In the 5th grade I sat by the classroom window on a warm spring day shaking in my seat, hardly able to contain myself as I waited for the recess bell to ring. The bell sounded and I took off like a scared cat out the door, across the playground and headed directly for the grassy field. I grabbed the football, booted it as hard as I could and watched to see which friend would be the first to catch it. Ten minutes later, sweaty brows and breathless, we all headed for the monkey bars to challenge each other on who could be the fastest across. The recess bell resounded and we delayed returning to the classroom because we were in the middle of a contest to spin the witch's hat as fast as possible to make the others sick to their stomachs.

Football, monkey bars, and witch's hat, all tools of the trade. For kids, these pieces of playground equipment provide a variety of physical movement that promote health and vitality. The kids don't know that this equipment can be used for health; they just use it to burn energy and have fun. For adults it is just as imperative to have access to a variety of fitness equipment. The larger the selection of equipment, the more opportunities there are to stimulate a greater portion of the musculoskeletal system as well as the cardiovascular system. As I began studying for my personal training certification I quickly began to appreciate how important it is to view the body holistically. You are cheating yourself if you work only upper body muscles and neglect your lower body. It's a sad day too when I find someone who only does cardiovascular exercise and states that their exercise regimen covers all the bases. My point to viewing the body holistically is that it takes equipment, a lot of equipment and a variety of equipment, to stimulate the muscles properly for a profitable workout.

Over the years I have talked to many, too many, people who told me their Schwinn Air Dyne that they bought 11 years ago now serves as a coat rack and their $800 treadmill's motor burned up and it now takes up residence in the corner of the basement waiting for that uncalled repairman. Others have informed me that their ultimate aerobic cross country ski machine was always too hard to balance on and so was given to the neighbors down the street. Most homes have at least one form of cardiovascular equipment and a pocketful of dumbbells. Wasted money? No, not if the owner uses it, but in most cases this equipment would cause a sneezing fit because of the collected dust sitting on top of it. But let's be optimistic for a moment and say that we do find a rare individual who does use their fitness equipment at home. Are they getting a complete, thorough body workout? Yes if they have a complete home gym. What is a complete home gym you ask…about $5,000 - $10,000. For the serious fitness enthusiast it would be closer to $10,000. For a person wanting to achieve general health goals such as: strength, energy, and quality of life, the price would be closer to $5,000. Why such absurd costs? It takes a lot of steel, welding, engineering, and design time to develop ergonomically safe and efficient equipment. The next time you are in a fitness club take a close look at how much steel, welding, and design it took to put together a good leg press machine or back row machine. Could you spend less on equipment for your home? Sure! You can go down to the local discount store and buy the latest and greatest “Piece O Crap” weight lifting “home gym” but I guarantee it will lack efficiency, stability, smoothness, and safety compared to equipment built from a reputable company for commercial use. I also know that if exercise equipment does not work well, meaning it lacks smoothness or a quality feel to it, people won't use it for long! How much money would it take to purchase the proper amount of equipment for a complete fitness club? Now you are talking $80,000 - $1,000,000 and up. This wide range of cost would be based on how many members a club needs to service. A club with 200 members would be well equipped by spending $100,000 on their equipment, which would provide a variety of machines to work the muscles of the upper and lower body, as well as the cardiovascular system. For example, if you were set on doing a cardiovascular workout 3 times during a given week you could choose between running on the treadmill, walking on the stair-stepper, riding a spinning bike or recumbent bike, or taking an aerobic or step class. Using a variety of equipment can stimulate a greater percent of muscle fiber throughout the entire body and can help to prevent repetitive joint problems, as well as boredom, within an exercise routine. Variety is a key element when exercising the body. Remember that playground I spoke of earlier? On that playground there was also a playground supervisor who kept the kids safe from injury as they played on the equipment. When we attempted to get the witch's hat going 80 mph she would blow her whistle and run over to tell us to slow it down to a reasonable speed. Sometimes she would catch kids trying to balance on top of the monkey bars, the obvious risk being that they would fall through to the ground or hit their head on the steel bars. She would give them a stern warning not to do that again and also instruct them as to the dangers of what they were doing. Like the playground supervisor who instructs and educates the kids, there is also the fitness club professional who can guide, direct, and educate members of the club. The first issue that I cover with anyone who wants to access my knowledge as a certified personal trainer is one of safety. The last thing I want to do is send a client away from any workout injured. I know how debilitating and frustrating injuries can be therefore the biggest goal I have for all of my clients is to remain injury free. The most valuable information a trainer holds is how to place the human body in any exercise machine so that the risk of injury is minimal. Two of my current clients represent challenges of extremes as it relates to height issues; for example, I have a female client who is a former gymnast and stands all of 4' 11” and a male client who is a former collegiate basketball player standing at a height of 6' 9”. Can you imagine putting each of these bodies into the same exercise machine and attempting to adjust the seat height and lever arm(s) so that they each remain biomechanically safe in their movements? One of the first questions that needs to be covered before having a new client perform any movement is, “How tall are you?” Knowing someone's height is one of the first steps in attaining a safe exercise regime in a fitness club. A personal trainer's ability to provide safety, education, and a progressive fitness program, are other just some of the examples of what a fitness club professional can do for you in a gym.

Let's run back one more time to that playground and take a closer look at what's taking place during recess. What do you see? Kids…lots of kids. If you sit back and watch the kids for a while you will see them talk, laugh, interact, and play games together. They are socializing. There is also a social element to being part of a fitness club that cannot be accessed at home. I see this socialization process as one of the most powerful forces that can accelerate your fitness goals. Why? The social aspect of a fitness club can provide a multitude of benefits such as: motivation, accountability, emotional support, psychological support, encouragement, friendships, and assistance with heavy weights. As I understand people, many of the aspects that were just mentioned are extremely important to living life to the fullest as well as progressive fitness training.

If I know that I am cared for by the people that surround me I guarantee that I will return to that place often and that I will give my best efforts in my personal pursuits. It always takes hard work to meet your fitness goals whether at home or the gym; but to communicate and interact with others as you express your fitness goals verbally and physically will inspire others, which in turn motivates you. This social act of communication will give others feedback and information to assist you in your pursuits.

Isn't it true that those who inspire us the most are the ones that we want to help the most? Another positive impact that can be socially influenced is one of accountability. One of the most common statements that I hear from the members of our club is that having a workout partner provides accountability. I also know that my own clients utilize me for accountability because even on days when they come in for a scheduled appointment and say they are “dog tired,” they still showed up for the workout because they knew I would be waiting for them. Evidence that being around others in a fitness club has a positive impact on your workout routine. As I stated above, the social processes of a fitness club can provide motivation, accountability, emotional support, psychological support, encouragement, friendships, and assistance with heavy weights.

So at the end of this article the question remains, “Why join a fitness club?” I provided some sound arguments as we looked at variety of exercise equipment for thorough muscle stimulation, safety from the knowledge of a personal trainer or instructor, and socialization for motivation and accountability. I have been a member of several fitness clubs for nearly 15 years without a lapse in my membership and I will continue this habit because I see the impact it has made on my life and health. I hope you do the same. I want to leave you with one last admonition, as I quote a friend of mine who is endowed with a rare intensity and fire for exercise and training. Every time my friend walks out the club door he elevates his voice, so it can reverberate off every corner in the gym, and yells, “TRAIN ON!!!”

John Nelson has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He was a tennis and track and field athlete in college and still competes in many recreational races. He is also an intense weight lifter and enjoys kickboxing.