Lead Fitness Gym Sign
Originally uploaded by clarkalastair

So I’ve started going to the gym again. I’m actually being brave enough to use the muscle training machines in an effort to get stronger. But there are a few differences I’ve noticed between this gym and Bally Fitness. Chief among them (and the root of most others) is the price, Lead Fitness is significantly cheaper.

The running machines look more modern, have in-built TVs and are touch screens, but are actually not as good running machines as the older generation in Bally. This means that I can’t change my mind about what my goal will be half way though my workout (time, calories or distance). This means if you use the quick start function, you’re restricted to seeing 15 minute goal cycles.

A similarly bad lack of function is not having a stepped cool down period. It seems that it lasts 2 minutes no matter whether you’ve been running 30 seconds or 30 minutes. The amount you run in this period isn’t included in the total distance indicator, not does it count down how long you have left to run.

Apart from this, one of the features which attracted me to them was the inbuilt TV. But because the inbuilt TVs don’t have digital tuners, the gym provides tuner boxes to plug into the conveniently placed AV input channels. This completely bypasses the usefulness of the touchscreen TV interface, and means I have to unplug the tuner box when I want to plug in my PSP (when I’ve bought the requisite cable).

Also lacking is a little shelf to hold my PSP/íPod for watching videos, which is all important when doing a 45 minute cardio exercise. Another point of frustration is that the heart rate monitor doesn’t work on any of the running machines I’ve tried so far.

The changing rooms aren’t nearly as nice, and the showers don’t have shower curtains, not that it bothers me so much as you have to change in communal rooms, but feel that shower curtains aren’t exactly hard to erect and people wouldn’t feel so voyeuristic. I’ve noticed (and find a little unusual) that some Chinese men at this gym are shy when they shower, so they use swimming trunks. Finally, alas, there is no sit down toilet.

I wonder if this is a common Chinese fathering technique? The other day I saw a maybe 9 or 10 year old child go into the shower with his father. His dutiful father turned the shower on for him, tested the water to make sure it was the right temperature, and started helping the kid clean himself.