Medical Certificate For Joining Gym?

[ElizabethS]

Hello. I am here for a month. When I went to join a gym, they asked for a certificado medico de aptitud fisica. I guess it is some form that a doctor must sign in order for me to exercise. Is there a dr here who I could see for a quick physical or some other way around it? My md in the US does not speak Spanish and so on. I'm just wondering what you all have done.
Thanks.

 

[Peony54]

Every gym except one that I've belonged to say that you need to bring it in but then never ask for it again. The one that did require it had their own dr that gave me the ok (megatlon). Did they tell you you couldn't work out there until you got it?

 

[ajoknoblauch]

My wife just told me that, before you get in an Argentine swimming pool, you need to prove you don't have athlete's foot. Sounds preposterous to me, but she says there's always a doctor or nurse checking before you enter the pool.

 

[internationalguy]

My wife just told me that, before you get in an Argentine swimming pool, you need to prove you don't have athlete's foot. Sounds preposterous to me, but she says there's always a doctor or nurse checking before you enter the pool.

Really?

 

[Peony54]

Haha yeah I do remember one pool doing that once or twice, it's the costanera? The one by Jorge Newbury airport

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Really?

This was in Olavarría, at the local Club de Estudiantes.

 

[Alicia karr]

Almost all the gyms can arrange for you to see a doctor to get the certificate, for a fee. But if you're here for just one month I don't think its worth it. Unless they don't keep asking you! Suppose you can always pull the "Eufff, lo olvidé!" a couple of times!

 

[Marive]

Hi ElizabethS! All gyms in Buenos Aires city are required by law to ask you to submit a doctor's note saying you are fit to work out, and the note is valid for one year. All big gyms are going to ask you for one, but maybe if you try a small "barrio" one they'll be more linient. In all public pools you are also required to undergo a quick medical checkup which is done by the physician working there, they check you for fungi, cavities and lice, and this is also done regularly (approx once a month).

Also, most big gyms have annual memberships and if you're only staying for one month they are going to charge you more. It seems like a lot of hassle for just one month, so I'd suggest you try a small gym near where you'll be living, or just working out in a public park (good weather is coming now).

If you want to go to a fancy gym anyway, you can (i) ask if they have a physician on site (big gyms offer that service for a small fee and you can get checked rigth there) or (ii) if you have health insurance, go see any general practitioner (medico clinico), but if the doc doesn't have your medical records, he'll probably ask you to have a routine lab test (blood and urine) and maybe something else before issuing the certificate. So, in-house gym doctor is probably much faster (at Megatlon they take your BP and make you take an EKG, but it's all done there at the doctor's office inside the gym).

Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[chromakey]

I'm a member of a gym in Cordoba and I had to pay about 30 pesos for their medic/doc to give me a physical. The usual questionnaire type stuff, but had a little trouble trying to figure out that she wanted to check my toes for athlete's foot.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Usually the apto medico involves taking blood pressure and an ECG. Quite sensible.