Virgin Active, Tower Bridge has everything you might expect from a standard Central London gym - a sauna, steam room, pool, friendly staff and plenty of shiny equipment.But its members are lacking one thing. Motivation. People listlessly dragged their way from machine to machine like sloths in the sun. No eye contact, eerily quiet and extremely corporate. Perhaps it was just the Sunday vibe but I felt like I was in a gym full of zombies.
It got me thinking - all this time I thought I wanted a nice quiet posh gym, but now I realise that busy and simple gyms give you motivation to do your best. Why?
- It creates competition between you and the next grunting gorilla about who can lift heavier weights (I always lose that one)
- Makes you selfishly stay on that chest press a little longer - just because you know the person next in queue wants to use it too
- There's no sauna or steam room to tempt you away from the gym early - "because you deserve it"
Virgin Active are currently giving out free gym passes throughout March.
5 minutes on the rowing machine is all I managed in that gym before bashing out 35 minute lengths and settling into the sauna. I'm not motivated to exercise at the best of times but this was dire!
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