Jan 28, 2006 01:04 PM
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(Updated Jan 28, 2006 01:04 PM)
Last year when my office offered the perquisite of a workout at the local gym I was over the moon with joy. Imagine working out at ZAF –one of the most coveted gyms !
This is the one situated on main Linking Road Bandra, and its USP was its proximity to my office!
Initially for a couple of weeks the workout at ZAF progressed pretty smoothly. The only thing I was asked to do then, was cardio. Using the treadmill almost daily made me feel good- that’s all. Trying to get the cross stepper or the cycle became a workout in itself! Hence after 2 weeks I decided to go a step further and do a full workout. That’s when the problem started . The weights section was so crowded at the best of times it resembled a zoo! There were times when there was not an inch of space to do any floor exercises. And try grabbing the machines for weights from the heavy weights there who were busy flexing their muscles! An impossible task!!. Just waiting seemed to be the name of the game and things were definitely not helped by the indifference of the trainers. They all seemed to have their own favourites whom they would help with the workout. The rest of us had just to wait and watch rather than do any weights. And to make matters worse the male trainers would not even make eye contact with you just in case you asked them to show you the ropes!!..They were not there for that! They were there to focus their attention on some hunks muscles-yours be damned! And the female trainers needed desperate training in how to be trainers! A half-sleepy trainer mutely used to put me through the paces that at times I could not even pick myself off the floor..so demotivated I used to feel.
The fault really lay with the management for enrolling more members than what the place could hold and not making the necessary provisions by way of more trainers, more machines, etc. Finally after 3 months my enthusiasm waned and dipped an all time low when one day after a wait of 15minutes I had to leave from the cardio section without a workout. I could no longer motivate myself and decide to hang up my boots. It was indeed a pity because my company had paid for the entire year and most of us had already called it a day!
There should be some rules and regulations…..from whom?.....maybe the health department or the BMC. Before giving license to operate, there should be certain restrictions on the number of members depending on the floor space available! But then in a place like Mumbai where people live in 10x10 box-like-homes…how can I be asking for a spacious Gym!
