I want to play with the machines I see advertised on late night television and lose calories while jumping around to music, but without the jargon, without the special clothes, without the 50 cheerful beautiful people in the same room, without the personal trainers.
My place would be open 24/7. If I can't go there at 4am, I don't want it.
You can rent big soundproof rooms with good stereos for yourself (kind of like a holodeck without the holo part.) Trampolines optional. Bungee cords hanging from the ceiling optional.
There's a bunch of weird machines with instructions (not instructors.) Like that human shaped punching bag with LEDs that tell you where to hit. There could be machines that people just built because they're fun or weird, like the ideas linked to below. And how about that three-degree of freedom circle spinning thing they sometimes have at amusement parks.
Anyone who starts wearing strech fabric in cheerful colors gets dragged out onto the street by three nerd bouncers with buck teeth and pocket protectors.
None of the staffers are allowed to be clients.-- jutta, Oct 11 2000 networked video game treadmill http://www.halfbake.../Arcade_20Treadmill [jutta, Oct 11 2000] connectivity bike http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Exer-net [jutta, Oct 11 2000] video game treadmill http://www.halfbake...eadmill_20of_20DOOM [jutta, Oct 11 2000] Diamond Park virtual environment http://www.merl.com/projects/dp/VR world where the navigation interface was instrumented bikes. Had chat facilities; unfortunately defunct. [rmutt, Oct 11 2000] Big Gym http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Big_20GymYes, working out should be fun. Here's another way to do it. [wannano, Oct 11 2000] Only 2 months ago I missed running Fabio over by a mere 3 feet as he plodded his way to Golds Gym in Hollywood. He actually LOOKED like he was remembering to put one foot in front of the other. I'd go to a gym where there were no phonies...Let me see...HalfSteppers...-- thumbwax, Oct 11 2000 Oh. By 'nerd gym' I thought you meant a place where people would practice their inputting skills, turning up the tension on their keyboards and mice as they get more advanced. Perhaps they could also have light sabers and phaser games. Monty Python films would play round the clock. Dorky hats would be the uniform.-- mrthingy, Oct 19 2000 I would rather see a regular gym with jocks and beautiful people, but the equipment can be rigged by nerds with solenoids and stepper motors. The nerds would watch from behind a one-way mirror as they control their actuators, spanking the beautiful people with the bowflex's, launching the tiny monster-SUV-driving women into the air with the stair climbers, etc...-- sh4linux, Dec 21 2000 \\kind of like a holodeck without the holo part\\. So a deck? \\Like that human shaped punching bag with LEDs that tell you where to hit\\. I think the fact that people want these gives a worrying message about inner anger. I like the idea of a 24-hour gym. My local one is never open when I actually want to go. Or is it that I never want to go? I forget.-- hidden truths, May 09 2005 [ht] I think it's both.
The swimming pool I sometimes (read as: never) attend is hardly every open when I want to go over there. I think the only thing keeping Scotlands obesity rates in check is the amount of stairs you have to climb each day.-- froglet, May 09 2005 And the amount of shivering we do!-- MikeOliver, May 09 2005 Theres one woman I see at the gym regularly who looks like shes at this gym; headphones on, volume up, interacting with things that arent there, somehow managing dance aerobics on an elliptical trainer, etc. She seems to be having a great time, and doesnt care what people think of it (or doesnt know she is not alone, hmmm). Either way, I have to admire her attitude.-- Shz, May 09 2005 random, halfbakery