The Anti-Gym

I couldn't sleep last night. Something has me all worked up.

A few weeks ago I was driving and a radio advertisement caught my attention. It was two girls having a conversation, one asking the other why she had so much beer in her fridge. Was it because she was having a party? "No" the other girl replied, "It's the only way I can get a guy to come over and stay the night. And if he doesn't stay the night, then I need a beer". I was floored. For your viewing pleasure, watch the 30 second commercial here before you read on. This is a commercial for a gym, called the Anti Gym, where "trainers" handcuff their clients to treadmills, throw cupcakes at them and moo at them. I have also seen on a Fox News clip (from the Anti Gym site) that they have a sauna only for people with a body fat percentage under 11 percent for men and 16 percent for women (which by the way a healthy body fat percentage for women is 18 to 25 percent. 16 percent is severely underweight and considered malnourished). The owner of the gym, Michael Karolchyk started his gyms in Colorado and has now opened in my home town, San Diego.

Here's what gets me: Mr Karolchyk claims his clients see results, which I don't doubt they do. His trainers allegedly prescribe clients to only eat 1200 calories per day. If these trainers are certified by an accredited personal training organization, they should be aware that under their certification they are not allowed to prescribe a nutritional diet plan, only a registered dietitian or trained nutritionist is legally allowed to do this (California state law). I won't get into the implications a diet consisting of only 1200 calories can do to a person. So yes, if you drastically cut calories and put clients on a heavy cardiovascular routine, they will lose weight (if you've ever seen the show The Biggest Loser, this is exactly what they do). I would like to know what Mr. Karolchyk's success rate for his clients keeping the weight off? Anyone who has battled weight issues knows that keeping the weight off is more than half the battle. I wonder if Mr. Karolchyk gives a crap about this? Or only cares that he has clients coming in his doors that pay per session.

Perhaps he is a brilliant business man who is laughing all the way to the bank with all his "chubby" clients money. Clients pay per session; they lose weight, leave the gym for a few months and slowly put the weight back on, probably more than they lost when they go back to eating like they used to, 2 to 3 times the amount of calories they were eating when they were working with one if his "trainers" (because in the real world, healthy men and women consume 2000-3000 calories per day). Did I mention that just before he opened up in San Diego he was in hot water with the IRS in Denver for taxes and was caught dumping confidential client information in a public dumpster. He also has happy hour at his gym, offering shots of Vodka as a reward for doing your workout. Drunk people spend money. Mr Karolchyk, you are sneaky.

Now I do agree to some extent with some of his philosophies. I agree that some people need a tough personal trainer to get their butt moving. On the home page of his website is the statement "Have sex with the lights on" and the site has an array of beautiful, provocative women. We all know sex sells, and men come to this gym hoping the girls on his website will be there and the women may join hoping to look like them. Positive motivation? Perhaps. Smart marketing? Yes, indeed. I agree with him in that (unfortunately) we live in a world where everyone is judged based on the way they look and to be attractive is important. I understand the physical implications for being overweight and how important being healthy is.

Both on the outside....and the inside.

I'm assume that's where it ends for Mr. Karolchyk. Make it pretty on the outside at the expense of the inside. I had to take a step back and ask myself what was really making me so upset about this. Yes, the ads are sexist and offensive. Yes, he makes a mockery of overweight people. But several overweight people have written testimonials on his website that they needed this kind of "motivation" to lose weight. I'm upset that I can't find his credentials and have read that he may have none. If this is the case I'm embarrassed that this man calls himself a fitness professional. But I think what pisses me off the most is that Mr. Karolchyk is making a living by making people feel that they are nothing unless they are thin and sexy. He is perpetuating perfectionism, an unattainable ideal body image and disordered eating and exercise. And I would venture to say he is encouraging eating disorders in women if he thinks having only 16 percent body fat is hot and sexy. He is making money off of people's fears of being inadequate. THAT'S what's pissing me off.

Exercise is not about punishment. Eating is not about being made fun of. I feel bad mostly for the women that go to this gym to lose weight only to feel so terrible about themselves when they gain it back, or even if they don't gain it back but can't figure out why they still feel so badly about themselves.

So, to Mr Karolchyk, you claim that all of your "haters" are "fat, bearded ladies" (he actually says this on his website) and that no one will stand up to you that is thin and beautiful and say they disagree with you. Well, I do. And currently I am 5 months pregnant, but I am still healthy, thin and beautiful and I disagree with what you are doing. And I don't have a beard either. But more importantly I am beautiful on the inside, something you wouldn't understand if it was shoved down your screaming throat. I feel sorry for you. I have a feeling your gimmick won't last long because in my opinion you have no integrity.

Photo courtesy of william couch