RickInOz

<WARNING> This will be a gym-related posting, so if this doesn’t interest you feel free to look away now </WARNING>

Having returned from holiday it’s time to undo all of the damage done by 4 weeks of overeating, excess alcohol and reduced activity. As you may remember, shortly before our UK pilgrimage I changed gyms to one closer to our house. Yesterday I went up for the first time to see what I have let myself in for.

The introduction has not been particularly smooth since they managed to screw up the paperwork. This meant that even though my account was supposed to be on hold for the past month, I got back to some rude demand letters stating I was in arrears and owed them over $100. As you can imagine I was not best pleased, especially as I hadn’t even set foot through the front door at that point. Fortunately the manager was able to sort everything out and I have been given a fortnight’s membership for free as a goodwill gesture.

With this out of the way it was time to have a look round the place. Here is the main entrance:

Inside it is very shiny and stylish as you would expect from a brand-new outfit allied to a nationwide chain. Their equipment is top-notch too and far better than the stuff Fitness First would have bought. They have LifeFitness treadmills, cross-trainers, static bikes and summit-trainers. All of them are the top-of-the-range models with built-in high-definition LCD screens. The treadmills even give you a 3D graphic of running round a track or up a hill to keep you motivated.

Their studio is huge and arranged in a logical wide rather than narrow format to make the most of the mirror space. They have the usual Reebok steps and mats, and the standard Australian Barbell Company weights for BodyPump. I’m used to this brand but they have slightly wider bars. This means my previous limitation for not going up on squats – I couldn’t fit anymore weight on the bar – no longer applies … do’h! So far they only offer BodyPump 2 evenings a week and weekend mornings, but this will improve with time as they recruit more instructors.

The standard membership package includes a specific exercise program under the instruction of a trainer. While it isn’t quite on a par with full personal training, it does provide a degree of supervision I’ve not had before. We have decided that I will work on my core strength, balance and posture through a mixture of resistance work and classes. It has been suggested that I do Pilates, which will be a first as I always considered this a bit … girly. Concurrently I will work to improve my cardio fitness by doing some interval training on the rower, which will also help with my core.

It will be strange to be at a new gym yet again but I have good reason. Location plays a significant role as this one is equidistant between work and home, whereas the previous one was 8 km in the wrong direction. Facilities is also a motivating factor and this new gym has had a great deal of money spent on it. I will report back in due course as to my progress with the training and satisfaction. The main litmus test will be the studio temperature during summer. If their air-con can cope with the external heat then I will know my decision was correct.