Swimming Against The Tide

[Jim Ganley]

It's getting scary out there. We have gyms on nearly every corner. The media constantly bombards us with health & fitness info, most of which is dated or erroneous. Oprah has finally found her salvation in the battle against blubber just one more time, and yet, in spite of the public relations blitz, we're told that we're fatter and less healthy than ever before. Confused? Join the club. Somewhere along the way, our express train to fitnessland has gotten off track and been derailed completely.

As someone who has been around the workout / conditioning scene for several decades, my insights may be of interest to you. The specifics of productive exercise are beautiful in their simplicity. We need to safely overload the targeted systems, be they aerobic, anaerobic, or flexibility while providing balanced nutrition and adequate rest. We also need skill development as well. The potential athlete attempting to train and compete while malnourished, sleep deprived, and / or hung over is courting disaster. Yet lately I have seen some pretty bogus workout programs dispensed by organizations which should know better, though perhaps they don't. No names please! The problem, as i see it, is that sensible training programs have been lost amidst the hype of buff bods and sleek physiques.

Scarier still, take a trip to your local fitness center. Complete chaos! Here you're apt to find a couple of dozen middle-aged obese men and women trudging along on treadmills to nowhere. All of these poor souls are displaying the enthusiasm of prisoners on The Bataan Death March. On the gym floor there are typically a few party boys hanging around the bench press station talking about whose team is going to do what, as some Spandex clad cutie sits on the leg extension machine chatting away on her cell phone. Over in the corner are three middle-aged women tying up the pulley crossover station talking about food and how they hate to exercise.
Any of you who have been there will attest that I'm not hyperbolizing.

While we can't blame these people for their lack of knowledge, someone really ought to take club management to task......if you can find them. Far too often club management is in the back room drinking coffee or outside on a cigarette break instead of being on the gym floor where they can assist those in need.

For the last 16 years I have made my living dispensing fitness information to individuals and companies turned off by the "pop fitness club scene". One of my clients owns two clubs of a well known franchise. He has retained my services, readily admitting that neither he nor his staff know anything about exercise.....or how to run a club, yet he's making money hand over fist That, I submit for your approval, says it all.

Your comments and ideas, as usual, are always welcome.

Keep on pumpin'!
Jim Ganley