Gym bang...

Hyderabadis believe in miracles. And if you go to any swanky gym in town you will surely know how. There are girls who weigh themselves everyday before starting their work out hoping to see the weight indicator dip backwards. There are men who keep showing their biceps in front of the mirror hoping to see some heads turn especially when there are women around. And in between there are boys who watch their bigger and stronger cousins working out in the hope of replacing them one day.
And the hope for miracles increase manifold if the gym is situated in the office as in the case of many MNCs in town. There are some Mr Know-Alls who come to the gym to replace the trainer itself. So what do they do in the gym? Offer advices. And if it’s a girl, offer lots of advices. And once in a while you will see guys bringing in a couple of female colleagues to the gym with the sole purpose of showing off their knowledge of the various equipments. As if to mean that a simple machine like a treadmill needs an Einstein to master.
And every office gym, just like a Hyderabad pub, goes through a cycle. When it opens there is a lot of interest in town. The gym gets swarmed by wannabe models and techies who aspire to have a perfect body. There are couples who come to the gym with sole purpose of spending some quality time in between work. Basically all play and no work. Suddenly, one can also see the sale of canteen dipping. There are also some who treat the words of their trainer as gospel. So, what do they do? Carry a prescription in their pocket on do’s and don’ts of dieting. No takers for junk food. And then the green revolution also gets a pat on its back. Lots of salad, less of rice and more cardio seems to be the mantra for a fit body.
And then starts the reversal. Gradually one after the other back out. The daily rigours of the training take a toll on the fit body aspirations. And then the opinions also change. “I just want to be fit. And for that I need not go to the gym everyday. I am not here to look like a model. It is tough to balance your work with work out,” says one of the guys who earlier used to be champion for the cause. And the smile is back on the face of the canteen owner. The cycle is complete.
So what should the gym now do to attract more audience? Well, follow pubs and organize an Eve’s Night kind of event. If more girls work out, can the guys be far behind?