Different Scene

This week in particular was different from the rest. Traveling away from Las Cruces for the weekend allowed me to do my fieldwork in a whole different city. Albuquerque. Although the gym is quite similar, the atmosphere was different.


It was a whole new crowd of people, new faces that I didn't recognize; and they didn't recognize me.


I walked into the front doors to check in and Anna greeted me to take my number. She looked at me and my friend like we were new to the place, so she explained where everything was and which direction to take. She wore the same purple uniform as the one in Las Cruces.


We head to the locker room and immediately notice that it was a packed room. Women in every isle all changing or drinking water. One woman talks to another in front of the mirror. They converse about the Balloon Fiesta and their plans for the weekend. Two other women talk about their sons soccer games. I assume their kids are on the same team, or at least in the same league. I leave to explore the gym.


This particular gym looks similar but bigger, more machines, massage chairs and more people in the barber shop. This seems to be a popular gym being in a residential area, so more people around that area appear to attend.


There was a heavy amount of young people working out at that time, versus the older age in Las Cruces. It was an upbeat atmosphere. People everywhere. Loud music on the intercom, people crossing each others paths simultaneously. It was different indeed, but there was also similarities between people's workout.


For instance, younger women ran on the treadmill, at a high speed. The older seem to walk with an incline. One woman in a bright pink shirt reads a book while walking. I look towards the arm machines and notice a woman doing her workout. She finishes and a young boy sits next. He seems to be her son, which you are allowed to bring a guest with you into the gym if you are a special member. She sets his weights to the lightest possible and watches him pull down the bar. He does about ten and moves away for his moms turn.


I continue walking on the treadmill and see Bill, a gym worker giving a tour to a husband and wife, a middle aged couple. They talk about each machine as they walk by the sections.


Like the gym in Las Cruces, I see the male dominated area; weights. The women seem to lean towards the machines. I notice about half of the men in that area are not wearing headphones. Two men, Bobby and Robby take a rest and converse. They reach down to pick something up, I assume the white binders contain their workout plan for the day.


Besides seeing a big increase in people, I'd have to say that there were a lot of similarities between the two gyms!