The Problem With Big Box Gyms...

You’ve decided to get into shape, so off you go to join that big box gym around the

corner. As you pull into the driveway, you’re shocked by the size of the parking lot, thinking you

might need a shuttle service to get to the front door. When you make it to reception, you ask

for a tour. The young lady behind the counter welcomes you with a smile before handing over a

stack of paperwork for you to complete. After you fill everything out, you’re greeted by a young

man who looks like he stepped out of the pages of a GQ magazine...

Your tour guide is pleased to show you the juice bar, hair salon, restaurant, and beauty

salon a few amenities the gym has to offer its clients. When you finally make it onto the gym

floor itself, you are intimidated by the state-of- the-art machines you might need a pilot’s

license to operate. You notice a line of perfectly coiffed people talking to each other, and think

to yourself that you may need to go shopping for new training clothes. As your tour continues,

you learn about a roster of qualified personal trainers and the many classes available to clients.

The change rooms come complete with walnut cabinets and top-of- the-line fixtures, and you

vow to never shower at home again. When your tour is over, your tour guide invites you to his

office. You notice his business degree displayed on the wall behind him, but nothing to indicate

any expertise in personal training. The membership cost isn’t unreasonable, but it only includes

use of the gym floor and change room. If you want any guidance, you’ll have to sign up for a

personal training package. At $100 per hour, you plan to do a few introductory sessions and

figure out the rest as you go.

Initially excited for your first session, you are disappointed to spend your first 15

minutes warming up on the treadmill. Your trainer runs through a few short sets with you, and

you don’t even break a sweat. As you struggle with core exercises, you look up to see your

trainer chatting with one of his colleagues you note that neither of them are paying attention

to their clients. After a few similar sessions, you decide to try your program on your own.

Feeling overwhelmed on the gym floor, you head to the treadmill that’s where you always

started first! You walk for 15 minutes, because that’s what you always do. You run through

what you can remember of your program before hitting the showers.

After 3 weeks, you don’t see the results you had hoped for. You can’t see any physical

changes, you don’t feel stronger or healthier, and you’re bored of your routine. To get a new

program, you’ll have to buy another training package. Deciding there was little value in the first

set of sessions, you eventually get discouraged enough to stop working out. The gym continues

to take your monthly membership fee, and you’re left to wonder if it was worth it at all.

Back in the day, things were different. A gym owner would open a gym because they

wanted to help people to achieve their fitness goals it was a passion. The owner did most of

the training, cleaned the gym, took the garbage out, and took the time to work with their

clients. Clients would see results assuming they were prepared to put the effort in. Back in

1975 when I was 15 years old I accepted a part-time summer job at a gym. I helped with

cleaning, maintenance, and filing program cards.

Before gyms were owned by massive companies, the owner of the gym was almost

always there to greet their clients. The owner would listen to a new client’s fitness goals before

giving a tour of their facilities. Back then, gyms were mostly between 2000-5000 square feet

anything bigger was almost always part of a college or university. When clients decided to join,

the owner would request that they complete a short medical questionnaire which would be

reviewed and discussed before training began. A membership would be all inclusive, including

use of all facilities and training support from the owner. On your first day, the owner would

take you through a proper warm-up and complete head-to- toe program. There was no time-

limit, and your trainer (usually the owner) would provide all the support you needed to make

sure you could complete your program properly and in good form. After a month or so, your

program would be re-evaluated to ensure you were always moving towards your fitness goals.

Back in the day, you could get good value for your money. Clients got results, so they

stayed motivated to continue. Going to the gym wasn’t about prestige, it was about good

health. It seems like fitness culture today has forgotten why the gym exists in the first place. It

was opened to provide a place where clients could go to receive the right information about

fitness and training and get some exercise. It shouldn’t be about the bottom line or prestige.

Looking at the big box gyms of today, all I can think is: oh man, have we forgotten.
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Randy Smith