By Razaz Ainousah

Saudi Gazette

WHEN anyone is asked what is the purpose of joining the gym, the answer comes quickly: to exercise and stay healthy.

The concept of exercising and staying fit is on the rise among both Saudi males and females. This can be easily confirmed by the mushrooming of a large number of gym branches all over Saudi cities, with many young people and even the elderly joining them.

However, the case may be different in at least some women’s gyms.

Many gym members claim that they have witnessed some negative activities and habits taking place at women’s gyms. The concept of less socializing and more exercising is exactly the opposite of what happens at women’s gyms.

Saudi Gazette interviewed a number of gym goers and fitness instructors to shed light on this negative phenomenon taking place at women’s gyms in the Kingdom.

Amani Owaidah, a Saudi female in her late 20s, goes to the gym regularly. She complained about a lack of professionals to run the gyms.

Owaidah said the instructors provided incorrect information about diet and nutrition to the members. “Diet and healthy food is just as important as exercising. When I joined, I was shocked that the supposed nutritionist lacked the basic knowledge about nutrition and a healthy diet. Most of the information she gave me was incorrect and it was obvious she lacked general knowledge. I discovered later that she was a replacement to the only professional nutritionist who was on maternity leave. I keep asking myself what if she gave me the wrong diet that does not go with my health situation. Who will be responsible then?”

Waad Taweli, a Saudi female student in her early 20s, works out at a private clinic in Jeddah. She too noticed several negative practices at the gym.

She said some gyms do not provide general trainers to guide clients while some gym clients simply ignore instructions and carry out exercises the way they want. She added, “I get irritated when I go to the gym where I see women talking more than they exercise. They stand by the machine and start talking about their hair and nails and places to shop. They sometimes sit on the machine and talk to their friends sitting next to them, so they do not exercise and would not allow others to use the machines.”

Taweli added that many people are ignorant about the importance of warming up before a workout. "They tend to use the machine immediately, sometimes for one hour, risking injury. That is due to the fact that there is no one out there to guide them how to exercise the best way. Some trainers also tend to ignore customers at the gym," she said.

“When I asked a trainer how to use one of the machines, she stared at me and asked me to read the instructions posted on the side of the machine. They even go to a level when we want to do aerobics. Instead of training us on how to move, they ask us to play a YouTube clip and follow the steps.”

Baraah Fadul, 25, said she noticed women at the gym were more interested in taking selfies next to the machines than exercise. They spend most of their time in front of the mirror photographing themselves and their muscles.

“Some customers think they can get results in less than a week, not knowing it takes time and steady exercising in addition to a healthy diet. The funny ones are those who kill themselves exercising and then go out and eat junk food. They end up gaining more weight than losing. There are those who imitate others in their exercises. They are seen trying to lift heavy weight like the person they imitate. They do not know the person they are trying to imitate reached this level after years of exercise, so how can they try to copy that person in the first week of joining the gym?”

Fadul agreed that a lack of professional trainers and the lack of awareness were the main reasons for negative behaviors at the gym. She said one day she went to another gym with a free visit offer. “The people at that gym were lost, especially at the dumbbells lounge,” she said.

Trainers were absent and people who were exercising were not sure whether they were working out correctly or not, she said.

“I think it is the management's responsibility to increase awareness and supervise people who pay money and make an effort to be in good shape and stay fit,” said Fadul.

Alaa Alabadi, a Saudi student in the US, said she had been working out for almost two years and she saw a lot of women coming to the gym for other reasons. “From my experience, one of the worst habits is skipping gym days. Once you skip a day, it is easy to skip the next and the next; pretty soon, you’ve fallen off your fitness wagon completely,” she said.

"Mostly there is no commitment to work out; they are there when their friends are, and they are off when they are not," explained Alabadi.

“Moreover, I can say almost 40 percent of women who are going to the gyms are there to show off and post their fake workout photos in social media,” she added.

Another example is bad eating habits like rewarding your workout with junk food. Most people overestimate how many calories they burn at the gym, so as a reward, they go after junk and oily food instead of clean and healthy food. Thus, once we are at the gym, everyone starts talking about how healthy they are, but when we go to 'Girls night out' it is completely the opposite. They order fast food, fried food, soda and all kinds of sweets." According to Alabadi, one advice people must follow is to think deeply why they wanted to go to the gym. "If you get the answer and you’re in, you have to commit. Put your goals in front of you and list rules to yourself to follow. Don’t waste your time if you won’t follow the rules. Gym is a place for you to motivate yourself and others to live a great healthy life that everyone wants,” she said.

Hadeel Murshid, a professional fitness trainer in Madinah, said, “Most of the ladies don’t know their goals and don’t follow the trainers’ advice when they go to the gym, which makes them lose and struggle. They do not use the sports machines in the right way when trainers give them instructions, so they damage the machines. As a result, there is a lack of awareness about the basics of the workouts, which include cardio, strength, flexibility and bodybuilding. There are also types of girls who sap all their energy by attending many classes and spending four hours in the gym. This could be harmful and risky for their health and bones. Stick to one kind of class each day like step or spinning, which can sometimes hurt their knees. They have the opportunity to pick different classes each day and choose wisely before attending any workout.

“We also found that most ladies go to the gym for social purposes, such as taking photos with no respect for other people's privacy, chatting with their friends and doing nothing to their bodies,” she added.

Other negative habits that women indulge in when they work out is wearing bad outfits, such as printable leggings, sandals or flat shoes that are not comfortable and good for their health. They need to wear sports outfits including fitness bras to exercise easily and comfortably. People often ignore their personal wellbeing and health care. Some of them wear full makeup while exercising. It is not good for the sweating skin because all skin pores are open during the workout. They also don’t care about drinking a lot of water and following any diet plan even though their fitness depends almost 80 percent on the diet they take. They tend use so many supplements, which are not good for their health. Others show up in the gym with an empty stomach and low blood sugar. Plus, they skip the warm-up at the beginning of the class as well as cooling down and stretching after the session, which could lead to muscle strain.

People, especially women, need to work out in a healthy way to increase their strength by knowing breathing tactics, which is very important to the heart to have a sufficient supply of oxygen. Before starting any workout, they need to read and ask the specialists to direct them in the right way to achieve their goals.