Globo gyms are having hard times.

10/20/12

           My training today is my special 1min work and 1min rest routine, using a new exercise each min. for an hour. 30 different exercises in one session. You can’t do this routine in a commercial gym or fitness facility, as the equipment of space will not be available. Let’s hear it for the “Garage gym”! (barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags,logs….you get the idea.)

            I think we can all agree that the national economy sucks and any business is struggling in some way. A week ago one of the Gold’s gyms in my area filed for chapter 11 which is a signal that the business is in the crapper. Gold’s is  the classic Globo style gym, more on the upscale side, as they tend to be higher priced than the other franchises and much higher fees than the “planet fatness” low grade fitness chains, that have popped up in the last few years.

            As with a lot of fitness has changed over the years, Gold’s has always kept up with the times. I can remember many, many years ago training in the Venice, Cal. Gym started by Joe Gold and where Arnold trained and become famous. Joe also started World gym after selling the Gold’s name going back to the Hardcore style.  The first Gold’s gym was as hardcore as it gets. Heavy barbells, dumbbells, hardcore bodybuilding, and lots of “juice” . I am not sure, but I did smell testosterone as soon as you got on the floor!  If you did not lift heavy, hard, and aggressive, you need not enter. That was the real “I pick them up and put them down” style of training. Fast forward and Joe Gold selling out and now they follow the flakier trends of the general fitness public.

            Here is a lesson I learned about the gym business having owned or operated several. There are a very few members that train consistently, and come every day, and get measurable results. You don’t want really want the “gym Rat” who comes every day either.  They take up space, spend too much time training consistently, and above all they frighten the rest of the fitness public that  can’t nor willing to achieve the results they want.  If you are a “hardcore” gym customer, you are a poster boy or girl for the gym, or a problem child.  Also personal trainers stay away from the “gym rats” as they can’t suck them off, to make money.

            Gold’s as a franchise today has about 700 gyms worldwide and provide all the services that you will ever need to become fit and healthy. Gone is the “Hardcore bodybuilding” perception and now embrace all type of fitness from bodybuilding, Metcom like spinning, Zumba, and now “crossfit “ style training is now emerging as the new trend.

            Getting back to home, the Gold’s in my location, is a demise of quality fitness facility, as they always had the best equipment and management that you will find. However, I look at it as an failure  of the fitness public that puts a low class priority on their fitness by going cheap for fitness facility and training opportunities…….and the results bare this out.

The mission is sacred