Gym Junkies

There’s been a gym movement of sorts across India,with small towns far more likely to boast of a gym than a speciality hospital. Over the next three years,Mumbai-based chain Talwarkars has plans to open 300 gyms in far-flung towns of Maharashtra and Haryana. Gym regulars,irrespective of where they’re training,quickly figure out the tricks to surviving their one hour there. They hog the spinning machines and cross trainers,sometimes leaving a bottle of water behind,in reservation for their friends. They know the group classes chart by heart and manage to nab the best spots in the room before everyone else. A few of the extra delusional ones seem to believe that they might shed weight by just being there.

Every gym has a couple of people whom you’ll spot every single time you’ll go: morning,noon or night. Gyms work on the premise that not all members will show up everyday,but a friend of mine,who ran one till recently,told me that many of his members would use the place to take a shower,even when they weren’t working out. Eventually,he had to exit the business because he couldn’t sustain the running and infrastructure costs,huge electricity and water bills. The other tricks gym freaks share are more interesting. If you’re on the treadmill,cover the digital screen in front of you with a towel,or you’ll keep looking at it and time goes excruciatingly slowly when you’re not having fun. Monday is always the busiest day at gyms,probably because people are trying to make up for indulgences and sins over the weekend,so factor that in before heading there. Start off slow if you’ve just joined: most new joinees have a sudden burst of enthusiasm,they sprint instead of walk,and start a routine that is completely unsustainable. They don’t know how to pace themselves out,so they burn out quickly and are gone,never to be seen again once the three-month lock-in period is up.

At my gym,I see a 40-something regular,who,like me,has been a member at gyms across Delhi. He’s always drinking Diet Coke or coffee,he reads the newspaper,and surfs Twitter and Facebook,before heading for a shower. His total workout would be 20 minutes,but he appears to be spending at least three hours daily,at the gym. His logic is,at least he’s getting 20 minutes of exercise. The younger lot,I find,use the gym not only to find and connect with a social circle,but also to stay motivated and focussed on exercise. If the idea is to hang out with friends,you can do that very easily at the gym,instead of a pub or a restaurant. Over a low calorie,free coffee. Beat that.

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