An unintended consequence of the gym business model

Because gyms want their members to stay away, there is a constant chess match afoot. Health clubs innovate ways to make the gym experience as unpleasant as possible, while members push back with whatever power they have.  

For example, a common, almost rookie move by gyms is to have their cleaning crews run the vacuum next to your bench right when you’re in the middle of heavy presses. More sophisticated gyms will also train their custodians to position the vacuum extension cord so you trip over it when you get up.

Members aren’t passive in the face of these humiliations, however. In one gym’s sauna, I was stunned to witness a guy pouring the contents of his half-finished water bottle all over the electric heating unit. He possibly confused this electric box with a Swedish sauna’s geothermal rocks. More likely, he just wanted a plausible excuse for burning the whole place down.

Recently, I wrote about how my gym started locking members out of the aerobics room, which also blocked my workouts on the heavy bag. In response, I spied on gym staff to figure out where they kept the key. I can now let myself into the aerobics room when no one is looking.  

But just when I was feeling good about my ingenuity with the key, my gym responded with vigor: They shut off the air conditioning in the aerobics room. The result is what you’d expect for a windowless room at dawn in Miami. My thermometer showed 90.3 degrees Fahrenheit with 61% humidity. That equals a heat index (temp + humidity) of 101F. I am still doing my heavy bag workout, of course, but I’m definitely suffering from heat exhaustion by the later rounds: heavy sweating, confusion, dizziness.

Regardless, the joke is on my gym: Now I get to activate my heat shock proteins.

In her bestseller Good Energy, Dr. Casey Means highlighted the term “thermoneutrality” to describe the way modern humans spend their lives indoors at a consistent ambient temperature. In this climate-controlled environment, we miss out on the temperature swings that boost mitochondrial function.

Cold exposure is well known for stimulating mitochondrial activity and growth, which is the rationale behind the cold plunge craze. Similarly, heat exposure activates heat shock proteins, which can protect mitochondria from damage and help maintain their function. The variety of health benefits associated with frequent sauna use — heart health, reduced joint pain, a stronger immune system — likely come from the impact on mitochondria. Ditto the positive effects people feel from participating in hot yoga, where teachers keep the room between 85-100 degrees Fahrenheit (albeit in a dry heat with the humidity around 40%).

In any event, I’m delighted that my gym created for me a heated fitness studio. They’re maximizing the value of my membership, whether intentional or not.