Where the wild things go for sculpture

Where the wild things go for sculpture

By Veronica Soediro and Alistair Hammond

JAKARTA (JP): When the urge to exercise hits, there are always
plenty of excuses to lie down and wait for it to pass. Such as
the heat and the dust, or the rain and the mud, and the
bumper-to-bumper traffic, and the people everywhere... But to
stop our mortal shells acquiring that engaging Sumo look, or
morphing into the old guy in "Si Doel", some action is required.
As V.I. Lenin, faced with a similar worry, once put it: What is
to be done ?

Joining a gym will impose some discipline. Most of the fitness
centers we reviewed run around four aerobics classes a day,
including various types such as step, high and low impact and
total body conditioning. It is worth noting that if you work for
a large company, most of the centers offer discounted corporate
memberships.

In general, you get what you pay for in a fitness center and
Jakarta is no exception.

Starting in the middle price-range of the market is Manggala
Wanabakti Fitness and Sports Center, which is next to the
Ministry of Forestry building on Jl. Jendral Gatot Subroto. The
equipment is not as good as some other gyms but it has the basic
free weights and pin-weighted machines. It has a good, spacious
aerobics room with a decent stereo, but getting a good instructor
is a matter of luck. Although the trainers here are generally
charming, the reception staff seem slow and unfriendly.

This fitness center holds much bottom-hugging lycra. The chief
attraction of Manggala Wanabakti is its affordable price - US$100
for membership, and between $25 and $35 monthly. And if you are
into it, its highly social atmosphere. This point was emphasised
by a member, Robert, a thirty-year-old entrepreneur, "As well as
the strategic location, the price is very affordable, even cheap.
I don't have a lot of time to spend on exercising, and the
machines are quite good. It might be a struggle to find an
instructor during peak hours, but if you know how to use the
machines already, there should be no problem."

The downside is a long wait for bikes, steppers and treadmills
in peak periods. Although the staff are tertiary-qualified, gym
floor supervision is poor. However, it is quite easy to find
loyal patrons.

Similar in price, a fitness center worth having a look at is
the one in the Ambhara Hotel, across the road from the sparkly
new Seibu department store in Blok M. One major advantage is the
Ambhara's central location, which makes it easy to get to.

The clientele is mainly made up of young upwardly-mobile
types, many of whom work in advertising or marketing - there's an
agency and a cooking "luvvies" hang-out, the Zanzibar, just
around the corner. Around 40 percent are Westerners.

Although this place has become a little too small for its
membership, it stands head and shoulders above the rest in the
atmosphere stakes. Friendly, qualified staff who don't lounge
about sullenly or hog the machines, and a subtle blend of privacy
and clubbiness make the Ambhara a good choice: on balance maybe
the best all-round. Anne, who joined the gym when it was opened,
says her first consideration was that it was within minutes from
her home. "But I've grown to like it, especially the friendly
atmosphere. I've encouraged some of my friends to join the
Ambhara too."

Compared to some other centers, the initiation fee of U$200 is
affordable. The monthly fees are also reasonable, particularly if
you join in a group of up to five people. When the Ambhara is
spruced up, extended and equipped with more machines that go
"ping", our guess is that the Ambhara will become the place to
sweat. Joining fees might go up when that happens later this
year.

Clark Hatch

One name dominates the Jakartan gym scene: Clark Hatch. An
American who started a chain of fitness centers throughout the
Pacific rim 30 years ago, Hatch has six centers in Jakarta,
mostly in large hotels. There are also another five Clark Hatch-
managed centers in Jakarta alone.

Middling to expensive, Clark Hatch branches are fairly
standardized in facilities and service and also offer a
reciprocal rights membership system, so you can butterfly from
gym to gym.

The latest gym to open here is the Clark Hatch at the
Radisson. This center bears testimony to the escalating cost of
floor space in Jakarta. The gym is a miracle of miniturization.
To explain how 60 people fit into a gym the size of a squash
court, as the management claims, would fluster an ergonomist on a
share of the profits. One member, Sinta, was philosophical.
"Forget peak hour. I'm too old to fight over anything," she
laughed. The manager, Ms Tuti Soetiksno, is aware of the
overcrowding during peak hours and said "We've tried to encourage
the members to come during lunchtime whenever they can, because
the gym is virtually empty at that time." The best thing about
this gym is the excellent equipment.

The Jakarta Hilton International is home to another branch of
Clark Hatch, again a small gym/aerobics room, filled with
hydraulic equipment and the usual cardiovascular equipment. Half
of this center's patrons are from the hotel and the other half
are regular members.

Towards the upper end of the market is the Executive Health
Club in the Hilton complex. This club is managed by the Clark
Hatch company but is not a branch proper. Size-wise, this gym
resembles a Western gym. The center has been in operation for 20
years and was extended eight years ago, but unfortunately the
center's decor shows its age.

The room holding the weights and cardiovascular equipment is
about the size of 2-3 squash courts, and the gym is
professionally run and well-supervised. Some of the upholstery on
the equipment is cracked but the machines themselves look okay.
Two unfortunately-placed poles in the middle of the aerobics room
detract from its ample size.

Membership of the Hilton Executive Club is out of the range of
the average exerciser, which keeps numbers down. The club caters
for expatriate and local executives who can afford to pay more to
avoid queuing for equipment. New members must be referred to by
an existing member and there can be no casual visitors to the
center. Forty-year-old businessman Aditya said, "It doesn't get
too crowded and the staff are always ready to help me. The kind
of service I expect for the kind of money I pay. Although
improvements here and there could be made."

Fitness director of the Hilton Executive Club Mike Gargano
said that a few Clark Hatch instructors were tertiary-qualified.

In a similar market to the Hilton Executive Club but slightly
dearer is the Mercantile Athletic Club on the top floor of the
World Trade Center. Patrons here are generally mid to upper-level
executives, 50 percent of whom are foreigners. Steven McMillan
from the club explained the Membership by Invitation system,
whereby members refer associates or friends to the club. An expat
who joined the club recently was satisfied. "I suppose it's
alright. I was recommended this gym, I heard it is one of the
best in Jakarta."

The facilities of this club are excellent and the center is
well-run and supervised. The gym also has a brilliant night view
of Jakarta. The only points against are that the gym is very
crowded during peak hour, the aerobics room is small and the 20-
metre pool is a bit too short for laps.

The holy grail

Forget pin-up staff or Italian marble floors. Unless you hold
a degree in exercise physiology, there are some basic "must
haves" in a fitness center. Psychologically and financially,
choosing a gym can be a serious investment.

Psychologically, choosing well is important because if you
quit you may blame yourself. You'll feel you yourself have
failed, rather than seeing the gym as lacking. Thus you'll be
less likely to try again. Also choosing right the first time is
important financially, because in Jakarta upfront initiation fees
alone can be more than U$1,100 and in some gyms such fees are not
refundable.

When you join a fitness center you should be offered a health
and fitness appraisal including screening for injuries,
submaximal fitness test, bodyfat skinfolds, circumference
measurements, strength, blood pressure and lung function testing.
But this is

From this list the instructor should choose the tests which
are appropriate for your level of fitness, and where you want to
be.

The center should also offer a tailor-made fitness program
which you should be talked through at least once. Diet evaluation
and nutritional advice should also be available, if you can't
work out what's good for you.

Clients should be reappraised and a new program written for
them every two to three months, adjusting the goal-posts as your
oiled body bubbles, snakes and puckers it's way ahead.

A final point is always try before you buy. Work out when
you'd usually be doing so. Walking through a gym during off-peak
and battling the after-work crowds for equipment are completely
different experiences. So there you have it. May the force be
with you.