who hasn't exercised before, who is carrying an injury or is pregnant. They shouldn't hurry you, harass you or make you do anything you feel is beyond your abilities. And the classes should be enjoyable.
* Does the gym provide fitness assessment and health screening when you join? Someone should sit down with you and take details of your medical history and problems and what you want to achieve from your fitness program. A fitness test should look at flexibility and check muscle/fat ratio and could also include a cardiovascular assessment and blood pressure check depending on age.
* Diversity of classes. Does the gym cater for different groups or only the 25-year-old lycra brigade? Does it have classes designed for different levels of fitness like low-impact classes and stretching? * Check out all the facilities before you join up and preferably at a time when you would normally exercise. "If you prefer to exercise at 6pm and want to do weights check it out at that time because it could be impossible to get access to them." Some inner-city gyms for example are absolutely full to bursting early in the evening.
* Look at the level of supervision in the gym. In the weights room there should be an instructor there all the time to help out if you have a problem or to check your form.
* Lastly, look at the change rooms, are they clean, are towels provided and lockers? Also is the aerobics room well ventilated with fans? Are there water coolers nearby?
© 1995 Sun Herald