Internet is working fast so time to post.

This weekend I had my first opportunity to do some actual mountain biking. End result was a mixed bag. I had fun overall and it was great exercise, some of the downhill sections were very fun and the ride down the road off the mountain reminded me of an Initial D race, except on a bike and with limited drifting. The downside was great, the ascent was tough, to put it lightly. As fun and fast as the descent was, the ascent was equally leg-cripplingly arduous. For me at least. If I go up every weekend I may get to a point where it isn’t bad. This would mean probably dropping some weight (read: upper body muscle), thus will most likely not happen.

View from vantage point on the way up the mountain, much to my disappointment this view did not give the boost of energy I had expected

So, the million dollar question is what am I doing to really stay active. After carefully considering whether to pay twice as much to go to the gym across the street from my apartment or stay on the cheap and join the gym about 1.5 miles away I went with the penny pincher option. This was no bargain by US standards, ~$40 a month, and this was WITH company discount. So yeah. Most interestingly the gym is owned by Konami, and shares the same logo with the games division. This of course means that

Solid snake spots me if I ask him

this mofo would work out here if actually existed (maybe!?). The facility has a pool, sauna, japanese-style bath, two activity rooms, cardio equipment, and most importantly an extremely limited weight/machine area. The treadmills and some of stationary bikes actually have Konami logos on them and have a variety of visualizations with ~FF7 level graphics. As with most places in Japan there are several no shoe zones. Since I wear my “trainers” to the gym anyways it means I have to carry my shoes around. This is probably against the rules, so I will claim ignorance until they force me to stop (more on this method later). The amount of rules/customs there make me miss the freedom of working out at college and other gyms in the US. Some examples are:

- No shoe areas as mentioned above, in my mind anything that touches any floor inside a gym is instantly a biohazard.

- EVERYONE changes into gym clothes prior to working out. Even during weekends everyone changes (me included). I have yet to see someone go from front door to gym floor.

- There are rags on every machine and bench for wiping them down. This is OK I guess, I still prefer USC’s handiwipes or Pro-Robics spray bottle of Simple Green and a rag. Them rags be nasty.

There are many more small things that continue to bother me. There are usually attendants just standing around greeting people and putting pins in the machines to the lowest weight. As with most gyms they don’t want you to take free weights into different areas of the gym. This apparently includes the 10 feet to the decline bench, conviently located outside of free weight area. Since I am a greek god and need more resistance than pitiful gravity can provide when doing sit-ups I usually stick a 10lb (here they are 11lbs/5kg) behind my head and do work. On Friday I was interrupted DURING my set (wtf) and told that I couldn’t have free weights in the area. Then the girl takes the weight from my hand to return it for me as if I am going to continue my set. Yes you are not supposed to take the weights outside their padded home, but no one cares if you use them for ab exercises, it is dumb to think people would not naturally do this. It is like trying to make a river go back the way it came. That was my first encounter with the swift Konami authorities, and will not be the last I’m sure (wait til I drag that decline bench to the smith machine to do decline presses).

Overall there are usually a fair number of people in the weight/machine area. Most are men, as usual, and 95% are trim, as is the norm in Japan. There are a handful of gym rats that can match me or better me in weight. Some are nice and do their sets quickly and with regard to the limited equipment. Some others do not and use the only olympic bar in the gym for around half an hour. For this reason I have switch to a more circuit based workout plan so that I have more flexibility in the days that I go and what I do when I am there.

Another notable item is that the group exercise instructors feel the need to dress up as chariactures of group exercise instructors. This includes bandanas and ass-hugging shorts on the males and different styles of lycra suits and checkered hats on the ladies.

A final note, if you have played Metal Gear Solid 3 you may have used Calorie Mate in a desperate attempt to keep EVA alive. Well it is sold in the lobby of the gym. I do not know what came first, the use of of it in the game or Konami Sports Clubs selling it as a work out supplement. Most likely the latter. I bought the chocolate flavor, there is also cheese, potato, and some other flavors. The chocolate tasted like cake mix, dry cake mix. Here is a pic to remind you:

Fully restores health and stamina!

The gym will suffice as I don’t plan on buying any of my own equipment here. I wish they would expand the machine area, also decisions like having two leg extension machines along with abductor and adductor machines make no sense to me in a gym that size.