It is, once again, September 1st. In fact, the first five minutes of September 1st have passed when Rocío, the night cleaner at Area Fit in Murcia, the largest gym in Spain - 500 machines spread over 6,000 square meters, unlocks the access doors. At the Thader shopping center, located on the outskirts of the city, the loose ends of the holidays are evident. It is midnight on August 31st and families are enjoying the no-schedule routine of their children at the arcades, some couples are having fried chicken on the second floor, a giant TV is playing, on loop, the Formula 1 Grand Prix held in the Netherlands, 10 or 12 teenagers are leaving the cinema, and Germán, a teacher, is sitting on one of the weightlifting machines. He is doing biceps. It's his second day at the gym. "I'm not a fan of lifting weights," he replies with the already assumed gymbro jargon. Interrupting a gym user's workout to ask trivial questions about the good habits they intend to adopt when returning to work is considered a sin in the gym environment. No one has the right to interrupt anyone's "prayer." "My intention is to keep coming. I signed up to accompany my son, who needs to come for health reasons, but he has already let me down."
The New Year's Eve of good intentions brings together some people in this Times Square of enclosed sports. Area Fit is open 24 hours. Rocío already notices the presence of new clients, or members, as Sergio, the gym director, calls them. A guy is doing shoulder exercises. A couple, accompanied by their teenage children, take turns on another machine. The father, who acts somewhat anxiously, crosses the room from one end to the other to avoid being distracted. He doesn't want to talk to this newspaper. "If I talk to you, I won't have time to finish my workout," he justifies.
Some people in Murcia naturally consider the possibility of exercising at hours when most, defeated by the outcome of another consumed week, accept the miniaturization of death that appears on Sunday nights on the couch at home. "I come at this eccentric hour," Germán continues, the first of September, "because I can't come at any other time. I'm a father of two children. I either come at six in the morning or at noon. The truth is, I don't like gyms. I prefer exercising outdoors, although I'm fine here. I like the ambiance and the lighting."
At half past six in the evening, during rush hour, a trainer leads a cardio session for 55 people. A herd of stationary cyclists follows his instructions. At noon, a line mostly composed of teenagers lined up at the front desk. "Today we will reach 100 new members," Sergio comments. The goal for gyms, according to industry sources consulted, is to recruit at least a thousand athletes in September.
The recent EL MUNDO-Sigma Dos survey on summer in Spain indicated that "exercising more or any healthy habit" is the second most preferred goal for people renewing their resolutions in September. "Studying or training" is the first choice: chosen by 21.5% of the total respondents; 26% of women compared to 17.6% of men. Vox voters make more promises of a healthy life. 34.8%, compared to 9.4% of those who vote for the PSOE, want to go to the gym. "Being happier" competes for the last place with "buying a house." Only 2.7% have set happiness as a goal starting in September. None of the Vox voters - 0.0% - surveyed see happiness as a goal.
Two registered residents in the smallest town in Spain: "In summer we might gather 15 people and there's a bit of a commotion"
"To a large extent, the whole reset phenomenon has to do with a productivity logic. Doing something with your life. You have to collect, learn languages, go to the gym, sign up for an activity that allows you to meet more people. Well. This happens in all moments where there is a transition between the work routine, which covers the whole year, and those parenthesis moments where you rethink some things," says Mariano Urraco, a doctor in Sociology at the Complutense University of Madrid. "Humans are gregarious and routine-oriented. If we extrapolate, it's the reason why the figure of the civil servant is highly valued in our society."
A study from the University of Scranton in the United States revealed that only 8% of people achieve their goals. "Starting from the premise that goals won't be achieved is a habit," adds Urraco. "Habits sediment socially as they align with the values of this society. It's like a challenge for people. We are a gregarious species that rejects gregariousness. By overcoming the challenge, you become more special than others. It's also a way to protect oneself from the effects of not fulfilling what was proposed. Our society has a very complex relationship with failure. Both social and individual self-punishment are received," explains the sociologist. "It works very well commercially: you will learn languages."
