The Gym

Hey all,
Back again for some more musing on all things sport.

A couple of  random but connected scenario's have combined over the last couple of weeks to make this blog topic a necessity for me to get off my chest.

It started with a tweet from one of my clients, asking me what I thought of the gyms in our area, and if I had any recommendations for where to go. My first (and slightly tongue in cheek) response was his basement with some smart equipment choices and me as his guide. :) My follow up to that was a quick rundown of the usual player's in most towns-as I don't have anything good to say about any of them I'll leave them nameless. I'm pretty sure you know who I mean.


Today, I had the pleasure of being the "test dummy" for one of my clients as they attempted the practical exam for a national personal trainer certification. Again, not much nice to say, so names shall remain quiet, but I think you know who I mean.

I've been through this same cert myself, and found it to be very basic, highly generic and of minimal use to me with my clients. At the time it really struck me as nothing more than a cash grab, and as a recruitment venue for one of the national gym chains, who coincidentally happens to run most of the certs!

After today, my opinion hasn't changed much. The focus of this course is on muscle isolation, using machines and a few free weights, separating cardio from strength and treating everyone the same. I've never been a fan, and am much more interested in functional, real world type training that gets the body moving in varying ranges of motion across multiple joints. Crossfit style functional training is really where it's at as far as I'm concerned.

It seems that this particular national chain agrees. While I was there, being put through my cardio on the bike, chest press, bicep curl, tricep extension, squat and lat pull down, I'm watching the trainer's there working with clients, putting them through Crossfit style, functional workouts! Kettlebells being flung around, boxes being jumped on, double unders....I mentioned this to one of the trainer's who agreed. None of the trainers use the machines, or what they learned in the certification. They all utilize a Crossfit style, functional, varied intensity workout plan.

Interesting.

Which brings me back to home gym vs big box gym.

I've never understood why people get into a car, drive to a gym, go inside and get on a bike, a treadmill or a stair climber. I've never actually understood why these things even exist. With the exception of a really bad weather day, there is no excuse for not getting your cardio activity through outdoor, real world means.

The carbon foot print of big box gyms really bugs me too. Besides all the cars being driven to get to them, the electricity drain for all those cardio machines adds up, not to mention those buildings are way too big and open and in the summer time kept way too cold. The equipment itself is heavy and bulky to ship, and a waste of natural resources from it's manufacture to it's delivery. And don't even get me started on the cost. Initiation fees, mandatory assessments, monthly dues, the never ending sales pitch for a personal trainer...it adds up and it adds up quick.

One of the great, and often overlooked things about Crossfit is that it was originally designed to be simple enough to work as an at home garage gym. Equipment is minimal, as is space required. You need a 10x10 to 12x12 square with enough ceiling height to throw a bar over your head and not end up through the ceiling!
You can get started with as little as a couple of kettlebells at different weights, a medicine ball, a plyometric box and a skipping rope. Ideally, you complement that with an Olympic bar and plates, and a sturdy squat rack. That's it! For less than the annual cost of some gym memberships, you have your very own, super awesome functional strength and conditioning set up in your very own home. Add to that the odd visit to the track, or a local run of stairs and you can whip yourself into great shape.

Another awesome thing about Crossfit and other similar styles, all the info is out there for free. I say this with a certain amount of trepidation as it does kind of make my own personal training services moot, but it's all there at your fingertips. Crossfit.com posts a daily workout for you to follow at home. Every Crossfit affiliate also posts their own workouts on their websites daily. There's Crossfit Football for those who want to bulk up, and a Navy Seal workout posted every day for those who just a little bit nutty!

Not sure what Grace is? How to do a hang power clean? Head over to Youtube, type the movement into the search box and voila! A hundred different ego-centric individuals posting themselves online doing crazy things for all the world to see!

Back in the day, the majority of us had jobs that involved a fair amount of manual labour. We gained our fitness through our work, both at our jobs and at home. The mechanization of many processes, and the technological advancements of the industrial revolution have taken that functional "work" out of our lives, giving rise to the industry of physical fitness.

Get back some of the simplicity, keep a bunch of money in your pocket and reduce your carbon footprint just a bit. Before you join that shiny new big box down the road, take a step back and think simple. Just for a minute.

GTA, so pick up is always an option. And don't be afraid to build some of it yourself. A plyo box isn't that hard to put together.

As always, thanks for reading and happy training!