[Sportsandrec] the ADA and Gyms

Sat Dec 8 13:39:36 UTC 2018

I hate to say it but Marana has been really lucky with a hospital supported facility.  I used to train in the hospital gym that’s like an easy 1/4 mile walk from my house. It is a combo gym and PT clinic.  I found that I got less support from the staff there than I did in pretty much any other gym I ever used.   The trainers they had working the floor were as a group the worst I have ever observed.

Virtually every gym will provide you with a free session with a trainer when you join.  The goal of course is not really to teach you anything but to sell you on a training package.  If I go into a new gym I schedule the session when the place is its quietest and simply use the time to learn the gym floor layout. In most cases the machines and free weight equipment will be somewhat separated and usually in nice neat rows so it can be as simple as remembering, "the chest press is third in the second row"  Get that floor plan in your head.  Its not always possible but if you use the gym at a quieter time you are going to find it much easier and more enjoyable.  The interesting thing I have found over my many years in gyms is that I get more help from the other members than the staff.   
It hasn't been addressed but as you mentioned your age I am wondering if you have medicare or one of the equivalent HMO's.  If so you likely have access to the "silver sneakers" program or another similer one.  If so you will likely find that you have access to sevral gyms in your area.  Try them all and figure out where you feel the most comfortable.  Funny thing(at least to me)is that I have access to six or seven gymsthrough the SS program and the hospital facility doesn't honor it.  I would think they would be on the list for sure. 
I would avoid You Fit and Planet Fitness simply because they are so reasonably priced.  They tend to push a volume business and are usually over crowded. They also seem to attract a less respectful group of people. I knowthis is a very general statement  but simply saying in my experience. They tend to not put their weights away or respect other members as much as in some other gyms.  If there is a privately owned little "hole in the wall" gym in your area that will be your best option.  The only way they can compete with the big box clubs is to be more service focused.  Also you will find they will be much more "out of the box"  than the big clubs that have set protacals and find it hard to(or are unwilling to) deviate from them.   My last bit of advice would be to avoid the really massive super facilitys that have tons of machines and pools and all the other amenities.  They are just harder to navigate and they can be very frustrating.  I have been around gyms for over 40 years and for a time I trained at a LA Fitness.  It was huge with such a large gym floor and so much equipment that I found I hated going there. I found that without my workout partner it was just a huge struggle. The gym(almost any gym) is my safe place in the world. I have been around them so long that I usually am far more comfortable in them than any other place. Once I know the basic layout I don't need any help and know where things are better than most of the sighted members. Using that LA fitness just took most of the fun out of my workouts. I just reread this email and realized it has a bit of a negative tone. I don't mean to in the least just trying to share some thoughts that I hope will make it easier for you.
Bill

Bill Kociaba
www.kociaba-fitness.com
"Building Better Bodies Since 1981"

-----Original Message-----
From: SportsandRec [mailto:sportsandrec-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marana Vradenburg via SportsandRec
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2018 8:43 PM
To: Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List
Cc: Marana Vradenburg
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] the ADA and Gyms

Reasonable accommodation does not mean anything other than the fact that you’re able to navigate the gym freely. Knowing where everything is is a completely different matter. If you taken some braille dots, they will mark them for you so you can use the cardio equipment independently. The problem is, other members like to peel these things off. I have found that chain Jim’s are not typically staffed well enough to provide sighted assistance. If I were you, I would search your area for a facility that is owned by A local hospital, or other medical facility. It seems like these places have more staff and have a bigger interest in the health and well-being of their members, rather than the chain Jim’s that care more about dollars. The gym where I train is owned by our local hospital and every time I go in, they have somebody that will help me navigate around people and machines, help me get my weight selected and show me how to operate the machine if it’s new to me. That’s basically it. You also have the option of getting an oh and M instructor to go in with you and help you figure things out. Good luck.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 7, 2018, at 5:07 PM, Sherri Brun via SportsandRec <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> My name is Sherri.  I live in Orlando.  I am a 63-year-old female who has
> battled weight all my life.  I finally determined to try to lose it once and
> for all.
> 
> 
> 
> In the last 6 months, I joined Weightwatchers, started walking with a friend
> as much as 3 miles per day and now, this friend has talked me into joining a
> gym.  We used the treadmill and some other elliptical machines some, but I
> got offered a significant discount to get a personal trainer, which I have
> done.  This is quite a financial obligation.  She has shown me a lot of
> resistance equipment and taught me several exercises on these machines.  We
> have now started learning the machines in the order they are in the gym so
> hopefully, I can do this myself.  
> 
> 
> 
> I am on a limited income and cannot have the expense of a personal trainer
> for long, but I do not see how I am going to learn much of anything about
> the equipment or exercises without her.  
> 
> 
> 
> I know this gym offers classes, but mostly, they are watch and learn type of
> classes, which would definitely leave me at a disadvantage.
> 
> 
> 
> I am determined to lose the rest of the weight and do not want to give up.
> Does anyone on this list know what the ADA would require a fitness center to
> do in terms of accommodation for a blind person?  Any help or advice would
> be appreciated.  Thank you so much!
> 
> 
> 
> Sherri Brun
> 
> flmom2006 at gmail.com
> 
> President NFB of Central Florida
> 
> NFBF Newsline Marketer
> 
> Phone:  1-844-827-7371
> 
>                                The National Federation of the Blind knows
> that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future.
> Every day we raise the expectations
> 
> of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind
> people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what
> holds you back.  
> 
> Together with love, hope, and determination, we transform dreams into
> reality.
> 
> 
> 
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