Shape of things

Thanks to the commitment to fitness shown by the city’s movie stars and sportspersons’, the awareness of the link between one’s health and physical fitness has increased manifold in recent years. The number of people flocking to gyms in the city has also multiplied at both the Chennai Corporation-owned gyms and private fitness centres. 

However, despite the fact that Corporation-run gyms do not charge for the use of the facility, not many patronise them for long. Most people prefer to sign up with a private gymnasium as soon as they can afford the amount. 

Young men say the biggest drawback with government facilities is the lack of trained personnel to coach or provide advice. “In order to use the equipment in the Corporation gyms, we have to ask a senior or read up user manuals on the internet,” says 27-year old Mani. On the other hand, private gyms are attractive because they offer value added services like personal trainer and advice on nutrition. 

Another drawback is that not all Corporation gyms have state-of-the art equipment. From just 18 playfields for active and passive recreation in the 1940s, the civic body boasts of over 210 playgrounds, with 96 gyms. Of these, only 22 have the latest equipment like multi-station gyms and treadmills. The local body’s intentions to provide each of its 200 wards with gyms will take some more time, corporation officials said.

Those who use the Corporation gyms say self-taught training is not the best solution. “Even if we get tips from those who have hitting the gym here for many years, it is not always productive as individual workouts differ,” says another user. Corporation officials say that on an average, up to 100 people use each of the facilities in the mornings. However, those who are very serious about workouts slowly move to local private gyms which charge around than Rs.500 a month. High end gyms charge several thousand rupees annually. Besides, very few women use the public gyms as they are generally considered unsafe. “Ladies also avoid the Corporation gyms as they are seen as highly male- centric. Young women, specially those who want to get into shape before marriage, approach private gyms for weight reduction. But here too, it depends on the gym’s location” says Olympia fitness centre owner G. Narayanamurthy (Suri). Former Mr. Tamil Nadu, CD Prabhakar points out that while old concepts about fitness and bodybuilding have changed over the years, many youth from lower middle class families take to gymming with wrong ideas. “They want six- pack abs within two months of signing up and seek to know if they can drink water during exercise. However, their most important question is always about whether exercise would affect their libido,” he adds. 

Despite their drawbacks however, many of the Corporation outlets see a huge crowd in open air gyms during the morning. For example, the one at Perambur attracts so many people that many youngsters get motivated enough to join the gym, say observers. 

Additionally, the Corporation gyms are a huge hit with older users. “We prefer this, as we feel out of place in a regular gym where others are young,” says Manikavasagam a retired government official. “As the facility is free, there is no compulsion on our part to workout daily and so we come when we have the time,” he adds.

It is not just the city Corporation which has rolled out the gyms for people to shape up and stay fit. A little over a year ago, the Secretariat at Fort St. George saw the inauguration of separate training facilities for men and women. “Officials can use the facility only after office hours,” a senior official said and added that “a committed group of about 70 persons use the gym after office hours, sometime staying up to 7.30 pm.” According to him, nearly 20 ladies use the facility earmarked 

for them. Here too users ask the advice from their seniors on issues relating to slimming and endurance. 

Clearly, despite the ‘hit or miss’ system followed by users due to the lack of a trained, the fight to stay fit is a popular one. ‘Even though surroundings are not clean and the gym itself could see the use of dusters and brooms, I still use the gym in Strahan’s Road,” says a youngster. The gym at Ayyappan ground in Vepery is another one in urgent need of cleaning.