So what's important when choosing a gym?

G

gym_mom

Cathlete
I've decided that it's time to join a gym. I need a change of pace/scenery and with the colder months coming up, I need a place to walk that is indoors (I'm a notorious fair weather walker). I spent yesterday looking at four gyms that are closest to my home. Now I have to decide which one.

Gym#1 is the one that's closest, it's a half mile from my house - I'd probably walk there most of the time. They don't offer much in the way of classes, but the hours are good. The price is great, but the facility itself is marginal. Machines are older, place could use a fresh coat of paint. It's a really small place, privately run, not a chain. The trainer is only available with an appt. Generally, no staff is around at all. That concerns me too. But DH is willing to join this one with me and work out together.

Gym#2 is a 15 min drive, it's in a warehouse type facility, one of the chains. They offer a ton of classes, have lots of newer equipment, and the price was pretty close to the one close to home. It's almost never closed. Biggest negative is that it felt like a workout mill, like I'd just be one of hundreds coming through and I wouldn't get any peronal attention. But do I really need it/want it?

Gym#3 was nice but pricey. 15 min drive, Hours weren't that great - only open from 8-12 on Saturdays and not at all on Sundays. It's a women's only facility and the weight machines are specifically designed for women, smaller proportions, smaller weight increments, etc. Bright, clean, staff was awesome. Not too many classes, but the classes were not included in the membership price anyway.

Gym#4 was huge, offered a pool, tennis & racquetball courts plus all the normal fitness options. This one was a 20 min drive, but price was astronomical. So that one's out completely.

I'm leaning towards Gym#1, but I'd like some comments. So what do you guys think? Is personal attention that important - I mean once they show me how to use the equipment, how much does it matter? None of the gyms included personal training sessions in the price so if I decide to go that route, it'll be extra anywhere. Are newer machines important? If the place isn't as sparkling as I'd prefer, will it really impact my workout? I realize most of these issues depend on the person, but I'm kind of stumped. I didn't really fall in love with any of these places and there aren't any other options that I've been able to find (other than a Curves and that ain't happening).

What's important to you in a gym? What do you like/dislike about your gym?

I appreciate any and all comments. Thanks for listening!

Claude

"Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Satchel Paige
 
Cleanliness is THE most important thing to me in a gym--that AND a bright, cheerful atmosphere. The last gym I belonged to looked dirty and you rarely saw anyone cleaning. It was austere with a black rubber floor, stark white walls, and a ceiling with exposed pipes and steel girders. It was so depressing to spend time in there that I found myself making up excuses not to go--a bad idea when you've paid a personal trainer in advance--lol!
 
If it were my choice I'd definitely choose #2. I joined a big chain gym a year ago because the personal trainer I'd worked with wanted to work out with me as a workout partner after our sessions ended. So we've been going regularly and using both free weights and machines and especially the cable machines (my loves). But I also developed a love for the group classes along the way, and now I am also a class junkie and have also become a class instructor. The big chain gym offers everything I have wanted and also offered the group class teaching certification course I took.

So I guess I'm saying that you may initially join the gym just for the machines, but you may feel the urge to expand your interests after a while.

Good luck!
Randi
 
This is going to sound dumb, but you need to pick one that you will use. So you have to feel comfortable there and be something you can access when you want to. See if they give a 1 week free pass. Lots of gyms do. Then try each one out, at the times you would usually use it and see how it feels to you.

Jean
 
Gym #4. Gatta love the extras}( }(

Thirty-Five is when you get your head together and your body starts falling apart.
-Caryn Leschen-
... Thank GOD I'm not there;-)

~Adri~
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Jean -
That doesn't sound dumb at all. I've been thinking exactly the same thing. It would give me a chance to try them out and figure out which feels best, especially since no single one stands out. Looks like I've got to make some calls.



"Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Satchel Paige
 
I'm stuck between 1 (only because of proximity) and 2 and well 3. okay, I'm no help.

When I joined the gym (all women) my main reason was to have acess to heavier weights especially for the lower body and acess to a Smith machine. I also wanted the use of the cardio machines. I really didn't want the classes, but it was part of my membership. Since I loved the high intensity and advanced levels of Cathe's workouts, I didn't even think I would want or need the classes at the gym.

However, I ended up trying some of the step classes and fell in love. It was just as good and equal or better than what I was doing at home. One of my favorites is the double step class. It was very fast paced and the intensity level was up there. I learned well from Cathe so I had no problem picking up the moves. Yet, there are moves that I do at the gym that Cathe introduces which makes it easier for me to pick up on Cathes step routines.

