IOL Strength and Conditioning

Bob Zuver
Sportscope Magazine, 1977

Over 10,000 people have come through the doors of my gym in Costa Mesa at various stages of the elusive quest for physical fitness. Now, after 17 years of being the in the business of fitness, if there is any one principle I would communicate to an individual engaged in that pursuit, it would be this: moderation and balance.

Contrary to what may seem obvious, one of the greatest hindrances to the development of physical fitness is overzealousness. It leads a person to make impossible demands on the body. One day someone much like yourself decides it is time to shape up and shape up right now. You enroll in a health club, work out vigorously five or six times a week and even go on a diet of lettuce leaves and bird seed!

What happens to our fitness zealot (and I have seen it countless numbers of times)—you burn yourself out in no time at all physically, emotionally and psychologically. Training soon becomes a drudgery and in no time at all you are back, further back, than when you started: shackled, burdened and guilty.

Forget about trimming down and shaping up on thirty days or bust. Instead of being a burden requiring strict discipline, becoming physically fit can be and should be fun.

How? By being moderate and being consistent. Consider exercising in terms of a regular and lifetime investment, not as a short term all-out blitz. Fun and enjoyment comes from seeing results and improvement and continuing that way to get the most life has to offer in good health and good shape.

Then there is balance. Without emotional and psychological harmony, a person cannot be considered to be in a state of physical fitness. For 17 years I have had the opportunity to share that concept, the importance of the spiritual aspect of life.

As a minister, it was always me desire to have a church to have a positive effect on people’s lives. But instead, the Lord led me to a ministry of fitness, combining the development of the body and the spirit—development mentally, spiritually and physically, or total fitness.

When a person comes to my gym or my gym equipment center, they can experience three things: big, fun attractions, a serious program of physical development and the availability of spiritual counseling.

In keeping with my belief that total fitness is for everyone, Zuver’s Fitness Center is in the business of offering the finest and most durable gym and exercise equipment available…to churches, recreation centers, schools, institutions, homes and businesses. The line ranges from the original heavy duty Circle Gym weight training equipment to the lighter exercise equipment to meet the needs of anyone and everyone.

Zuver’s Fitness Center also offers complete training for anyone interested in owning and operating his own fitness and health center. We have a complete service to fully equip a gym, teach weight training, exercise and nutrition tot eh gym owner, as well as train him in the management of the new business.

It is a rewarding pursuit for me to offer this opportunity so that with a minimal investment, an individual can not only own his own business, but also be in the business of making total fitness—health and happiness—available to others.

Bob Zuver was clearly a man before his time—this was written in 1977!

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