Having been in the Fitness and Allied Health industries since 1982, much has changed - however many aspects have remained the same. Sadly, less than 8% of the adult population are actively engaged in commercial fitness activities, with over 50% of the western population classified as obese. There are many reasons, not the least of which is the dramatic increase in the availability of low nutrient,
high calorie “fast food”. The Health Club or more generally, the Business of Fitness does not appear to have learned much and hence offered little or no solutions to this escalating public health crisis. It is my belief that primarily, the consumer needs to be better educated. They simply do not know what they need and what outcomes to expect when they join most commercial fitness facilities (for simplicity, let’s call them “Gyms”). Invariably, there is little or no physiological evaluation other than an “arse covering” pre-exercise questionnaire! Gym marketing is predictably price based and not OUTCOME based. The #1 complaint I encounter is that none of the Gym staff has properly shown the new member how to use the important/relevant pieces of equipment and/or the effective free-weight and bodyweight exercises. The “programming” is usually directed to the ubiquitous Personal Trainer, the qualifications of whom and more importantly, their industry experience is inadequate at best. Gym users then become disillusioned; cease to attend the facility and a lasting positive outcome not achieved. GymWatch was founded to help change this bad industry habit. Your local gyms will be evaluated based on standard criteria I have developed using my vast experience in not only the operation of fitness businesses, but the selection of appropriate equipment and wide ranging science based exercise programming to offer effective, habit forming outcomes for the broadest demographic possible. Sounds like good business practice for the gym industry? But most of them just don’t get it…
So, please share your experiences – good and bad – by posting a comment. I will be posting accurate and objective assessments of the local Southern Highland gyms; from Tahmoor to Moss Vale, NSW. Progressively, the national gym chains will be evaluated and ultimately all relevant fitness facilities will be reviewed. You will know what questions to ask and be much more prepared to evaluate the suitability of each gym for your own desired outcomes. My accompanying website, www.gymwatch.com.au will be live very soon. I’ll keep you updated with the progress. The site will not only offer accurate, science based reviews on your local gyms, but will feature a vast array of up-to-date information on optimal nutrition strategies, effective, brief strength training programmes and time efficient interval training options. GymWatch will be a game changer (sorry Dominoes!....haha), hence ultimately encouraging the Fitness Industry to lift their respective gameplay. A true WIN – WIN for everyone!
