I have been a pretty avid gym guy for over twenty years. When I was 18 I was a rather waifish 160 pounds and, after joining the army, I started hitting the gym in order to put on some size. From there it went to powerlifting, but now that I am 46, I usually just go 4-5 times a week to maintain some semblance of latter-life muscle tone. Two years ago, I was 250 pounds. I had a head injury with ensuing vertigo about then and lost 50 pounds as a result, most of it fat. Unfortunately, since coming the Philippines, I have lost about another 10 pounds, most of it being muscle. Sad, but that’s life. I think it’s due to the heat, humidity, and my inability to cook, all of which contribute to a less than optimal motivational/nutritional habits.
Some of the cardio equipment.
One of the employees making me feel weak and worthless……
Free weight benches.
Nautilus and Universal equipment
That said, I must also say that there are some very nice gyms here in the Philippines, so I can’t use that as an excuse. 🙁 The gym I belong to is World Fitness which is located in the Portal West building here in Dumaguete. It has a very solid array of free weights, Nautilus and Universal machines and also has a good selection of cardio machines (treadmills, rowing machines, and the like). There is also a dancercise class in the morning and martial art classes.
The entire gym is also air conditioned, which for me was a prime requisite. It’s INCREDIBLY hot and humid here (especially for a wimpy New Englander like me) and the aircon keeps me (mostly) from collapsing into a sweaty, sniveling ball halfway into my workout.
Tough Filipina…..
The staff at World Fitness is their greatest asset, however. The Filipinos and Filipinas that work there are all very friendly and offer consistently solid advice and assistance. Personal training is also available. And for those of you who think Filipinos are all small and skinny, think again. A few of the guys that work here are massive and quickly blow that stereotype out of the water.
Manager Joel Silot on right and two other employees.
Dance is huge in the Philippines.
I am trying to get my diet back in some sort of shape – more veggies and lean meats and less carrenderia food, which tends to be loaded with carbs and fats. And I also have to recognize that I am getting older and can’t throw around the weights that I used to. Maybe leaner and lighter is actually best – I think I’ll give it a shot.
Hitting the gym – It’s more fun in the Philippines!
Hi Ned!
Good to know that you are finally hitting those fat trimming machines!
Anyway, I am a local of Dumaguete City and I just knew of this gym at Portal West through your blog! I’d take a look at World Fitness Gym later and see how things are going down there.
The public gym by the way which is located at Aqua Center is probably the cheapest in the city. 😉 However, just don’t expect to use nice machines.
Cheers!
Beverly
LOL. Gym at Teves is like an old school YMCA gym. But with more rust on the weights.
how much per session?
Right now it is 1,200 pesos a month.