THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Closure of gyms and health clubs has not only upset preparations of bodybuilders for competitions, but also regulars who depended on them for fighting health issues and staying fit. On top of it, over 1.5 lakh people who work in the industry are forced to look for other jobs
After winning gold in the Masters World Cup Weightlifting Championship in the USA in 2019, Angamaly-based Peter Joseph Gnalian had set his eyes on another achievement: beating the world record. At 58, he was determined to go for it and was sweating it out in his own gym when the miniscule virus knocked down the beefy world in a single sweep. The subsequent lockdowns had taken the wind out of his preparation.
With two international competitions being lined up next year where he can try to realise his dream, Peter is crestfallen. The closure of gyms has upset his preparation and with no signs of the government relaxing the rules and allowing their opening, Peter feels he is running against time.“With age, injuries can keep coming if we do not train regularly. And rehabilitation is a time-consuming process,” he said. Peter is one of those gym regulars, who have been at the receiving end after the second wave of the pandemic forced the health clubs to down their shutters.
It’s not just his professional ambitions that have taken a hit by the lockdown, his own gyms — at Angamaly and Neeleeswaram near Malayattoor — have remained closed for altogether six months since March last year. Though Peter is not overly dependent on the income from gyms to stay afloat, he is worried about the gym trainers whom he had employed. “There were four trainers, including two women, and now they have become penniless. With gyms closed, I am not in a position to pay them. During the first wave, we had been closed for four months. Now for the last two months, we have been keeping our shutters down,” he said.
For professional bodybuilders like Anas Hussain, who has won several titles like Mr India, lockdown has been detrimental to their career owing to the cancellation of high-profile competitions. The Mattanchery native said the Mr India competitions of 2021 and 2020 were cancelled and that meant his two years’ hard work had gone down the drain. Employed with the Railways, it’s not just time that Anas has invested in the game. To maintain the chiselled body, he has to spend `1,500 daily on diet, vitamins and food supplements.
“My salary is totally spent on my diet. We prepare as per a schedule wherein we intend to peak our performance for Mr India competition or similar big ones. I was informed about the cancellation of this edition of Mr India competition only nine days before the event. So barring the last-minute adjustments, such as reduced intake of water to enhance vascularity, I had gone through all other procedures to no avail,” Anas said.
Pala-based Baby Plakkoottam, a gym instructor, gym owner and president of the State Body Building Association, said investors are facing huge financial liabilities as they have to pay rent, electricity charges and EMIs of loans despite not being able to reopen. He said about 1.5 lakh people are associated with gyms and health clubs in the state and the indefinite closure has affected all of them.
“I had employed several trainers and the crisis forced me to tell them to look for some other job. Many of them are currently going for painting and tile works. The lockdown has shattered our business.”
Peter and Baby are of the opinion that the gyms should be allowed to function by following the Covid protocol. “There has been no instance of people contracting the disease from a gym. Gyms follow the Covid protocol religiously. If they are allowed to function by maintaining social distancing, sanitising and disinfecting the equipment, it will be really helpful,” said Baby.
Peter pointed out another major issue is deterioration of health of the gym-goers. “Most of those who go to gyms want to maintain their fitness. Except for the serious bodybuilders, many others are suffering from various ailments, such as blood pressure and high cholesterol. By restricting their training, we are putting their health in peril,” Peter said.