Colloquial wisdom suggests that you can get a good education anywhere, and the same may be true of fitness.
Institutions are never as powerful as individual willpower, but the Treasure Valley has dozens of gyms ranging from local independents to global chains, all of which have something to offer would-be hard bodies, health nuts, neophytes and everyone in between.
The first step in choosing a gym is knowing yourself, but you also need to understand the venue, from basic amenities to contract details to the credentials on the wall. Scratching the surface, we talked to a handful of local gyms about the passion of fitness, the business of fitness and where they collide.
SERVICESThe gym industry has roots in the European health spa of the 19th century, which developed into public gymnasiums, recreation centers and the iconic muscle factories of the 1960s. Modern incarnations are a mix of past forms, but the local selection can be broken down into two types: frills and no frills.
Gyms with frills typically involve significant square footage, cardio and weight equipment, classrooms and studios, pools, saunas, sports courts, social areas, locker rooms, personal training centers and extras that range from juice bars to beauty salons to physical therapy clinics. In the Treasure Valley, the majority of big gyms have plenty of frills.
"A lot of these places have the same equipment, all the nice bells and whistles, but what separates us is our employees. We're kind of a fitness army," said Andy Slagle, manager of the one-year-old Gold's Gym on Fairview Avenue in West Boise.
He explained that Gold's, which is the largest co-ed gym chain in the world, has transformed from "the mecca of bodybuilding" into a diverse organization that welcomes a diverse crowd. "Our target market is not Ken and Barbie," Slagle said.
"People come here for all sorts of reasons - to tone up, get in shape, lose weight, increase muscle mass, decrease stress, boost energy - it's individual fitness."
Individual fitness became paramount when gyms became accessible to regular people. Slagle talked about clients of all ages using gyms as de facto hangouts, and the Downtown Family YMCA is living proof.
In the heart of Boise, it rolls Spanish classes for toddlers, Mommy & Me Yoga and a national Diversity Initiative into a new definition of "all-purpose" gym, though the label doesn't quite fit. Membership director Anne Ellingson explained that its not-for profit status allows it to invest in its members, from donating $4 million to youth programs last year to initiating wellness movements such as Activate America to offsetting applicants hardships.
"One of our mottos is that we don't turn anyone away for an inability to pay," Ellingson said. "People think of the Y as just a gym, but really it's a whole community."
Gyms with decidedly fewer frills are not without communities. They tend to offer the same fitness machines and personal training options big gyms do without the "bells and whistles," but what they lack in variety they often make up for in lower prices and looser contracts. According to Steve Vucovich, who opened Planet Fitness in Garden City in December, bare bones gyms are the wave of the future. He said they're great for busy singles who want a quick workout or a low-key training session, adding that the modest layout appeals to gym neophytes.
"About 80 percent of our members are either first-time exercisers or somewhat dissatisfied customers who have failed in previous endeavors at other gyms or with home programs," Vucovich said, citing 22 years of experience on the full-frills side of the fitness industry.
"We can keep the cost down so more people can join. You can afford to get fit," echoed Doug White, a 30-year industry veteran and owner of Fitness 19 on Cole Road in Boise. Like Planet Fitness, it's a "pure training center" with cardio and weight equipment, day-use lockers, changing rooms, a few trainers and not much else. "Members get out of it what they put in," White said. "It's like the neighborhood garage."
Sprawling compounds such as Rocky Mountain Fitness also can be neighborhood haunts. Sales manager and former fitness coordinator Shane Summers explained that the Eagle flagship is expanding 25,000 square feet into what will be called the Rocky Mountain Sports Academy, a non-profit venue for local youth activities and outreach.
Work is being done on a family recreation center on ParkCenter Boulevard in Boise, and plans are set for others in Emmett and Meridian. The growing company hopes to reach an audience that Summers feels is underserved.
"The No. 1 reason why people leave gyms is because they feel intimidated," he said, adding that an everyman dynamic is the best remedy.
Idaho Athletic Club/Total Woman Fitness was founded on the idea of universal fitness in the '70s, when community gyms were still groundbreaking.
