Swimming Pool and new Gym

[James Barber]

Hi Hackblade,

Vast majority of people including me need more cardio vascular excercise to stay healthy. That many of the cardio excercises will increase any lack of strength to a level we need for good all round health.

I'll be there on Saturday at 10am at the official reopening. Please do come along and tell me what's missing and why.

[Hackblade]

James - thanks for your comment and offer. I'm on family holiday this weekend so I won't be able to come down but I think my comments make clear what I think is missing and why.

I'm all for people undertaking regular cardio - I run and cycle. But an all-round fitness programme should also incorporate resistance training and from the sound of things Fusion, like many chain gyms, isn't catering very well for this.

I'm afraid I don't understand your sentence: "That many of the cardio exercises will increase any lack of strength to a level we need for good all round health". It seems to suggest cardio is the best solution to lack of strength for most people and I would certainly disagree with this if this is what you are saying.

[Frankito]

Here here, Hackers! :)-D

[paragon]

Sorry but what a load of crap Hackblade. I understand your concerns about lack of the kinds of equipment you need but to dismiss people that don't do free weights as going through the motions and don't want to push themselves is a load a shite and perhaps is the kind of attitude that Fusion don't want to encourage.

I have a vision of you sneering at people on CV machines as if it isn't proper exercise.

[James Barber]

Hi Hackblade,

I was thinking of things like rowing machines - clearly machines that resist and developed upper body strength. I've also yet to see a public health campaign saying people need to developed their strength for a healthier life but we've all seen lots of such campaigns about regular cardio exercise.

[slims]

Hi MR Barber

The gym is a council gym, and it is our taxes that pay for the gym, i feel that as a member of the community, the gym should represent what we want. Since the gym has been reopened, there has been many complaints from existing customers. Also the staff at the gym also agree that the free weights should be heavier as there are a lot of paying customers that wish to use them. I think Mr Barber a lot of people are missing the point, the excuse by management of fusion is that they dont want a certain type of person using the gym, by eliminating heavy weights, this will help. Well me and many members of the gym feel discriminated against. The gym should cater for everyones needs as its council gym. Removing weights and putting them in the store room is out of order. And to say the vast majority of people use cardio machines, is not true. Ive been a member of dulwich for 7 years, at peak times it was always full of people using and people who intend to build muscle. We pay so we should be treated equally. The ignorance of the person who running fusion is digusting and maybe he should listen to his staff who put the weights out in the first place, as their on the front line and understand the customers better than anyone else. Hopefully you can help us paying customers.

Thank you.

[Frankito]

Totally agree.

I am keen to understand what this 'type' is that The Fusion elite are so keen to discourage. Mind you it's probably not in their interest to be transparent on this as it would probably raise eyebrows.

Can't they dedicate one of the many little rooms to free weights for whoever may be interested and keep a Tasr under the front desk for anyone who may look undesirable?

[Only me!]

On the weights point.

Used the gym last eve & it seems that free weights are available up to 18kg. (may have been a set of 20kg... but didn't see them.)

Decent layout (few tweaks maybe needed, with proximity etc.) plenty of space, everything is new & changing rooms pleasant.

As hinted at above, higher %age of CV machines than previously. Resistance machines all seem to work heavier than before if required, overall..... all good.

Shame scales are broken & appear to be vastly over-reading! (6)

[James Barber]

Hi slims,

What I said was a lack of heavy free weights doesn't mean it's not a gym and the assertion that only doing cardio vascular excercise isn't healthy - is a bit silly.

I also said when I visit at the official reopening on Saturday I'll make enquiries. Clearly having the kit and keepin it in storage at best odd.

Some comments that Lambeth have nominated one gym to really cater well for people who want heavier free weights might be a sensible option. Problem is the centre of the borough would for Southwark would also be Camberwell geographically and the centre for Southwark based on population would be centre Old Kent Road.

[Loz]

Have you free weight guys checked out Hamlets Health Club? I'm not a big free weight person myself, but they seem to have a good selection there and some rather big guys using them.

[Hackblade]

So they actually have paid for heavier weights and have decided not to use them? Surely this isn't true...

[MKarasu]

Hackblade Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> So they actually have paid for heavier weights and

> have decided not to use them? Surely this isn't

> true...

It is, the friday they opened managment or the council came in and took them out back along with the straight bars for the cables

[luxury]

I hope you can drink a lot:)

[luxury]

Slims, with all this complaining I hope your membership is current? lol. I think the new gym is fantastic and the pool too and thats not to mention the changing rooms.Its a 100% improvement on what it was like before.....Or do you guys not remember what it was like? All this noise over a set of dumbells, Hello... there is also 100 other machines to choose from.

[Hackblade]

Unbelievable... obviously us malcontents are all meat heads whose patronage isn't wanted.

