Choosing a gym

GSPALLTHEWAY · 04-19-2007, 06:57 PM

what do you guys look for? equipment? good staff? price? probably all!

right now i pay $10 a month for my gym... yes, 10 bucks lol.. great price.. but you get what you pay for trust me... i got locked into that deal 2 years ago and have stayed there only because of that.. but, my gym blows lol..
i was going to check out a couple this week, any scams or things to look out for a in a contract? or things i should pay attention to?

my gym now is basically just bikes, treadmills, a small dumbbell area, cable machine, and then the cybex machines... all in one large room...

sitnspin · 04-19-2007, 08:32 PM

I get gym access at my university, and it's included in my charges, so I haven't had to worry about this in years. My boxing gym was $30 a month.

I'd say I look for reasonably clean facilities. Is there mold on the shower floor? Do they clean their mats? Viruses and infections like staph are a very real problem, and gyms need to take them seriously.

How crowded is the place? Am I going to be able to get at what I need at the times that I go? It sucks to want a treadmill and wait for it for one for 25 minutes. And related to that, are they open long enough each day to accomodate my schedule?

Are the staff down to earth and welcoming, or are they beach dudes and airhead blondes that give you attitude? Are they trying to sell you additional training and equipment and stuff that you don't need or want?

What about the members? You want to find that balance between aggressive steroid freaks, and people who just hang out and try to pick each other up.

If you want to do stuff like jumping rope or burpees or shadowboxing, is there room for it? I used to belong to a gym that didn't want me to skip anywhere but the aerobics room, so if that was in use I was out of luck.

Edit: I also found this article about getting out of a bad gym contract, since it's a problem for a lot of people.

Problems with gym memberships cause huge amounts of heartburn, too, and heated discussions on the Web. Here's some advice:

Cozy up to your contract. "No. 1, you want to read over your contract. You want to know what you signed," says Brooke Correia, a spokeswoman for the Boston-based International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, a nonprofit, international industry trade association. The cancellation process should be laid out there. The contract should also say if there's an "exit fee" for breaking the contract.

Know your state's laws, Part I. In most states, there's a "cooling-off period" in which you can back out of a gym membership, Correia says. "In most states, it's three days," she says. And in some states, such as California, as the cost of a membership rises, the more time you have to reconsider. So a membership that's more than $2,501 can be canceled within 45 days.

Know the laws, Part II. Consumer-protection laws often allow you to be removed from your contract if you move too far from an affiliated club (in Washington state it's 25 miles), or the gym moves a certain distance away (10 miles), or you're incapacitated for a prolonged period.

Cancel in writing. Even if the gym says you can do it in person, put it in writing. And do it with 30 days notice, if possible. Keep a copy of the letter.

Pay more, lessen the headache. Consider paying a little more for a month-to-month membership. "Most clubs offer them now, and it really gives you a lot of freedom to decide on your own time, 'Well, this isn't the right place for me,'" Correia says.

Be responsible. Stories abound on the Web of clients having such frustrating gym-cancellation experiences that they simply close their bank accounts or cancel their credit cards to deprive the gym of money. That only invites trouble down the line: debt collectors and a besmirched credit rating. At some point, recognize that you signed a contract. Deal with the problem.

GSPALLTHEWAY · 04-19-2007, 08:38 PM

thanks sit!
i actually got gym access for free at my college too but im done in a couple weeks... plus it was worse then my current gym! this place im going to check out LAfitness, just opened up this year, so id guess it would be pretty good... as for the people, that remains to be seen.
your boxing gym was only 30 a month?? that seems like a great deal compared to what i remember from my area

sitnspin · 04-19-2007, 09:06 PM

Yeah, but that's just for access to the gym. You might get some sparring in if someone wanted you, but otherwise you were just on your own with the bags and some space to skip or shadowbox. Classes were extra.

Gygax · 04-19-2007, 10:03 PM

I just joined a gym this week as well. For all the work that I do in the field, I've always hated using the equipment at whatever facility I've worked in. I could never just get a workout in without getting interrupted. I am far from being in shape, so its about time I get going again. I joined a basic gym, PlanetFitness. Very clean, huge facilities with tons of cardio. Very similar to what you described. $10 a month, $50 enrollment fee, no contract at all.

GSPALLTHEWAY · 04-19-2007, 10:24 PM

cool gygax... we have those all over the place here in CT, but none that are that close to me... some of my buddies goto the enfield one though. thats a good place at a great price... its far better then the place i was at for 10 bucks... at this point in my life, my main interest is health, boxing, staying in shape etc etc... i feel if i do that, many other things fall into place. as a result i could see myself paying a little more.. hopefully this spring all of us can get in supreme shape!

Crashsti · 04-20-2007, 11:24 AM

i still work out at home. being a 3rd shift rat does'nt really make me gym material. i like the convienence of staying at home and working out. i have a pretty decent setup as well that anyone could duplicate for less than a yearly gym membership. of course i miss out on alot of equipment and knowledge but i feel i am doing alright.

GSPALLTHEWAY · 04-20-2007, 03:05 PM

LAfitness is UNreal... its expensive, but i dont care... i want to do something to spur ridiculous training... they have boxing which im so excited about, a pool, racquetball, huge gym, tons of everything and its super clean... its 20 bucks more then i pay now a month for just cardio equiptment in a small dark gym

sitnspin · 04-20-2007, 04:39 PM

Racquetball. Cool. I have access to it, but I don't play. I've always thought about it, though. You can get into such great shape just playing a sport, with all of our talk of cardio routines. An hour of good basketball is equal to many burpees, and it's way more fun.

GSPALLTHEWAY · 04-20-2007, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sitnspin

Racquetball. Cool. I have access to it, but I don't play. I've always thought about it, though. You can get into such great shape just playing a sport, with all of our talk of cardio routines. An hour of good basketball is equal to many burpees, and it's way more fun.

lol yea.. i was just talking about that with someone... they have basketball at this place i just went to also... i played for like an hour and got a ton of cardio without thinking about it...
i feel like 50 bucks is really pricey per month, but the equipment is so good, with so many variations, boxing, basketball, swimming, etc etc...