Thursday, October 12, 2006
Health guru hustles to keep apace of the world of fitness
It may not seem right. That is, crediting Brent Cook with, in some little way, better health.
As manager/operator, he's the guy at the Sports Mall who takes complaints for no toilet paper in the bathrooms or soap in the showers or for not having a Pilates class at a more convenient time.
Not the guy who helps people stay healthier ... or is he?
All of the sophisticated fitness equipment, all of the fitness classes, all of the trainers and free weights and walking/running tracks and aerobic balls are there by design -- his design.
He is recognized as one of the foremost authorities on fitness clubs. And, it's a proven fact that better fitness is a direct contributor to better health.
Cook's education into fitness dates back to the mid-1960s when clubs offered nothing but dumbbells and a weight bench, and a good fitness program involved watching the guys with the big muscles and then trying to imitate their routines.
"Those were the sweatshops," remembered Cook. "Free weights and the promise of bigger muscles, which is all they offered. We see the results of these clubs all the time, people coming in with shoulder and knee and elbow problems that now require surgery.
"That's because there was no level of control. Everyone, no matter the age or physical limitations, was treated the same."
Changes in the health and fitness business started to appear just around the time Cook, fresh out of school, chose fitness clubs as an occupation.
He was hired to work for Health Spa and Fitness in 1964. Eventually, he would travel around the country opening similar facilities in Rhode Island, Connecticut, upper New York, Denver and Albuquerque.
He returned to Utah in 1975 and in September 1976 became involved in the Sports Mall.
"The fitness industry started to make real changes in the mid- 1960s with places like Health Spa and Fitness. It went from a sweatshop to a luxury facility with red carpet, and we really did have a red carpet, steam rooms and whirlpools.
"What we found back then, however, was that people really didn't join for fitness, but for the wet areas. They came to relax in the steam room or whirlpool and to socialize. In some ways that hasn't changed. People still enjoy doing those things."
In the area of fitness, he remembered that the 1960s marked the start of the fitness equipment revolution.
"There were no high-tech treadmills or elliptical equipment. What was touted back in the 1960s was the wooden rollers and the 'V' belt."
Members would lie on a table and wooden rollers would move up and massage the body. The theory was that this would increase blood flow, which in turn would decrease cellulite, or lumpy fat found in the thighs, hips and buttocks.
The "V" belt would be placed around the buttocks or back and violently vibrate. The message was the same: The vibration would increase blood flow and therefore decrease cellulite.
"These were the early mechanical devices that actually started the evolution of fitness equipment. I don't think they worked, but they made the customers feel better. It was a mental thing rather than a real benefit to fitness," he explained.
"It has only been within the past 15 years or so that people have come to realize that they need to work to stay fit. People are more educated about fitness today. Seniors are more educated. They want better health and they know that with exercise there's a decrease in serious health risks such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
"Seniors want to live longer and be healthier, so they're actually working out 30 to 50 minutes a day, four to five days a week and either doing cardiovascular or cross training with weights. We now know this is a way to stay fit and reduce disease risks."
The fitness and health industry has evolved to a point now where computer technology can tailor a program to an individual.
"We can do a test, now, and determine exactly at what level a person should train for optimum results," said Cook.
The computer monitors air intake and pulse of an individual working out on a treadmill or stationary bike.
"It tells us at what point an individual becomes anaerobic as opposed to aerobic. We can then tell the individual, 'OK, this is the target heart rate while exercising.' It's also a factor of age. A younger person might train at 85 percent where an older person could train at 55 percent and still reach the desired level of cardiovascular fitness.
"We've become so incredibly sophisticated. This equipment started out being only available to the top athletes. Now it has become marketable to the general public."
If an individual becomes anaerobic or is not training at a high enough level, then he or she is not getting the maximum benefits of a workout.
All this sophistication has led to the next step up in fitness -- the trainer.
Well-educated trainers can facilitate the programming of a well- balanced fitness program for a certain individual.
In the early days it was left up to the individual to waddle through all of the free-weights on stands and benches and on floors and try and figure out how to use them.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