Belén uses irony to self-punish, in the words of Dr. Urraco. She is part of the trio of friends who go together to this gym located in the radial roads of Murcia. She is 24 years old. In addition to wanting to establish a daily exercise routine, she also aims to find a job. She laughs because the future of a healthy and stable life is still far away. "I hope it lasts. So far, it's been three days out of three," she adds under the condescending gaze of Celia and Isabel, her friends. "We take it seriously. We are taking exams." They are preparing for civil service exams. "We do strength and cardio exercises." Belén looks at her peers: people who are starting at the gym on September 1st. "We had never seen so many people. It's crowded. I need to come with my friends so they can motivate me. In this gym, being so large, you don't have to wait for turns. You can use the machines without waiting," she appreciates.
Belén may be dissatisfied with her life. "Psychologically, having routines is good. The goal is a guide. There is a goal beyond the results," says psychologist Raquel del Águila. "Beneficial proposals that generate well-being give meaning to the experience of living, which can sometimes be daunting." Problems arise when goals are not very realistic. "Setting a very nice goal, because it's trendy or because most of society is doing it, usually doesn't work. It's likely not to fit reality and commitments impossible to fulfill are made."
Raquel del Águila has to treat people every year who suffer from post-September stress. "It generates a lot of frustration. They suffer from a sense of individual incapacity, but generally, it's due to lack of resources. Anxiety and depression from not meeting our goals are much more common than we think." Sergio guides through the different areas of the gym. Closer to the door are the classic treadmills. In the back, the changing rooms and the area where those toughened by the air conditioning of these sports fish tanks do deadlifts. "Lifting weights is trendy. People usually combine cardio and strength training. That's what influencers do. Since Covid, the demand for gyms has increased. Doctors recommending exercise attract many people to these facilities." They opened on February 24th. Everything is designed to engage the user. Athletes can leave their children in the play area. It allows them to balance family life with glute exercises. "We have group activities. Functional training for children. Family plans. And a personal trainer, included in the price, who spends 15 free minutes with each client," adds Sergio.
If the bike room were a galley, an electro-pop song marked by the cavernous echoes of digital drums—like the song Ritmo (Hugel Edit)—would be the whip to activate these galley slaves dressed in technical clothing. Perhaps most of them won't be around for three weeks. "The important thing is to know what the real motivation is. Choose a goal that gives you pleasure. You have to find the principle of pleasure or pleasantness," insists Raquel del Águila.
Sweating in the company of others, inside a dark room, pushed by the soundtrack of some fairground ride, trapped by one's own expectations, doesn't sound too pleasant. "The most important thing is that it's easy to fit into our daily lives. That it's, to put it simply, accessible."
Coach Javier Carril, author of five self-help books, is used to seeing executives' resolutions fail. Companies also get into a rush in September. "They start to consider new resolutions and objectives after the summer. Professional changes are difficult to maintain if there's no consistency." Carril imagines himself, in his coach's uniform, strolling through the facilities of Spain's largest gym. "I'd think of asking each of the users if their commitment is realistic. 'Go little by little,'" he would whisper to new exercisers. "People are too ambitious, both in January and September."
Julio, 25, is having a snack in the coworking space—four picnic tables with power outlets—at the entrance. People can see other people going about their lives in the gym. He eats a banana that the company offers "in exchange for a smile," as a sign reads. Sometimes, despite Sergio's good nature and Area Fit's good intentions, the place feels dystopian. Fast-food chains lurk outside the gym as athletes leave. From the gym, you can read the names of Burger King, 100 Montaditos, and Via Roma, an Italian restaurant. Perhaps pedaling is also about consuming. Julio, like his friend Inma, has spent a month without setting foot in the gym. "From now on, I plan to come four or five days a week. Our idea is to get into a routine to tone up, lose fat, and gain muscle." It's time to get into boxing class. "We have to build strength," he says while finishing a cup of coffee.
Carril isn't as optimistic as Julio. "Generating habits in the brain is complicated. I would recommend something similar to the kaizen method: having small, measurable goals little by little. You have to analyze how well you've met all the small goals, which force you to make a small, ongoing effort. That way, the goals are super achievable and motivate you." It's the only way to live up to expectations: not to have them. "Or you could suffer panic attacks," warns Raquel del Águila.