My stay in India has been interesting thus far. Probably one of my most interesting experiences revolves around “working out”. For those who travel, they might be familiar with certain culture differences in the gym. However, India takes “different” to a whole other level.
(I am simply speaking about working out on the University of Hyderabad campus. No where else.)
Let’s start with the gym time; the gym is ONLY open at these hours:
5:15 AM – 8:30 AM and it reopens at 4:30 PM to 7:15pm. (Monday-Friday)
So this leaves 8 hours during the day when the gym is not open. Countless hours during the day are wasted not working out because I have to wait until 4:30 PM. Once, I decided to try and work out before the official gym opening time. As I entered the empty gym, a gentleman (with whom I have shared multiple altercations, but I’ll discuss that later) tells me the gym is closed for “cleaning”. 8 hours of cleaning? One must be able to eat off the weight bench if it is that clean.
As a result, I have to rush to the gym after my class ends at 4. Oh and don’t forget class may end at 6:30 PM on occasions. I have attempted numerous times to wake up at 5 am or 6 am and even 7am so that I could work out in the morning but without an infuriated coach hovering over me, threatening to end my life if I do not wake up in the morning, my motivation to roll out of bed prior to 9:00 AM is (to say the least) non-existent.
The gym is approximately 2 KM away from my dorm, so about a 1 ½ mile, which I jog every day. I am not sure if the stares I receive are because I am running (which is not common at all are these parts) or because I’m fairly larger than everyone else. I am opting with the latter as men tend to touch my arms quite often as they ask me, “Do you take supplements?”
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To the important part: The gym on campus features your basic machines; a few treadmills, two ellipticals, a squat rack, two bench presses, and many auxiliary machines. Be wary of the treadmills, as they tend to stop and jerk while you run.
ReplyDeleteIt is not unusual to see a woman in her full Kurti or even a Sari running on the treadmill. Every 5 seconds she will adjust her scarf back on her shoulder and continue her run.
It is also not unusual to see 90 men walking around in jeans and polos, looking in the mirror. Certain men in the gym arrive in the same polos and jeans everyday so I think this may perhaps be their work out attire. I would think they do not wear these same clothes to class everyday, so do they change into this attire specifically for the gym? I am not sure but when the men enter, they talk for a little bit and they then go immediately to the dumbbells and work on their biceps. After one set, they stare in the mirror and walk around the gym, surveying their territory.
Since I play football, many of the exercises that I perform (such as Hang Clean/Power Clean, RDL, Front Squat, Back Squat, and basically every exercise there is not related to chest or arms) are foreign to them. So when I do my exercises, I get stares out of this world. (Talk about the Male Gaze, ey) Also, note that there are not many weights available and the ones that are usable do not have their weight on them. I tend to just stack as much as I can do and lift until it hurts. Very primitive technique but if I wanted easy and familiar, I would have done the Hanover FSP.
Besides the stares, one thing that is very weird is the sense of space in the gym. This too is nonexistent along with gym etiquette. Normally in the gym, you do not stand over a person as they lift, unless you are their spotter or you are plotting to kill them. This rule does not apply in India. Other broken rules include:
2. Sitting on top of another man
Imagine me lying on the ground attempting to do sit ups. Now instead of someone coming to stand on my toes (to make sure my feet do not rise as I complete a rep), imagine a man straddling my pelvic section. Thus when I rise to complete my sit up, I meet him “face to face”. Welcome to India.
3. Do not take another person’s weight.
Not only are weights stolen as soon as you finish you last rep and take a 30 second break before you continue. But I have had the pleasure of my weight being stolen off my bar WHILE I was in mid lift. Welcome to India, again.
One thing that is the same between America and India is “male ego”.
Remember that gentlemen with whom I tend to have problems? Very short story; he is the sole trainer in the building and I am stronger than he is. Therefore, he cannot stand me. When I sing to a song played on the PA system, he will change to another song immediately. (What I learned to do is sing to songs I do not like and remain quiet on the ones I love.) If I do any exercise that draws people to crowd around me, he comes within the circle and begins to do push ups. I have tried to speak with him but he acts as if he cannot speak English, even though I heard him have a conversation in English. (Maybe it is my Texan accent that caused him confusion.) Also, (this may be non-related) he will whisper to his boss as he points at me but never looks me in the eye. (Indians tend to stare, so this is odd)
Enough about trivial quarrels. The gym in India is surprisingly a very welcoming place for women in my opinion. Yes there is a 100 to 1 ratio, but the men do not make comments about women when they enter and there are no googly eyes staring at women. The people are actually pretty friendly and speak to me when I see them around campus.
Overall, I enjoy working out in India. I just wish I had food I like to replenish the calories I burn. The gym owner asked me to enter a strongman competition next week. So that should be exciting. However, he warned me there is one fellow who might give me some competition. So in that case, “Wish me Luck!!!”