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Can anybody suggest good gym in Tokyo

psd said:
Coming from a family with a history of diabetes, I'd love to see the citation for this.
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Low-carb diet has officially been recommended, but keto diet - the combination of high fat, high protein and extremely low carb - remains controversial both in Japan and in the US as far as I know.
http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fi...-plans-and-a-healthy-diet.html?loc=ff-slabnav
https://www.thediabetescouncil.com/can-you-manage-your-diabetes-on-a-ketogenic-diet/

I don't have diabetes, but have been on and off keto for the last several years. Yes, I wanted to reduce my weight, which was my first motivation. The weight loss was quick as it's obviously catabolic - you cannot just let your fat go. You lose both your muscle and body fat. On top of these, you lose your body water (which is the main trick for a quick result of the keto diet) as much as you lose your muscle. It took me 2 weeks to be in the state of keto in my first try. The weight loss stopped right after that and actually I gained weight slightly during the subsequent keto period. Was I disappointed? No. I found it improved my sleep in a big way, which was enough benefit for me to keep going for some time - until I felt I really miss ramen. So I understand the rationale behind the Rizap, which is probably the same as the Atkins, but I agree with others that its sustainability is questionable.
 
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Sudsy said:
I thought it was limited protein?
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Yes, strictly speaking. As you well know, the keto diet for epilepsy consists mainly of fat. The keto diet these days mostly points to an extremely low carb intake which results in glycogen depletion.
 
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Sudsy said:
That was something I learned in med school. It was originally developed to treat people with epilepsy, interestingly enough, and showed quite a lot of promise, then Banting developed insulin, which changed the game. Some doctors would combine it with extreme caloric restriction, though, which had some horrific costs for the patients involved.
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You said diabetics thrived on a ketogenic diet for decades but insulin was developed at the same time as the ketogenic diet. The only diet rule my family members followed was to minimise pure sugar, candy etc.
 
Is not “low carb” basically the same thing as “low sugar”? The idea being that carbs is mostly just sugar, in a nutritional sense?
 
psd said:
You said diabetics thrived on a ketogenic diet for decades but insulin was developed at the same time as the ketogenic diet. The only diet rule my family members followed was to minimise pure sugar, candy etc.
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Given that insulin was developed in the early 20s and in widespread use by 1925, fairly sure it was available to any of your family members in living memory. Ketogenic diets in various forms predate the development of insulin by at least 20-30 years. And none if this is worth arguing about, as this is talking about pre WWI medical practice. Current thought is generally that insulin is a far better treatment for T1 diabetics. Recent literature shows that ketogenic diets are highly beneficial for recent T2 diabetics, but if T2 progresses to the point of insulin dependency, the benefits are modest at best.

The point was that a ketogenic diet can be sustained for lengthy periods - perhaps indefinitely - with no ill effects if properly managed.
 
psd said:
I've been a member of one of the large chains for many years and have been to six or more of their branches and I'm not impressed with the staff. They are all young, skinny and attractive. There's quite a few women staff members and they're tiny...

the staff member replied "No, he's the strongest guy in the gym". Yeah I am, but there's nothing special about me.
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I'm not sure what you're complaining about. I'd spend a lot of money for this setup.
 
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Well last time I was in Tokyo I tried out Golds Gym Shibuya and was mad underwhelmed by the state of the rusty plates, machines out of order, roided jocks lifting with some of the worst form I have ever seen, and paid nearly $40AUS for the privilege.

Now for a fraction of that price I got into Osaka Municipal Central Gym and had the totally opposite experience. Clean, spacious, with more than one squat rack weights that aren't covered with rust. More importantly I was impressed by how polite and courteous the generally older members were (consistent with what I have seen in Japan so far). So for my next Japan visit in a few days time, I hope to be a regular there. (y)

I plan to spend part of my time in Tokyo so if someone has any recommendations for a good municipal gym (preferably one that has squat rack and will lets me do oly lifts) I would be more than willing to give it a go!
 
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I think men definitely need the guidance of a coach, for a longer period. You guys work out with heavy weights and you need to watch your positioning better and coach shall help you with that. Girls just work with ankle weights or small weights and you need one or two things to keep in mind while you're working out with them. An hour of counseling shall be enough and then you can be on your own. Well unless you're a body builder girl. I've taken Pilates classes for a long time and I now know how my muscles stretch and when they're overstretched, or when they're sore & stiff, so I workout at home and have no problems. I would also suggest massages to keep the blood flow.

I also eat carbs like there's no tomorrow but my body type is the tall and skinny type which burns energy like a space shuttle.
 
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I love spotting girls when they go for their heavy 1RM squats. Still haven't figured a way to spot their weighted hip thrusts yet ;)
 
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Maxblack said:
Ah hell no: girls who squat deep and deadlift heavy! Awesome stuff. Will build a seriously strong and curvy figure. :)
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+1

Squats are the perfect exercise for women, develops the butt, and thighs, and strengthens the back which helps with a lot of daily activity, especially posture.
(don't worry you won't look like The Rock)
 
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Maxblack said:
Ah hell no: girls who squat deep and deadlift heavy! Awesome stuff. Will build a seriously strong and curvy figure. :)
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It's nice to watch girls squatting, must be some nice scenery for men, but..

Squats can be very damaging for your vertebrae and knees if you have existing joint problems. Not everyone can squat. Girls watch short videos on instagram and they start squatting without a checkup. It's easy to be impressionable and admire those squatting girls on instagram but only a physician can decide if you can do squats or not. You might end up having an injury, worsening an existing strain and not being able to exercise at all for months.

Some girls can squat and it's great. But if you can't, It's best to choose a safe exercise that fits your body :) (Donkey kicks are less risky if you want to work your gluteus muscles, did I spell that right lol)
 
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Not sure if you are still looking but here is my recommendation. I go to Anytime Fitness and ask for personal training from time to time. As you may know you can use any branch ( including those located outside Japan). Monthly fee varies depending on your main branch but normally around 7000 to 8000 yen and personal training is about 3000 yen for an hour.
There are two branches in Shinjuku ,east and west. Not all branches have personal trainer but I would imagine It is available in both Shinjuku branches .
https://www.anytimefitness.co.jp/shinjuku

The trainer explained how to use the machines and watch me do each exercise the n corrected my postures. After that she wrote down all the details of my training menu including what and how much with what weight I should train for each parts. I never had a coach before so can't really say about the quality but it was good enough for me. She didn’t mention what I should eat but I’m sure she would tell me If I asked.

I hope this helps!
 
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Thanks Marinalily I appreciate your suggestion a lot. I used to be with Anytime fitness in Aus but have sinced moved to a powerlifting gym. Since I only stay in Japan for a week or two at a time, they won't sign me for short term memberships or daily passes. Not to mention the staff can hardly speak a word of english haha.

I actually went to the Tokyo Municipal Gym while I am here in Tokyo.. totally recommended btw if you happen to stop by and want to sweat it out a little for only 600yen = 2.5hr pass. It gets a bit busy though so turn up early. The first time I was able to get into the training room but today (being the weekend I suppose) they said it was full so I said Oh well, I'll swim in the lap pool instead. It was fun. :)

Minicipal gyms are the way go go I reckon, with many of them sporting power racks, bench racks, and enough floor space so I can work on Olympic lifts. Not bad for 600 yen a pop!
 
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Mine's 400yen with the pool. Equipment is old as balls though and the only thing resembling a rack is a fuckin' smith machine.

Still better than nothing but I think I've unfucked myself financially enough I can risk going to joyfit or anytime fitness from next month.
 
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