Why does new equipment at the gym make me not want to go?

Last Wednesday the fitness center at San Jose State got 6 new eliptical trainers. They are by StairMaster. They are one of the machines that also does arms.

I HATE THIS MACHINE. I hate it. It is the hardest, unmotivating machine that the fitness center was trying.

Apparently, when I first got my membership, the fitness center was trying out different eliptical trainers to decide which ones to purchase. I liked two. The Precor EFX and the Life Fitness 95Xi. I would alternate between the two. The Life Fitness on MWF and the Precor on TTh. I tried the StairMaster once before and hated it. I never tried it again.

On these other machines I was able to go almost 6 miles an hour. On the StairMaster, 2.2. On the other machines, I burned over 300 calories in my 30 minute workout. On the StairMaster, 90. It is the most unmotivating machine I have ever used.

And now I have no choice. I have to use it, or go to the recumbant bike. They have 2 different brands of recumbant bikes, two brands of regular bikes, and two different brands of treadmills. Could we have two brands of eliptical trainers? NO. We are stuck with the icky one.

What makes me the most irritated is that there was supposedly a survey taken asking people which machine they liked the best. No one I have talked to has heard of said survey. No one was asked. In the mornings, I’m not the only one upset about this. Of the four girls I’ve talked to, only one likes the StairMaster. Everyone else liked the Life Fitness.

I think that the manager of the fitness center is doing what the current president of the United States is doing. Pretending to care what the people want, taking falsified survey results and then declaring a mandate with 51% of the populace agreeing with the policy.

What happened to diversity? Why does the manager feel that everyone would like using the same machine? Why couldn’t we have one or two of the other machines and 5 of the StairMaster? I’m absolutely frustrated, and now I don’t like going to the gym. After 3 months of going, I don’t want to go anymore.

That my bahama mama challenge friends is the biggest bummer of them all. I had finally found a workout routine that worked for me. And I was doing it every day.

I’m very disappointed in the fitness center. I’m also disappointed that my complaints have gone unanswered. I’ve never wanted to write a letter to the editor of the Spartan Daily before. I really do now. I think the fitness center should be about all it’s users, not just the precious few that were actually questioned. That is, IF anyone was actually asked what they liked.

And yes, I’m cranky about it. I have been since last Wednesday.

Comments

  1. PinkStiletto says

    I wish I could get motivated at all.  I’ve turned into a slug, and there’s nothing that I can seem to do to change it. 

    I wish I had advice, but I don’t.  I’ll just say that I’m really sorry to hear it!

  2. To be honest if you feel you are working out just as hard on the stairmaster you probably burn the same amount of calories. Some machines try to make you feel better (and more like using them) by tweaking the figures upwards. The most reliable ones for measuring calories burnt are treadmills. I wouldn’t trust the calory reader of my elliptical machine – it always claims I burnt a lot, even when I know I was working harder on the treadmill and burning less!

  3. I thought you are entitled to have a gun as an American citizen wink

  4. I wish I could say I understand.  But, since I’ve never dragged my butt to a gym, I’d be lying, lol!