When deciding to get a gym membership or to move from your old gym to a new one, there are a few things you should consider. Don’t let choosing a gym drive you bonkers. Here is a simple guide designed to help you, based on years of my own personal experience.
GUIDE: CHOOSING A GYM
- Availability: Location, Distance, Hours. This may seem like it’s a no-brainer but it can be tougher than you think. When I lived in the suburbs of a metropolitan area, it was super easy to get a gym. Gyms were a dime-a-dozen, on about every street corner. Not really, but it seemed that way. Yet, when I moved to a rural area there was a limited amount of gym locations in my town. The location, distance, and hours of operation can be the biggest factors above everything else on this list. I found a gym that encompasses all that I need, only 23 miles from my house. The hours of operation are decent and work great with my schedule.
- Equipment: Free Weights, Machines, Cardio, Pool. A gym needs plenty of equipment to handle the needs of its members. High quality or popular brands should be in place. All equipment “should” be maintained and cleaned. Free weights and dumbbells should be re-racked and placed in their proper place when not in use. Machines should not have sweat and fraying cables. Covers and pads should not be torn up. I understand heavy use and machines or barbells and weights looking old and used, but they need to be in great working condition. I chose a gym that not only has a good variety of free weights, machine equipment, and cardio equipment but also has a lap pool. I swim for cardio, so this was a plus for me being under one roof.
- Service Options: Classes, Personal trainers, Nutrition help, Tanning, a Kids area, etc. These opinions are going to change depending on your situation and goal(s) you have set for yourself. Classes are very handy and offer a variety of options for you. Having Personal trainers that know their stuff is super important. Trainers and staff need to know how to answer questions, be personable, and definitely know how to set up the equipment. Nutrition help is a plus and it's great if the gym you are thinking about joining offers classes or personal assistance in this. Tanning is a great option as well, if you are a competitor or just like to stay bronze all year around. Kids area is an option you may need if your kids are under the gym’s allowed age. This is an important factor for many parents. Personally, I don’t have younger kids and my gym allows children over 10 years of age to swim or workout on the equipment with adult supervision.
- Pricing: Levels or membership, Cash, C.C., or Bank account withdraws. They say pricing is important and I agree with this for the most part. However, my prayer for you is that this would not be the only deciding factor for you in making this decision about a gym membership. Your health is too important to short change yourself. If you believe that your life and health is valuable then you should be willing to make this investment. Box gym clubs may offer you all I mentioned above for the low price of $9.99, but remember that their goal is about getting numbers. To them, 200 people are great but 300 is better. Please, hear me… There are some really amazing gyms where the costs are higher but they offer top notch services, tried and true trainers, and they offer classes that aren't just thrown together to appeal to the mass market of people. However, if these box type gyms are all you have available then I get it. However...
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