Working in a commercial gym

[Damien Thompson]

Hi Mark,

I remember hearing you talk on the CrossFit radio and you mentioned about dealing with some members in the commercial gym setting.

I recently took on a position as gym manager in a gym and we have refurbished the place just last week.

I have undergone a barrage of abuse about the lack of mirrors in front of the squat rack and removing the leg extension machine.
Mirrors is easy fixed, buy some although i see it a un-neccessary cost.

But you have any advice for trying to provide a more productive gym environment in a commercial setting and trying to balance the two?

Cheers,
Damien

[Mark Rippetoe]

That depends entirely on the type of gym you're hired to work for. You and I and the rest of the guys on this board realize the value of doing things the way that you have indicated you want to, but if you have been hired to run a standard industry-model facility, this will not work.

We are still years away from a paradigm shift in the public perception of fitness, although several things seem to be hastening this, like the rise of CrossFit, the proliferation of sports-performance facilities like Velocity, and the internet. Until that time, Gold's/Powerhouse/24 Hour/Bally's will continue to be what most people think of when they join a gym. I'm not saying this is right; I'm just saying that this type of shit is what these fools paid for, and it is what you are probably going to be expected to provide.

I just took a bunch of silly equipment out of here, but then again, I'm not a standard industry model club, and I'm less dependent on new members than I used to be. So, what you have done may be fine, and it might not be so fine. If you want to function in a transitional context between commercial gym and black iron gym/CrossFit-type facility, the best thing to do would be to have all the things you need for both. This way, nobody gets pissed when you take things away; they just get happy when you provide new stuff. Put the leg extension back, and get two squat racks -- one with a mirror and one without. Eventually, you may have worked hard enough that the members will ask you to take the mirrors away.