Gym goers in the fitness industry in pendularity conditions at the Brazil-Bolivia border

Abstract

The present study had as main objective to describe general aspect the regulars (students/clients - bodybuilding practitioners) of brazilian fitness gyms that reside in Bolivia and, at the same time, to understand the opinion of those responsible (owners/guardians/teachers) of these spaces in the city of Corumbá-MS (Brazil), especially considering the condition of pendularity of users on the studied border. The “free access” gyms (without personalized training) were mapped, as well as that attended students in a condition of pendularity, practitioners of weight training and who authorized the development of the research. In this way, the sample had two units selected, and questionnaires with open and closed questions were applied to the two delimited groups (students/clients and owners/guardians/teachers). Preliminary results show that the adherence and frequency of these fitness spaces, in the view of students/clients pendularity, occurs for different reasons, highlighting the good location, price/quality, weight loss, health maintenance, sports training, while in the view of the owners/guardians/teachers, good communication and importance in fostering the local economy/trade are highlighted. We conclude, therefore, that because it is a border region, it becomes extremely important to describe the general aspect of this audience, especially highlighting the reasons for the pendular movement in this fitness segment. The embryonic results also reinforce the need for further studies to better understand the frequency and participation of these subjects in pendulum condition in the different fitness spaces in the region