I’ve been going to the gym for almost 10 years now. And in these ten years, there were some pretty unforgettable moments.

Group Classes

The gym I go to offers many classes based on the Les Mills program, especially their very popular BodyCombat and BodyPump classes. I have attended BodyCombat classes conducted by at least 57 different instructors and BodyPump by at least 60 different instructors.

In these classes, the instructors will affect the class turnout and the class experience. But face it, gym-goers are a very superficial lot. The better looking instructors and those with more people savvy skills are the most popular. But my most unforgetable moments have little to do with the instructors although they are a factor (because of them, the classes were crowded).

“Fatal” kick in BodyCombat

Back when I was still new to the program, I decided to attend the class of a super-popular instructor. Unfortunately, many made that same decision that day and the class was overwhelmingly packed. I am very short, so I managed to get enough space to execute most of the instructor said until this song where there was back kicks.

I was not aware of the lack of space behind me and the music was so fast. Everything was loud and noisy. Room was hot and crowded. I extended my leg backwards and then my foot felt something that was neither soft and hard. I turned around and gasped. I had just kicked the “key to descendant” of a young chap.

I stopped and asked if he was okay. But he just waved off and signaled that he was okay. We both quickly turned back to the rest of the song and I dared not extend my leg backwards any more for the rest of that class. Left is not right. Right is not left.

The thing about the Les Mills programs (and also other programs like Zumba) is that they require the instructor to act as a “mirror”. To make it easier for members to follow the instructions and choreography, the instructors are supposed to give directions in the direction of the members facing them(“my right is your left”). This is particularly helpful when there is no mirror in the studio.

But not when the instructors start getting mixed up in their “left” and “right”. It gets very confusing, especially when the instructor alternates between the correct and incorrect direction (I think if they are always in the “wrong”, i.e. their right when they say “right”, I can follow after a while). This often happens when the instructor teaches several classes in a day.

One bodycombat instructor was so exhausted he not only alternated between left and right, he also mixed up the terms decoy with an upper hand move, told us to strike the “nose” in an uppercut move (uppercut usually hits the chin of the opponent, it can hit the nose but harder) and “chin” in a jab cross (jabs and crosses usually hit the nose of the opponent, though I think they do hit the whole face).

This is generally still ok but when the class consists of a mix of regulars (people who know what the choreography is) and newbies (still new to class and format), and we are required to move sideways, you can imagine the “traffic jam” that ensues. Lesson learnt: Make sure there is enough space in all directions as much as possible.

Drink laced with sweat

This was also in another BodyCombat class. Again, the class was very packed at more than the designated capacity. But the instructor decided to let everybody stay and told me to make space for one another.

The space situation was worse than the previous incident. The person next to me was only just one palm distance away from me. It was almost impossible to side kick and the room was hot. I was sweating profusely. Sweat was dripping from my forehead.

There was a break in between the tracks and I went to the side where my bottle and towel were, and as I bent down to pick up my bottle, my sweat continued to drip. And, of all places, my sweat went into this glass of water that someone had placed next to my bottle.

Then before I could react, I saw a hand reached out for that glass. I looked up and saw a lady drinking from that glass: water laced with my sweat, albeit unknowingly.

I quickly hurried back to my tiny spot in the class. Lesson learnt: Make sure to bring your own covered water bottle to classes, especially in an era with COVID-19 and SARS.

Healthier, Fitter, Stronger, Better You?

If anybody tells me that I can reach my fitness goals by joining a gym, I would say that the person is lying. In the ten years I’ve been with the gym, I have gained more than ten kilograms. I am now even further from whatever fitness goals I may have set for myself when I first joined.

I probably have gotten stronger with all the weights lifting but I am still chubby and cannot fit into the size I want. I still got fat in all the wrong places.

Recently, someone lamented to me that she has increased the intensity of her workouts but she is still the same size, not getting any slimmer.

Similarly, another regular gym goer keeps wondering why he has not gotten more buffy than his current self despite all the weights. I also saw another chap who regularly put in a few hours EVERY day in the gym and still looked the same until he starts on a “clean” diet (whatever that is); he lost about 8 kilos.

In fact, most people I came across in the gym do not achieve their fitness goals. The rare ones who did often combined that with a strict diet regime or supplements like protein shakes and discipline. They diligently measure their calorie output and input daily, and keep to a fixed schedule.

But I also see many successful cases who revert back to their old selves once they got tired of the regime and started to slack.

I still stick to the gym because I enjoy the classes and the social buzz. I no longer harbour any hopes of attaining any fitness goals with my gym membership.

Lesson learnt: work on your food and life discipline. The gym cannot help if discipline is in short supply.