Many coaches lack professional training. They have simply developed large muscles from regular weight-training. Their lack of experience translates into bad workout programs

In health clubs all around town, people sweat, pant, and try to get fit. But are these people realizing their fitness goals?

If recent inquires are any indication - it is doubtful. The main reasons for this conclusion involve quality problems, both with the environmental conditions of the facilities and level of fitness instruction.

Poor Air Quality

As China has only lately begun to evaluate the environmental quality of public facilities, relevant regulations for these places have yet to be considered.

"The government has had standard indexes for the quality of public facilities," said Wu Jinglin, general manager of the Shanghai Zikone Environmental Technology Co Ltd. "But gymnasiums and fitness clubs are not specifically mentioned. There should be stricter standards."

Although a governmental department of public sanitation inspects such places, Wu feels most of the work is done carelessly.

Most gymnasiums and health clubs are located inside office buildings, and utilize the same centrally-controlled air-conditioning systems used by ordinary offices.

"Ordinary standards to evaluate gymnasiums are inadequate, as the amount of carbon dioxide in such places will be much higher. This results from the greater amount of carbon dioxide exhaled by individuals when they are participating in sports. The fresh air is not enough, which is a common problem for most buildings," Wu said.

This problem has also been noticed by people exercising in clubs.

"Sometimes, I have trouble breathing when doing exercises, which worsens my mood," said a member of Gold's Gym named Zhou. "However, I only like doing sports when I feel good."

To improve the situation, some outlets, such as Star Gym and Total Fitness Club, have installed fresh-air-systems. These systems are designed to output the recommended level of fresh air for people involved in physical activity in an enclosed space. "It's hard for the gymnasiums to reach an acceptable standard using current equipment," noted Wu.

Undirected Exercise

"No one working out in clubs around town are in good shape," said Ahmed Alashwah, an American coach who is planning to set up his own gym in Shanghai. "Local coaches are not qualified. Give me three months, the club members will become perfect."

However, clubs advertise their coaches as being top-notch in the drive to attract more and more members. Coaches with larger, more muscular frames, are preferred by fitness clubs, even if their training is not good.

"Chinese men seem to only want to build bigger size and muscle," Alashwah said.

Alex Zhou, general manager of the Star Gym, has been in the trade for 10-plus years in Taiwan, he has also noticed this problem.

"Clubs really attract members with those muscle men, who often have little theoretical knowledge," he said. "To be a good coach does not only mean to teach a member how to increase muscle size."

Many coaches lack professional training. They have simply developed large muscles from regular weight-training. Their lack of experience translates into bad workout programs.

Further, many members employ these instructors as private coaches at the cost of 100 to 200 yuan ($24) per hour.

"I didn't take the advice of the coach, the recommendations were too monotonous," said a local club member. "Their dietary advice was just common sense. I was told to lower the fat content of my diet."

Since China is lagging behind in the body-building industry, no authoritative institute has been set up to train and certify coaches.

"Most local coaches pay to attend a two-day training class, offered by some international institutes that operate in the city. Afterwards they are given certificates. I don't believe two days can create a good coach," said Yang Yu, a professional coach who once worked for the national dash-team and studied at physical education college for four years.

The coaches in local gymnasiums claim that they can help members get into good shape within several months.

"Actually, we first need to determine if the person can reach his goal, according to his individual body situation. I would say no to some impossible requirements or divide the exercise into several parts - first improve one area so that he can realize his goal," Yang said.

He thought a professional coach should be good at anatomy, medicine, nutrition, and other related subjects.

Yang has planned to set up a training and examination institute himself in Shanghai, in the near future, to train more qualified local coaches, and help people become more fit.

(Shanghai Star May 02, 2002)