Crazy Gym

[tomahawk]

I used to go to Home Fitness gym near Carrefours. They have very good equipment but it is a very strange gym. First the little guy who runs place tells me I was making too much noise with weights on lat pull down machine. I did not see anyone sleeping, but I tried to lower the weights silently, which is not always so easy. Plus the clanking weights seemed more enjoyable to listen to than the alleged music they play there. Next thing he tells me I have to stop sweating. First I thought he was joking, but he was really serious. he said maybe I get sweat on other customers on elliptical machine, even though there was no one else even on machine. I told him he could get a spray bottle and rag, like US gyms, to wipe down machines after using them. He says maybe I will spray other people, like a cobra or a giant squid. Then I said it is very hot, so maybe he could invest in air con. he says no one else sweats so much. This is probably true, as most of his customers are Thai and from what I have seen they expend fewer calories than most inanimate objects. The guy was not impolite or rude or anything, but he seems to not grasp the whole concept of what gym is designed for.

[Ulysses G.]

I wonder if that is the same gym that would not allow a buddy to join because they said that he was too tall to use the equipment.

[venturalaw]

Yep that's the one. I was "too big" to be able to use the equipment. He was afraid that I might break something. I said that all I wanted to do was lift weights. He said the equipment is new and he did not want to risk it. Unbelievable.

[canuckamuck]

I heard someone else say they had to quit there because they weren't allowed to make noise.

I go to Fitness Thailand, it is a good gym and you can grunt and sweat all you like.

Edited June 9, 2011 by canuckamuck

[venturalaw]

I heard someone else say they had to quit there because they weren't allowed to make noise.

I go to Fitness Thailand, it is a good gym and you can grunt and sweat all you like.

Yes, Fitness Thailand is good - plenty of room and equipment. Probably the most spacious gym in Chiang Mai. Problem is that it is a distance from San Sai (as are all the gyms except for the one that is the topic of this thread.

[MangoAndCo]

Unbelievable he said no sweating...

About Fitness Thailand: membership includes group/ yoga classes?

Edited June 9, 2011 by MangoAndCo

[thrilled]

The biggest problem that I have in thailand is the airconditioning isn't cold enought.But I guess thats my problem.

[cobra]

... he says no one else sweats so much. This is probably true, as most of his customers are Thai and from what I have seen they expend fewer calories than most inanimate objects....

[jackr]

Sounds like he just doesn't want you there. If you stop doing all the things he asks, something else will come up. Btw, if you clank the weights, you're doing it wrong... keep that tension.

[Lobo4819]

Where is Fitness Thailand located? I'm relatively new and have been looking for a good gym, but I do sweat a lot and will occasionally fart if I am lifting weights - I imagine that combination would get me banned from Home Fitness for life.

[daoyai]

I was also asked to leave, he said my body was "too perfect" and I was making the other members feel... inferior.

[Maccheroncini]

Weird, I guess it's not you, it's him or them.

[Lobin]

+1 asked to leave as well

+1 my friend who joined at same time

reason given to my friend was breathing too hard and too big for the running machine

reason given for me was "this gym is not for you" good enough as reason as any i guess?!

TIT...

... no really he was a TIT!

[leininger]

I have also had problem with same guy at Home Fitness. I have elliptical machine in my home and have done 45-60 minutes on this machine in maximum settings almost every day for over 3 years. Now I go to Home Fitness to lift weights but also do elliptical machine there. The guy insists on setting machine for me though I say I can do it myself. He says how long do I want to work out and I say 45 minutes and he says no, that is too long. Even after I tell him I do at least this every day he insists on setting it for 30 minutes at low setting. So after he goes away I reset machine as I figure I am paying for this anyway and if I drop dead it is my problem.

Another friend of mine only walks slowly on treadmill and guy will not let him walk for more than 25 minutes. This is not a Thai thing because I have gone to gyms all over Thailand and never had anything such as this happen anywhere else.

[Tonto21]

Fantastic! Does this guy do fitness classes……….Sign me up, I’malways up for a laugh. Where is his place, please give directions.

[IanForbes]

I just got back from the local gym. They’ve got a great new machine I just had to try. But, I only used it for half an hour before I started feeling sick. It’s great though. It has everything: KitKats, Mars bars, Snickers, Crispy Crunch and Oh Henrys, the whole lot.

[MangoAndCo]

I just got back from the local gym. They've got a great new machine I just had to try. But, I only used it for half an hour before I started feeling sick. It's great though. It has everything: KitKats, Mars bars, Snickers, Crispy Crunch and Oh Henrys, the whole lot.

[hellodolly]

I just got back from the local gym. They've got a great new machine I just had to try. But, I only used it for half an hour before I started feeling sick. It's great though. It has everything: KitKats, Mars bars, Snickers, Crispy Crunch and Oh Henrys, the whole lot.

