Postcard Gyms
Gyms designed by people who don’t use gyms…
Hotels nearly always have a gym. The question is often whether it is any good. The hotel I’m staying at tonight has what I call a “postcard gym”. These are gyms that look great in photos but were designed by people who don’t actually use a gym.
How can you tell whether it is a postcard gym? These are the signs:
Temperature. The temperature when no one else is in the gym is the same as the rest of the hotel or a little warmer. Frequent gym users know to crank the AC up.
Useless stuff around the room. This can include vintage tennis rackets or other ornamental items that interior designers love and serve no useful purpose. When am I going to use an old tennis racket in a gym with no tennis balls or a court or bats flying around?
Useful stuff is missing. This usually includes water, water cups, and cleaning wipes for wiping down equipment after use. It may also include attachments for weight machines that are nowhere to be found.
Perfect-looking weight racks. These weight racks look great and may be multicolored, but don’t have weights heavy enough for harder strength training.
Smelly towels. These towels may be odd sizes, are perfectly arranged and may have either not been properly laundered or laundered using some strange perfume.
Mood lighting. The lighting is focused on the look of the room rather than the function of the workout.
You can still get in a good workout at a postcard gym, it simply requires a bit more effort and determination. Asking for fresh towels is a start. Also, these gyms usually have a bit more space than the token gyms that are packed full of equipment or where the equipment is broken. These gyms also usually have equipment that works, even if it is a bit funky. I really like doing weighted lunges and other free weight exercises. And with any luck, there is usually the outside treadmill, often called a sidewalk.