The company's eight Treasure Valley locations grew from a vision Cheryl Wardle shares with her husband, John, and their three children, Jared, Shaun and Jill. It includes equipment, classes and recreation areas and ongoing outreach in member communities. The Wardles sponsor fun runs for good causes throughout the Valley, donate trial memberships to young athletes and work with organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club to create healthy programs for at-risk kids.
"That's what this gym is all about," Cheryl said. "To help people do the best they can for themselves."
CERTIFICATIONSHelping people help themselves is no mean trick when heavy equipment and intense movement are involved. That's why most gym employees are "certified," but few laymen know what that actually means.
There are no national or state regulations, so health and fitness professionals go by industry standards. Established gyms generally require at least one certification, but there are more than 300 certifying bodies.
Fortunately, local gyms have predominantly selected two of the most respected certifications in the business: the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Both are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies to provide certification, training and continuing education, setting a standard that students recognize but seldom question.
If they did, they would discover that these particular certifications are quick but comprehensive. To be eligible for ACE or NASM tests, candidates must be 18 years old and current in their certifications for CPR. (NASM also requires automated external defibrillator training.) After that, they pay a fee, purchase optional study tools and hope for the best.
Fees for NASM personal trainer exams range from $549 to $679, given different combinations of textbooks, study guides, instructional DVDs and live workshops.
Tests cover human movement science, functional anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, functional assessment and program design, and applicants either pass or fail. Retakes are $99.
The ACE test for group fitness instructors is similarly structured. The exam involves exercise science, nutrition, fitness assessment, exercise programming and instructional techniques. Prep includes a comprehensive manual and study coach program, among others. Cost of the standalone exam is $200 the first time and $135 the second. Supplemental certifications are $150.
According to local fitness professionals, this process can cost thousands of dollars and take several months. That doesn't sound like enough to qualify someone to position you in an angled leg press, but Planet Fitness owner Steve Vucovich insisted that most certified trainers have backgrounds in exercise science or enough experience to know how the body works.
"Any job you've got, you're going to get better the longer you've done it," he said. "Certification will not make a bad trainer or a good trainer, but it will make a good trainer better."
The 18 personal trainers at the Fairview Gold's all are NASM certified, as is the four-man crew at Fitness 19. Rocky Mountain Fitness has both ACE and NASM approved staffers. Idaho Athletic Club/Total Woman Fitness goes with NASM and Apex Fitness Group, and the YMCA accepts NASM, ACE, the American College of Sports Medicine and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.
Mary Biddle-Newberry, director of health and fitness at the Downtown Family YMCA, explained that specialized techniques require their own fees and training, as do all disciplines of yoga. Group teachers must have certification before they can even apply, and Biddle-Newberry said it's more of a first step.
"The most important thing is that you do your homework as an individual," she said, mentioning five crucial considerations: purpose, effectiveness, safety, population and alignment. That means instructors need to know how and why certain exercises work and for whom. From there, they need to develop a rhythm and a rapport with students.
"Certification will teach you the basics of exercise safety, but it's experience and enthusiasm that define great trainers," said Cheryl Wardle. "You have to love what you do. You have to stay on top of the industry. Certification is a way of getting in the door."
CONTRACTSOnce you've decided on a gym, most require that you sign on the dotted line. The YMCA has no contract, but there is a fee for coming back 30 days after terminating a membership agreement. Planet Fitness has an inexpensive buy-out and a low-cost plan that requires no contract. Other gyms offer month-to-month and other short term options, but 24 months is becoming standard.
That's a big commitment, and a lot of the time; the only way out is a medical emergency or a change of address.
The important thing for consumers to know is that basic membership doesn't usually include daycare, swimming lessons, personal training packages, towels, tanning, nutritional supplements or access to other locations in the same gym family. But sometimes it does. Special promotions change things, as do family deals. The longest contracts usually provide the best rates.
"The Boise valley is very inexpensive for health and fitness," Wardle said. "There is no excuse for people not to get involved and make it a lifestyle."
As colloquial wisdom suggests, you get what you pay for.
Erin Ryan: 672-6732
