Are crowded gyms hazardous to your health?

How about the fact there are just too many people?

Yoga guru Bikram Choudhury, who made his name with a challenging yoga pose sequence practiced in a 100-degree studio, was recently brought up on charges of overcrowding in one of his studios, a converted warehouse in Los Angeles. Inspectors allege he had 160 people crammed into a space with maximum capacity of 49.

Choudhury has denied the charges, claiming the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety has been engaged in a five-year campaign to harass him.

But there’s no denying that at peak times of day, especially during beach season, many a gym or exercise studio can put you at uncomfortably close quarters with fellow fitness buffs.

"It’s not that pleasant to be next to somebody who is sweating in a 100-degree room,” said Tim Post, owner of Zen Athletica in Boston, which teaches Hatha yoga in a heated room. He limits his classes to 40 students. "You don’t know that person and their sweat is dripping.”

So what’s the difference between uncomfortable and unhealthy?

PACKING THEM IN:

There is nothing more frustrating than waiting 30 minutes to use an elliptical machine, or taking an aerobics class that is so packed, you almost get run over when your neighbor does a grapevine.

"I usually go work out in the morning, and it’s just packed elbow to elbow,” said Lance Buckley, who belongs to New York Sports Club and Dolphin Fitness Clubs. "I don’t take a class usually because of the wait. Spinning has long lines. I was doing hip-hop, but now that is becoming more popular.”

Fitness centers are a volume members business, said Larry Bedell, who has owned several Gold’s Gyms. Fed up with the "whole-saley” feel of fitness clubs, he co-founded Nitro Fitness for Men, which has 25 franchises and offers a circuit training concept similar to Curves. "We’re going to sell as many memberships as we can, and we’re going to hope you don’t come back.”’

But too many people using them at once could be hazardous to your health, especially in an aerobics class where people are moving around, said Meg Jordan, a medical anthropologist and editor and founder of American Fitness, the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America’s magazine. The AAFA’s guidelines call for every class participant to have at least a 3-foot-perimeter around him, more if it’s a step class.

"If you’re given less than that, especially in a yoga situation, you have people with their fannies to someone’s nose,” said Jordan. "It’s just uncomfortable and non-hygienic. People need classes they can walk in and feel welcome, not like they have to elbow their way in to the door.”

Many exercise centers monitor the number of people in a class, using sign-in sheets, floor markers, a person who holds a clicker and counts as students walk through the door. In the case of spinning, body sculpting and step, those classes are closed when the equipment has run out.

As for a fitness center with no controls?

Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise, recommends asking yourself the following:

—Do you have plain view of the instructor to see all of his or her cues?

—Can the instructor see you in case you are doing a movement wrong?

—Can you hear the instructor clearly?

—Can you move freely?

SWEATING:

Packed fitness centers give new meaning to the words sweat shop.

Pressed for time, people are less likely to wipe down machines and mats, leaving behind sweaty residue, said Jordan. She said the staff is also overworked and might sidestep the club’s own protocols for health safety.

"You’ve got people throwing bodily fluids all over because they are sweating, groaning, grunting and spitting,” said Bedell. "

Sounds gross. Who wants to pick up some slippery dumbbells?

But sweat is the least of your worries in a fitness center, said Dr. Peter Katona, associate clinical professor of infectious diseases at the University of California in Los Angeles. He said you should be more concerned with catching athlete’s foot from shower floors, or coming down with a cold if someone nearby is coughing and sneezing. Research has shown that sweat can actually kill several forms of bacteria.

Still, sweat can become contaminated and could enter a cut in the skin, he said. "If you’re going to be on a mat that a lot of people use, I would wear a shirt or put a clean towel down.” Likewise, wipe down equipment that looks clammy.

FIRE HAZARDS:

Is your fitness center so packed you wouldn’t be able to escape in case of fire?

Besides overcrowding, Choudhury was also charged with failure to maintain emergency exits and obstructing exits. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said the yoga magnate had repeatedly ignored notices from the city’s fire and building safety departments that the studio did not have enough fire exits for its student population.

The exits in your fitness center should be clearly marked, and there should be more than one, said Chris Reynolds, a professor of natural and emergency disaster management with the American Public University System. There should also be a clear path to those exits.

"A lot of gyms try to pack as much equipment as they can into a small space,” said Reynolds. "What they don’t realize is they block exits and make it difficult for people to leave. People have to be able to exit orderly and safely.”

Reynolds recommends doing a quick head count if you are worried the center is too crowded. Most states require buildings to post their capacities on the wall.

DON’T THROW IN THE TOWEL:

If you find your fitness center uncomfortably crowded, you have a few courses of action.

—Take your complaints to the front desk. Even club owners interested in attracting many members sometimes can see wisdom in serving their existing members better, Jordan said.

"You want to remove the barriers to consistent exercise,” said Jordan. "You don’t want to put up more roadblocks. When the wait list is chronic, I think you’re creating a high level of frustration among club members.”

Of course, you could also be told to change your workout schedule to take advantage of off-peak times.

—If you think the situation borders on dangerous, call your local fire department and speak to the prevention division, Reynolds said.

—You could also take matters into your own hands.

That’s what Kim Jackson did. She tried working out at several different times at the University of South Florida’s fitness center, but felt it was too crowded. A circuit training workout doesn’t work when you’re waiting 30 minutes to get on the machine. She stopped going after two months.

"I created my own home gym,” said Jackson, who lives in Tampa. "I have the Total Gym. I have Billy Blanks Tae Bo Elite and Mari Winsor Pilates. Sometimes I will even throw in some Core Secrets to keep my body from getting used to the same thing. I was just fed up with the gym.”<