For a workout I go to the CDI Gym in La Paz (at Moreles near Altamirano). It's a gym focused mainly on free weights and boxing, with a few old strength and cardio machines thrown in. Their motto is "Extreme Power" and it's plastered on posters around the workout area (See photos above).
Don't expect to pay $15 for a day guest pass; 40 pesos ($2.00) get's you in. Don't expect to see cutesy Lycra outfits or Zumba classes; expect to see 20-something guys who are buff and serious - and then, for the past month, there's me.
At almost 70, and the only gringo, I don't quite fit in. But the guys are completely friendly and seem happy to accept me. Maybe it helps that even at 70 I've still got some muscle definition - not like most of the guys there but better than some - that I've been around gyms and can work the free weights, and that I can even kick a little butt with the heavy bags in the boxing area. Or maybe they just accept me because I'm friendly and they are friendly too.
My crew on S/V Ubiquity, Leslie, is female, and she does not like going to that gym so she stays away from the "Extreme Power" scene. I have seen several women in the gym though, and they look like bodybuilders too.
In Mexico, like almost all of the world, the feminist revolution reverberates, and you can read about campaigns here against the traditional machismo culture, and about male self-help groups where Mexican men get together to talk about becoming less macho and nicer towards women.
I personally don't want to go to self-help groups like that and talk about inter-personal relationships; I'd rather put the time into kicking butt with the weights. If I want a relationship I'll nod to one of my fellow buds kicking butt at Extreme Power and maybe do a high-five (Dame cinco).
Then if I still have energy or want to work off some tension, I'll slap the heavy bag around a little. After that, I'll feel great and I'll bet I'll act nicer to everyone than those guys going to the self-help groups who talk about relationships for an hour instead of punching the heavy bag.
P.S.
Here is a video showing me working the heavy bag, and if you want more
here is a second video.
P.S.S. The "heavy bag" used in boxing is typically 100-200 pounds, and is used for practicing body blows. At my age because of my arthritis I can't hit it with my fists anymore, but I can still beat the cr-- out of it with my elbows, as you can see in the videos above.