THE EASE OF FITNESS

Ok, Here's the deal! I have been a member of many gyms in my time, as well as working in them as fitness staff upto manegerial levels... The difference for me was when working at a gym; the time i had to spend watching members train in the gym.

You see, the way i personal train is the way i train myself and having been a British Military Physical Training Instructor i'm a pretty tough cookie when it comes to physical fitness. I believe that pushing my clients to their physical limits not only gets them in the best shape they have ever been, but they learn something about themselves too.

If only i could say the same about the current day gym goer and current fitness trainers that are employed in these so called gyms... I don't mean to sound patronising however, there comes a time when you have to ask yourself, if a person going to the gym, standing around talking to their mates for 20 minutes, bench presses a quick 10 reps, heads over to the water fountain for a swig then sits in the sauna, steam room or jacuzzi (or all 3) for an hour, then showers, heads off to wherever they maybe going and then justifies a hard session in the gym! It's absolute craziness!

What is it all about? when my clients come to me for their session, the next hour of their life is complete discipline to fitness, occasional water stops and back in again with the tough love. There is no mincing around the place, if my clients can speak they are not working hard enough! and before anyone tells me new science blah blah about training at low intensity and how good these new fangled machines are... who are you trying to kid, me or yourselves? My latest client has lost over 30lbs in nearly 3 months and he hasn't touched a resistance machine, fixed machine or whatever you want to call them.

Another amazing thing i have witnessed in the gym, and you may have seen this picture before. A girl; made up to the nines and not a hair out of place, draped in top notch fitness gear, sat in a recumbant cycle reading a damn book!

Is a gym these days a social networking place and/or a place to chill and read a book?

Excuse me if i'm wrong, and don't get me wrong i hate gyms at the best of times... But if a member goes to a gym they go there to train hard for that duration. Whenever i train, indoors or out, my earphones are in, listening to training tracks and i'm not interested in chatting to people, watching the latest soap on the tv's attached to the cardio equipment. I am in the zone, pushing my body and mind to its physical limits and i walk/stagger out at the end feeling on top of the world, an endorphin release that lasts all day... can the book reading, sweatless doris on the bike say that? Or the overweight 'look at me' bench presser, cutting around the weight area like he owns it say that? I don't think so...

so, again, i have to ask, is the need of a gym for people to get fit & healthy or just a local meeting place.

what is it with the generations of today wanting quick and easy fixes to long term health, weight loss or whatever? why can't people understand that it takes dedication, hard work and sometimes tears and pain to get what you want... and i'm not just talking about fitness, the nutrional intake is just as important. Maybe this is why gyms are always trying to recruit new members (see last blog), because new members get a month or two down the line, don't see any results from the mind numbingly boring cross trainer and a few sets on the fixed resistance machines so they leave, give up because it's not working. suprise suprise! The sales team sold them the new body they wish for and not educated them in how to get it! They don't tell you at the contract signing stage that to get that 6 pack your gonna have train like an absolute monster for the next however months, change your complete lifestyle, give up the burgers and 10 pints on a Friday.. Because people wouldn't join!

I'm a realist, i tell it how it is! There is no magic to health & fitness, just lies & deceit to get you to join something under false pretences - it's called emotional marketing! I don't lie to any of my clients when they have their initial consultation, whats the point, if after so long they not seeing the results i have promised them, they will stop coming! All of my clients know from the word go, what they are getting themselves into when they start with me, and after the 1st or 2nd session of complete pain they become acustomed to it, the brain expects the body to get beasted, but on the same hand, physical and mental changes happen!

I rest my case.

stusarmy