Funny... I'm in the cornfields of NJ in a little tiny Rural town, population about 7500. There was once a small, family owned gym in town that seemed to do a very good business. My wife belonged there for a while. They ended up selling the place, I think, and shortly after it closed its doors. Another guy made a go of it with a gym in the same location and it never took off.
We, too have a military base close by, but they have a gym on the premises that's apparently pretty well equipped. I know a couple retired military who were going to the base to train in the gym there.
I lived in Vegas for 2 years, from 2012 to 2014. That place is VERY fitness oriented. Lots of people make their living with their looks there, lots of cocktail waitresses and others who need to look good to make a buck. And I guess it rubs off on much of the rest of the population. There's a gym on every corner there, it seems, and they're always jammed. LVAC (Las Vegas Athletic Club), for instance, had 3 locations when I was there and I think was going to open a 4th; is open 24 hours a day (as most gyms there are) and the parking lot was ALWAYS full no matter the time of day or night.
I joined Retro Fitness when we returned to NJ and found a completely different environment. When I first started training in the 80's, I belonged to this dingy little body building gym called Man's World Gym, owned and run by Joe Dodd, who was a major body builder in the late 60's and 70's. That place was mobbed every single day. And full of in shape bodybuilders including Phil Hill and Derek Whitsett. Phil place 5th in the Mr O back in 89 or 90, something like that.
The atmosphere at Retro was NOTHING like Man's World. Hardly anyone in any kind of decent shape, very few serious about working out. And not a whole lot of friendly people, even. There was a certain camaraderie at Man's World and also at the Gold's I belonged to in Vegas. Not at Retro.
Which is a big part of why I built my home gym. That, plus the 30 minute drive in each direction to get there.
So, I know what you mean. Don't know what to make of it, except that I know lots of people - and not just kids - burn a lot of time playing video games.
Funny story about that: I used to go to the Swap Meet at the drag strip that's about an hour away. A buddy had "a spot" and was selling various garage related things, including a 200 lb anvil. These kids (20 somethings) bought it and had a Radio Flyer wagon to tote it with, but had no idea how they were going to get the thing off the ground and into the wagon. My buddy, 50 or so at the time, squatted down, picked it up and set it in the wagon, no sweat. These kids were astonished. Even exclaimed, "Holy shit!" Coz, my buddy, looks at them, hits a double biceps and says, "I didn't get these from playing video games!" lol!!!