Loz - I am a member at Hamlets and quite like it but Fusion is closer and I would have been interested in a joint membership with my partner but there is no way I will even consider it if they don't have decent free weights. 18kg... pathetic.

Luxury - I know I have a bee in my bonnet about this. I write about fitness and go to a lot of gyms and this is one of my bugbears. The fact that they have 100 machines and not any decent free weights makes it even worse... couldn't they have 80 machines and some decent free weights? A good all-round fitness programme should include more than cardio (which many of us do outside the gym anyway).

[LadyDeliah]

James, strength training is also important for health reasons. Resistance training helps to increase bone density as well as muscle mass which is an important weapon against osteoporosis.

Also as we get older our muscles atrophy which can lead to mobility, joint and other problems. Strength training can be used to slow down and even reverse this process.

Also someone with a good amount of muscle mass also burns far more fat than someone who has lower muscle mass, even when resting, so strength training helps in the fight against obesity.

[James Barber]

Hi Ladydeliah,

I get this but you don't need greater than 18kg to stave of osteoporosis.

Also much of the equipment is giving sufficient resitance to stave of such conditions, build up strength.

BUT as I said. When i pop along on Saturday 1-am for the grand reopening I'll be asking about the free weights.

[dulwichbloke]

Hopefully nobody will kick sand in my face for saying this, but from my perspective, I don't think it's a bad idea to try to put off some of the dedicated body builders/regular users of very heavy weights. I like to use free weights as I think they are generally better for you than repetitive machines, which only work a limited range of muscles. However, in every gym I have been to the free weights area is usually being hogged by 'regulars' who seem to spend hours on the free weights (quite a bit of that time appears to be spent resting/checking themselves out in the mirrors) and for whimps/irregular users like me, it gets in the way of a decent workout (its a real nuisance to have to wait ages to use the weights you need).

I think there's definitely a distinction between the mass appeal market and the serious weight training market and the two don't generally co-exist too well. It is NOT because there is anything wrong with heavy weight training, or trainers, or that they are some how undesirable, it is just that in practical terms you need many more free weights and more space available if they are present if others are also to have decent access to the weights, rather than being stuck with the machines.

[SilverSurfer]

Hello James, I understand that although new heavy dumbells were purchased for the East Dulwich Gym - eg: 22,24,26,28,30KG - they have been locked away to deter "undesireable meatheads" from coming to the gym - leaving a 20KG dumbell as the largest weight - wholly inadequate..!

This was quoted by a member of staff at East Dulwich Gym - as told to them by a senior manager of Fusion.

I sincerely hope this is not true, because there are many decent responsible East Dulwich dwellers who were looking forward to using the new gym in all its glory - with ALL the new dumbells ..

ps . Its really nice to have a local councillor doing so much for the local community - please keep it up.

[beebee]

hello, this thread is spookily topical for me, i have just been involved in a gym fit out for a professional football club and after consultation with the firm that supplied the equipment along with the club s medical team and sports science department the club decided that 20kg dumbells were suffcient. The rationale was that if the players felt they needed to increase strength beyond what the 20kg dumbells could offer then they would simply use the bar and plates to increase load. We felt that there was more essential pieces of kit needed rather than the high weight dumbells. We do not think our gym is any poorer for not having 20kg plus dumbells and we had a healthy budget for the fit out so it was not a case of penny pinching. I am sure the new fusion gym will suit the majority of peoples needs.

[adam85]

old gym +30kg dumbells or new gym -30kg dumbells? I'm just happy there's a decent freeweight bench and some mirrors to check form, better air con and lighting, no horrid carpet. An improvement indeed. All in all, pros outweigh the cons.

[Loz]

Considering that men are most likely to use heavier dumbbells, you could argue that the management are directly discriminating against a specific gender group by this policy.

I'd ask to see Fusion's sex discrimination policy.

[James Barber]

I've asked whether higher than 20kg free weights have been purchased and locked away. Would seem an odd thing to do but I'd like to know either way.

Glad so many regualr users like it and hope potential new users will join in the official mega reopening this Saturday 10am.

[James Barber]

When the free weights stacks were purchased they come with 1kg to 30kg weights as standard. A little confusion abotu whether all these weights should be put out.

With immediate affect the higher weights will be put out today.

Many thanks to those that raised this issue and the council and Fusion staff who've sorted it all out.

If you tell me about a problem I will alwats try and get it fixed.

The creche is also open to non members using the leisure centre facilities.

So can anyone show me how to use the free weights this Saturday 10am at the grand reopening?

[dulwichbloke]

Nice one James.

I was just about to join up for a year at the new gym, having cancelled my Fitness First membership yesterday, in order to to do so.

I may not bother now, if it means there are no free weights available without a good long wait.

ps - I think you mean to say, with immediate "effect"?