Just recently, I was asked to respond to a press release out of Richmond, California, detailing the experience of a Bay area woman asked to cover up while working out at a local Planet Fitness due to potential "gym intimidation". Surprisingly enough, this request was actually in direct adherence to this chain’s highly publicized no "judgment" policy, which doesn’t allow members to wear certain clothes or even perform certain exercises.
Given that this woman just happened to be an African-American, most media channels have cited discrimination as the most likely culprit for the incident. In my opinion, branding this as discrimination is a hasty oversimplification of a cultural issue that exists in every gym. As one who has worn many hats in small and larger commercialized gyms alike (overweight member, highly fit member, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and manager), my perspective on gym culture is quite unique.
Many commercialized gyms have a large presence of highly fit, athletic, and able-bodied men and women which, in and of itself, can intimate others who are less fit. So much in fact that novice exercisers oftentimes feel the need to stay outside of big chain gyms until they make some sort of physical transformation. Once this happens, some people tend to become a bit more vain, building up the confidence to frequent the 'big' gym.
Now, it would be irrational to suggest that one learns all about the ins and outs of gym culture prior to purchasing a membership. However, it’s certainly not unreasonable to recommend that certain steps be taken when joining a gym in order to ensure a happy and healthy experience, as opposed to one that is like girlfriend’s in Richmond. With that said, here is my recommended three-step process for choosing a gym and making it work for you.
Read:
http://www.ninacheriephd.com/you-your-body...
Posted By: Nina Cherie Franklin Franklin
Friday, January 1st 2016 at 1:39PM
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