I don't like to be a number that walks in the door. The instructors and worker know me, as well as the regular members. I ended up liking group workouts than working out by myself. There is so much energy flowing...it's very motivating.

Not all gyms compare equally when it comes to classes. Some gyms only cater to the beginner/intermediate group and don't offer advanced classes. Sometimes the classes aren't challenging or never change.

My gyms clean, cheerful and just right for what I need. I couldn't handle a dingy place. If I walked in and felt like it was dull and boring that's exactly how my workouts would end up being.

I may not use the staff(besides for classes)for personel attention, but I feel that somebody should be there.

I can get the rest at home when I need a change in routine.

Can you get trail memberships before you buy?
 
Hi Claude.

I IMMEDIATELY chose #2! Here's why....reasonable price, close, lots of classes, equipment that is in good shape & open convenient hours! As long as you see staff around the gym then you can get help when you need it. If you want TRUE PERSONAL ATTENTION then you should hire a trainer so as long as they have PT's you have everything you need.

When I was gym shopping there were 2 gyms (out of 4) that sound a bit similar to your #1 where they were the lower priced ones but it was obvious WHY. I was immediately turned off. The prices were great but it wasn't worth the savings to me.

#3 and #4 would definately be out for me as well..simply not worth the $$$ IMO.

Let us know what you choose! It's truly up to you. YOU have to be happy! :)
 
Claude,
If it were me, it'd be between #1 and #2, depending on whether or not you'd want to take classes. I second Jean's advice to try out the gyms **at the time(s) you'd normally go**. See how crowded it is. Do you have to wait for machines? What is traffic like? How loud is the music? (Sometimes if they blast it, you can't hear your own iPod.) Take a class or two and see if it's something you'd really like.

My top considerations would be:
1) proximity
2) cleanliness
3) hours
4) price
5) crowd size

Good luck!
cathy :)
 
I would also choose 2. I am a big person for variety to keep me motivated.


“In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.” --Ellen Degeneres
 
Really it depends on your goals. I can go to the crappiest gym in the world & still tailor myself a good workout, but that's b/c the only thing I do in a gym is lift. Personal attention has never been important for me b/c I prefer to create my own workouts. Convenience is very important for me, & I'd go with #1.

I don't worry about cleanliness--bottom line is no matter how clean a gym looks, there's bacteria & such all over the place b/c there's now way even the best maintained gym can continually wipe down benches, weights, bars, machines, etc.

But if you get bored easily, & are looking for variety, & know that you will use the other options a club offers, I would go with #2.

One thing you might want to check is the number of members at each gym & see if there's a cap on membership. One of the things that can be most annoying in a health club is having to wait for machines or a machine not being available when you need it. Or visit the clubs during peak hours (6-8 am, 5-7 pm, Sat & Sun mornings betw. 8-11 am) to see how crowded they get.
 
I totally picked my gym for step classes cuz thats all i do there - i did the whole free pass thing at a few places and picked the best.
 
Now that I'm talking about joing a gym, DH and DD want to as well, so we now have to consider family options.

After crunching some numbers, Gym #3 will cost more for me alone than for the whole family at Gym #1 or #2, so while it is attractive, it's not in the budget. And Gym#4 was already eliminated because of cost. So that narrows it down a bit.

The whole family visited gym#1 last night. It was at 8:30 pm, at a time that I would normally be finishing up a work out. There was NO ONE there. Place was open, no staff, no gym members. There is log book and no one had signed in since 5:45. We looked around and, yes -I admit, tried some of the equipment. The place seemed clean overall, nothing that completely turned me off and they have some newer equipment in the back. We agreed that if we join, we'll always use a buddy system. None of us like the idea of working out completely alone, just from a safety issue.

At first I was concerned about DD at Gym#1, but she doesn't want classes. As a former gymnast, she's used to conditioning exercises that use her own body weight for resistance. She was really excited with the equipment. If we get her a couple sessions with a trainer to develop a safe routine for her, I think she'll be fine. Come to think of it, maybe we'll see if he/she is willing to do some group sessions for the three of us.

I think we're going to do a trail membership there first and if we just don't feel comfortable, we'll do a trail at #2. And if that doesn't work out, we'll continue looking. New gyms open up every day, right?

Thanks so much for the input. It was really helpful. It gave me a lot to think about while we were at the gym last night and helped us all put some things in perspective.




"Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Satchel Paige
 
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