FITNESS TRIBUNE No 1 English

Dr. Gottlob column

Beware - bodybuilders at work!

The instructor in a pleased sounding voice, during his studio walkabout: “You’ll find no bodybuilders here!” … as if he had just stated one of his gym’s most important quality criteria. Upon the question if there are enough dumb bells available the instructor begins to exhibit a slight irritation: “As I said, we’re a fitness club - if you want to do bodybuilding then you’ll have to go somewhere else!” There is clearly a breakdown in the rela tionship between the fitness industry and its competitive and top athletes - the body builders and powerlifters. Just imagine a tennis club for example, that boasts: “We don’t have a single tournament player here - Becker, Graf and the like won’t even get through our door!” Or a golf course that is proud to have banned Tiger Woods. A strange world!? Nowadays, bodybuilders have a relatively poor image at most fitness clubs. In the 1970’s and early 80’s many gym manag ers tried to retain or attract active body builders to their clubs with free entrance, reduced drinks prices and sometimes even financial support - even if it was for only one training session! Equipment requests too, were complied with where possible. Today it’s still quite normal practice for sports clubs to promote their top sport speople. “So-and-so trains with us”, is often their proud announcement. So what has happened to make the fitness industry suddenly think differently? Own ers and managers of many fitness clubs will give various answers to this question: “Bodybuilders frighten my clients away, are arrogant, block the equipment, don’t clear up the weights, accelerate wear and tear on the equipment and undermine my instuctor’s professionalism.” There is also talk of the open consumption of ana bolics and even the sale of various “dubi ous substances”. Consequently, many bodybuilders have been moved to change gyms. More often still, free weights and dumbbells have been reduced in number or were not provided at all, thereby forcing most competitive athletes to leave the club of their own accord for lack of elementary exercise facilities and suitable resistances. Such functionally reduced fitness clubs are then no longer able to provide the full spectrum of strength training facilities and competitive athletes are only to be found in hardcore gyms, association-owned weight training rooms or in the few fitness clubs still open to competitive sportspeople. The question still remains as to whether this polarisation has really helped/is

helping fitness sport, the fitness clubs and athletes? Let’s discuss the various arguments on the different levels: Wear and tear on equipment The fact that bodybuilders or other com petitive athletes visit clubs more frequently, work the equipment harder and stay long est is not disputed. This argument cannot simply be ignored but must be countered instead with the possible advantages. Gym rules If bodybuilders arrive in tank tops, don’t clear up the dumbbells and disks, block access to the equipment for other club members, instead of bringing a towel they bring their own drinks into the gym or even let weights fall now and then, they are clearly breaking the gym rules! These apply equally to all members and must be monitored and enforced by the instructors. Should a member - irrespective of their performance status - break a rule, then he/she must, in a one-to-one discussion, be politely informed of the situation and firmly asked to make amends (get a towel, change T-shirt, etc.). When enforcing the gym rules politeness is called for and “loss of face” in particular should be avoided for the others Frightening members away If a 110kg bodybuilder with pumped-up muscles and an intense expression on his face bears down on a 75kg fitness novice with the beginnings of a paunch and thin legs, then it is only to be expected that the latter feels somewhat compromised. Should the bodybuilder emphasize his physical superiority by letting out a loud cry now and then whilst training - thereby marking out his own “training territory” - then some novices will feel a certain “ potential threat ”, that awakens age-old instincts like “take up defence position” or set-off an “escape reaction”. This sort of potential threat can emanate from all serious strength and martial arts athletes. It can only be countered by adopting a friendly, relaxed and easy going approach to other people. I was once an active competition body builder myself and, whilst training in vari ous fitness clubs and bodybuilding gyms around the world, was able to observe many world class athletes at work. I have hardly ever seen arrogant or even threatening behaviour by top athletes. Powerfully built competition bodybuilders who behave in a thouroughly courteous manner and politely ask if they may join in a particular exercise are more the rule. The behaviour of the so-called studio-champions however, can

Born in 1960, Dr. Axel Gottlob ini tially studied physics and law and later completed his studies at the University of Stuttgart in 1990 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Following a period working in the departments of ergonomics and industrial physiology at the Fraunhofer Institute he special ised in bio-mechanics. He practically grew up in gyms and his principal occupation for over 25 years has been in the fitness industry. A fitness trainer and club manager for many years he became German bodybuilding cham pion in 1982. Since 1983 Gottlob has been researching and develop ing professional training equipment (4 patents, inventor of multi motion technology) and differential move ment kinematics. He has looked after competitive athletes and rehabilitation groups, fitness clubs and associations, is a lecturer at the University of Hei delberg, author of the reference book “Differential Strength Training”, lecturer at national and international congresses and is considered Germa ny’s leading strength training expert. Following several years spent as sales and general manager, training as a psychologist in the USA and a year spent on an EU management training course in Japan he specialised, along side strength training, on motivation and management training and on customer-focussed company manage ment. He is proprietor of his company Dr. Gottlob Seminars & Consulting. At the beginning of 2002 Gottlob completed his doctorate in sports sci ence with a Dr. phil. at the University of Heidelberg and graduated magna cum laude. www.GoFit.de

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Fitness Tribune International 1