Senior trainers, Ray Louden and April Adsett on their fitness soapbox
Summer is almost upon us – a time when many thoughts turn towards the local gym. Whether it’s toning up flagging muscles or stopping certain body parts hanging loose, the gym offers a chance to activate those idle corpuscles.
At the busy Maleny Gym in Coral Street, senior trainers April Adsett and Ray Louden have some simple words of caution for those wanting to enter the gym for the first time.
“Take it slowly and ask lots of questions”, says April. “That’s why we’re here. People shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions about starting their exercise program”.
The Gym committee, who are all volunteers, like to stress the “community” part of the gym structure. It’s open to all ages and they keep fees as low as possible. Charmaine Bergan with Peter Campbell started the gym more than ten years ago and it has remained a non-threatening venue with no lycra in sight.
“It always seems to be a good mix here”, says April, “with young people from 12 up to 80 year-olds”.
Each person receives an individual program from a fully trained instructor reflecting whatever it is they want to achieve. That may be general ageing fitness, or sports training. Local physiotherapists often encourage their patients to follow up treatment by continuing work at the gym under supervision.
“What I like about this place is that it has a good atmosphere”, says Ray. “It’s suitable for everyone. It really has a good ambience about it”.
Both Ray and April like to stress the community emphasis because gyms can be daunting places, and they don’t want people to feel intimidated when they come in.
“We have a lot of people who meet here and become good friends”, says April. (She laughs) “We’re not exactly a dating agency but for example, when someone loses a partner or there are problems in the family, they get a lot of support from those around them at the gym.”
“A lot of gyms go for the really high tech and forget to be involved with their clients”, says Ray. “There’s a move away from those huge gyms that have 150 bikes. People want service, and they want the personal touch”, he adds.
The Maleny Community Gym is open for 40 hours a week including Saturday morning with fully qualified staff on duty throughout each session.
Current membership is about 250 across the Range and there are plans to move across the road to a purpose built gym next year. Ray says they’ll continue to promote a community atmosphere even though they will occupy twice the space. The committee is already active in applying for equipment funding through Jupiters Gaming Machine Benefit Fund.
The gym’s four instructors are well qualified. April Dan and Ray have more than 30 years experience as personal trainers between them.Ray ran his own gym for many years.Dan Clarke tends to reflect the younger, more vigorous clients and Rainbow Lightbeing specialises in yoga and martial arts, as well as being a gym instructor.
Each of the trainers also organise private sessions to suit particular client needs and time constraints. Ring the Maleny Community Gym for a chat about a program to suit you. Apart from health and fitness it’s a great social environment Tel: 54296911.
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