:cheesy:

priceless

[NancyL]

This guy at Home Fitness sounds amazing! Does he treat all his customers this way, or just the westerners? Is he the only staffer who acts this way? Surely he doesn't work 7 days a week during all the open hours of the gym.

[harrypatterson]

I believe the fellow everyone is referring to is the manager and he is there just about all the time. I do not know if he treats Thai people the same as farang, but here is a strange episode I saw at Home Fitness. There was a group of young Thai girls, probably 16-19 years old. They were thin and seemed healthy. One of them got on the elliptical machine, and proceeded to walk at approximately the speed at which grass grows in winter. After about 10 minutes of this pseudo-activity, she became faint and had to lay down. The staff responded quickly with smelling salts and proceeded to give her Thai massage, which seemed to restore her to her normal Thai state of partial consciousness. The routine with smelling salts and massage was repeated for about 1 hour. I should not make fun because possibly girl had real problem, but perhaps this is w hy manager is so concerned with customers getting their heart rates into levels above comatose. I have since stopped going to this gym, but I would recommend this place as a suitable health and fitness center for anyone who is not actually concerned with either of these things.

[F4UCorsair]

This is a little off topic, but how much is gym membership in CM? Monthly, quarterly, weekly, whatever they offer?

[Tonto21]

I believe the fellow everyone is referring to is the manager and he is there just about all the time. I do not know if he treats Thai people the same as farang, but here is a strange episode I saw at Home Fitness. There was a group of young Thai girls, probably 16-19 years old. They were thin and seemed healthy. One of them got on the elliptical machine, and proceeded to walk at approximately the speed at which grass grows in winter. After about 10 minutes of this pseudo-activity, she became faint and had to lay down. The staff responded quickly with smelling salts and proceeded to give her Thai massage, which seemed to restore her to her normal Thai state of partial consciousness. The routine with smelling salts and massage was repeated for about 1 hour. I should not make fun because possibly girl had real problem, but perhaps this is w hy manager is so concerned with customers getting their heart rates into levels above comatose. I have since stopped going to this gym, but I would recommend this place as a suitable health and fitness center for anyone who is not actually concerned with either of these things.

Nice one ‘harry p’ very funny, well written…. …And ohso true!

[canuckamuck]

Where is Fitness Thailand located? I'm relatively new and have been looking for a good gym, but I do sweat a lot and will occasionally fart if I am lifting weights - I imagine that combination would get me banned from Home Fitness for life.

Fitness Thailand is located behind ICON Square in the tall building which has the Amorn electronics repair shop at street level. It is on the 7th and 8th floor.

Icon Square is on Huay Kaew road across from the moat and about 800 meters down from Kad Suan Kaew shopping center.

[NancyL]

I believe the fellow everyone is referring to is the manager and he is there just about all the time. I do not know if he treats Thai people the same as farang, but here is a strange episode I saw at Home Fitness. There was a group of young Thai girls, probably 16-19 years old. They were thin and seemed healthy. One of them got on the elliptical machine, and proceeded to walk at approximately the speed at which grass grows in winter. After about 10 minutes of this pseudo-activity, she became faint and had to lay down. The staff responded quickly with smelling salts and proceeded to give her Thai massage, which seemed to restore her to her normal Thai state of partial consciousness. The routine with smelling salts and massage was repeated for about 1 hour. I should not make fun because possibly girl had real problem, but perhaps this is w hy manager is so concerned with customers getting their heart rates into levels above comatose. I have since stopped going to this gym, but I would recommend this place as a suitable health and fitness center for anyone who is not actually concerned with either of these things.

It's no wonder someone not used to physical activity would become faint if the place is as hot as everyone says. Seems like water, cold compresses and the direct breeze from a fan would have been more helpful.

I know that caring fitness center staffers do worry about their clients having health issues while using the equipment. In the U.S., I used the fancy fitness center at the headquarters of a Fortune 50 company. It was staffed with people who had masters degrees in physical fitness and were trained in how use the electro-paddles in case anyone had a heart attack. One of the top guys at the company often used the center at the same time as me. He had awful form on the ellipicals and treadmills, obviously pushed himself way too much, would sweat profusely and get very red in the face. The staffers gently tried to correct his form, but he'd wave them away and keep on puffing. So he was just watched very carefully, from a distance by the staffers. None of them wanted the big guy to have a heart attack on their shift!

The staffers would go around spraying disinfectent and wiping the machines quite frequently. I see the staff at my current health club do this from time-to-time, too. After al, isn't the whole point of using a fitness center to work yourself to the point where you're sweating?

Edited June 11, 2011 by NancyL

[Lobo4819]

Thanks - I'll check it out.