What we call because the ‘Desi Gyms’, is something which the westerners seek advice from because the ‘Old School Gyms’. And there was a continuing debate on which is healthier.
Of course, there are proponents and opponents on either side, but sometimes the justification is only based on ego, slightly than facts.
First things first, modern gyms, as we see them today, with state-of-the-art facility and equipment, have simply evolved from the old skool or desi gyms.
For e.g. the world has come a great distance, from the time telephone was first invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, to establishing of the primary telephone line by the Bell Telephone Company in 1877.[Infactwithin[Infactwithinseven years of its inventionthe phone exchanges were established in Bombay, Madras and Calcutta.
I distinctly remember the time, we used the large telephone with a roundel in the center, to dial a number. How you needed to rotate the entire wheel, each time you’ve got to dialled a single number. In case you in some way missed to finish the rotation, all the strategy of dialling all the number, needed to be re-started.
The rotating wheel made a definite sound, each time you rotated it clockwise after which it robotically went anticlockwise to the starting position. I mean, all the process required tons of patience and time.
Owning a telephone itself was a standing symbol. The phones were stationary, and folks used to attend on the decision, till the time the opposite person, got here from a distance, running and picked up the phone to say ‘Hello’.
By the Seventies & 80s, the cordless phones were there, and all the problems with holding on the to the phone, while being stationary at a spot, were gone. You could freely move around, carrying the handset, while talking. Of course, there was a limitation to how far you could possibly go from the principal receiver.
Back then, nobody would have imagined that at some point, you can be holding in hand, a tool which can be operated from touch of your fingers, and calling can be just one other task it will do. You would have the opportunity to administer every possible task in your life, with a tool in your packet, we call as mobile phones.
But all of it happened. And it happened on the blink of an eye fixed. World modified faster in last 2-3 a long time, than it had ever modified in all the human history. People needed to adapt and alter. Those who didn’t, simply perished. And this phenomena was seen in virtually every field of life.
Similarly, with regards to gyms, it’s origin is sort of debatable. For some it’s 3000yrs ago in Persia, yet others it might be China, the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BCE) and Ancient Egypt (2575-2130 BCE). Although Indians have been practising multiple types of exercises since 1000’s of years.
But the word ‘Gymnasium’ derives from Ancient Greek word ‘Gymos’, which meant naked, as that’s how the athletes back then used to coach and compete.
However, the difficulty was that today we now have the word gym etched in our brains, attributable to heavy marketing from the west. Gym is just a standard name given to a spot, where people train. Every culture on this planet has such places, with different names, for e.g. the akhara in India. The purpose is similar.
In fact, the akharas are one in all the one type of old skool places for exercise, which have managed to retained their original charm and structure, and remain relatively unchanged, unlike the old skool gyms, which have completely transformed into the brand new ultra-luxurious gyms.
The concept of the trendy bodybuilding style gyms got here from the west, and the craze was very slow to catch on till the early 90s. One could find, a rare gym, likes those within the west, back then in India. The equipment needed to be imported and costed a bomb. On top of that, there was an absolute lack of understanding on a part of the coaches, as there was simply no concept of fitness education.
Hollywood actors like Arnold, Van Damn and Stallone, inspired generations of individuals all over the world, and everybody desired to have the identical vein busting muscles. India too had great bodybuilders back then, but they were far and few, and the exposure was quite limited.
But with the attention of the web and the social media, the gyms began literally mushrooming in every nook and corner of the cities and towns in India. Most of the issues were solved locally. Lot of Indian gym manufacturers and importers began providing fitness solutions from high end-luxurious brands & equipment to Indian & Chinese made, cheaper yet good alternatives.
Hot and humid gyms were replaced with centralized air conditioned gyms. Today these gyms have stepped as much as a distinct level, using top class client management software, online workout and food regimen systems, fitness tracking devices and also you name it.
But, the most important query still stays. Did all this really made a difference? The answer is, Yes and No.
Yes, because:
- The concept of exercising in a gym, which was once considered a completely male dominated area, now have an ideal mixture of crowd from each sexes. In fact, even the transgenders are breaking the old skool thoughts and catching on to the brand new trend.
- Gyms which were initially confined to resistance or weight training, today, are offering dance based workouts, group activities, Yoga & Pilates, boxing and MMA sort of workouts, and lots more. Everyone has something to pick from.
- Modern gyms are mixture of toughness & hard core workouts and fun and delight.
- The modern gyms are virtually weather proof. Irrespective of the form of environment you might be in. Be it the scorching heat, or the minus degree temperature, whether it’s raining outside, or snowing; weather is not any more an excuse to miss a workout. Modern gyms are centrally air conditioned and folks can workout with no break, all year long.
No, because:
- The modernity of the gym don’t have anything to do with constructing physique. For e.g. even with the perfect of books, tuitions, online classes and other help, a child won’t have the opportunity to attain, till the time they sit down and study. Because the nice old focussed labor continues to be the solution to go forward.
Whichever gym you go to, be it a standard desi gym in your neighbourhood, or the perfect of the luxurious gyms in your city, you possibly can develop the best physique, if you happen to are dedicated and dealing consistently. And you might not get any results in any way, even if you happen to are in the best gym on this planet. Because it’s never the machine, it’s the person behind the machine.
- Better and modern equipment are in fact great, and at all times an added advantage with regards to variety. But apart from that, there is actually nothing special in regards to the equipment as such.
World’s finest physiques have been forged in probably the most basic gyms with nothing except the hard core equipment and extreme training. People visiting these gyms will not be there for fun. They have a dedicated goal in that field.
Now, this doesn’t mean that the fun component has no place. No, it’s more to do with the aim of the person. Everyone doesn’t have that strong an aim for his or her bodies. There could also be top doctors, scientists, engineers, CEOs, musicians, artists etc. for whom fitness will be either a passion, or simply a necessity.
- Again, it’s great to have top class facilities, modern training equipment, and tons of technology, but a push-up, still needs to be done on the bottom, not virtually.
Most of the technology in fitness is trend based, not need based. It’s great to have an Apple watch, and great if it motivates you to be fit. But, it’s not needed to be fit. Millions of much stronger and fitter people, don’t own a fitness watch, they usually even don’t need it.
Messi will not be Messi because he wore Nike or Puma. It is Nike or Puma who needs people like Messi for his or her marketing. Messi can be Messi, even with probably the most basic pair of shoes.
- Also, more luxurious the gym, the upper the value they command. Not everyone has that paying capability. So, does that mean, you might be inferior or can’t construct a physique? Absolutely not. As I explained, it has nothing to do together with your fitness goals.
- Another major plus point I discovered within the old skool gyms is lack of distraction. Of course, focus is a person thing, and you could find probably the most dedicated people in the perfect of the gyms. But with regards to overall distraction, the main target level is up within the old skool or desi gyms, because the person has nothing to take a look at during his training. No television, no loud music, no gossiping, no ogling at the other sex, and no Instagram pics after every set. It’s easy hard and brutal training, and get out.
I actually have personally worked out in probably the most basic of gyms, with very limited equipment, and the also owned luxurious gyms with best at school facilities. I remember during my athletic days, the gym in my stadium used to have only two barbell stands, couple of only Olympic sized barbells, and heavy plates. That’s it. No machines, or dumbbells, or anything. And we did the toughest of coaching on the market.
I remember my posting in Guwahati, where I worked out in a gym, with only a basic fan, in a 40deg temperature, with nearly 100% humidity. I actually have worked out in open ground and fields, hills and mountains and from smallest to largest of the gyms.
Trust me, it really doesn’t matter.
