Gym Membership

  • Thread starter Thread starter EasterJoy
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I love going to the gym! Well, at least I love the way I feel after I’ve been. 😃

Things I look for in a gym are:
  • Open during the hours I want (If you’re only looking at going 3-5pm see if your gym has a reduced rate if you sign up to attend reduced hours).
  • In an area that is easy to get to. If it’s difficult you won’t go.
  • Group Exercise Classes
  • Newness of equipment (do they look recent or are they 15 years behind the times)
  • Friendly Staff
  • Month-to-Month billing (Or I’m very careful to read every line before signing any longterm contracts
We recently joined a gym (after having quit our old one six months ago) that has TV sets on all the treadmills, a child’s care room, 24 hour availability, personal training, group classes, a great location, cheap membership fees for the two of us, and an overall feeling of “this is nice”.
 
Planet Fitness has been a boon to me. Endurance running has lit a spark in me like nothing else has. No seriously…it’s the only thing that’s gotten me out the door. I never have and will probably never be “fast” but going mile after mile (walking or running) thrills me. While I prefer to do it all outdoors (rain or shine), it’s wonderful to have access to cardio equipment for that cheap on those icy and stormy days. It is a hike into the next town but since I only go there during my already scheduled “running time” it’s not as big a deal.

I’ve never felt intimidated by the weightlifters but certainly the runners. I prefer to be “intimispired” by those who can run <10 minute miles than by men with biceps the same diameter as my hips (not my thigh though that would still be impressively large…my HIPS!). I joined one gym along my commute specifically for after-work aerobics classes and I would not set foot into the weight room. I was scared out of my mind because I had never seen biceps that big before on so many men (it didn’t help that the room was pretty dark…not a lot of windows and the artificial light was awful). I was so scared I stopped going once the days got shorter. Men with enormous biceps need a place to work out too…that place is just not the place for me. :o

Maybe if the day comes where I feel the itch to add more to what I’m doing I’ll “upgrade” to the LA Fitness up the street with more amenities (like a pool). But I don’t feel that itch now and I can’t justify paying 40+ a month for treadmill use during unsafe weather.
 
ChiRho said:
I’d be surprised if you knew what oly lifting was without googling it, Rascalking
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considering that “functional fitness,” oly lifting, squatting 3 times a week, crossfit, rippetoes, etc, have been staples of trendy hipster conversation over the last 4 years, I’d be a little more surprised if he had to google it.

Personally, I like a gym where I don’t have to get dirty looks for lifting heavy and running fast. But I also don’t really want to be around people who’s primary conversations in life are about squat routines and eating paleo.
 
PPeterson said:
considering that “functional fitness,” oly lifting, squatting 3 times a week, crossfit, rippetoes, etc, have been staples of trendy hipster conversation over the last 4 years, I’d be a little more surprised if he had to google it.

Personally, I like a gym where I don’t have to get dirty looks for lifting heavy and running fast. But I also don’t really want to be around people who’s primary conversations in life are about squat routines and eating paleo.
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ughh… I really wish crossfit didn’t have to be mentioned in the same sentence as real sports like weightlifting and powerlifting
 
ChiRho said:
ughh… I really wish crossfit didn’t have to be mentioned in the same sentence as real sports like weightlifting and powerlifting
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Sorry for bumping an old thread but as someone who got into weightlifting after years of gymnastics I think your statement is kind of wrong. I personally like crossfit a lot. It encompasses much of the conditioning I did in gymnastics. This training made me feel much more athletic than weightlifting did for me. Honestly, if I could still do gymnastics at my age just to keep fit I would. I think it made me much more healthy and balanced than your standard exercise methods.
 
Update: We joined a gym with raquetball courts and basketball courts at the end of January. It’s been very good, especially when the weather is either wet or super hot. Our kids have lost tons of fat, they’re much more fit, and they had fun doing it. They ask to go to the club all the time. I’m even exercising and starting to do strength training, too, although I’m well behind them. We found a gym that had facilities we’d use, and it has been worth every penny.

Note: We joined in January, when there was a deal that essentially erased the joining fee, and at the beginning we paid the slightly higher rate to have a month-to-month membership, until we were sure we wanted. It has worked out very well. We also pay a small fee for a locker, so that we can keep the raquets, raquetballs, and court shoes at the club.
 
EasterJoy said:
Does anyone here belong to a gym, used to belong to a gym, would belong to a gym if they could…?

Advice? We’re thinking of joining one, but it is a bit of an investment.
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Dear Easter Joy–

A lot of gyms are doing away with the 2-year contract and going to month-to month plans, so this is a good time to look! 👍

I used to belong to Urban Active (used to be Gold’s Gym). It was a very expensive contract, but offered a lot (now they are offering much less expensive month-to-month). I prefer classes, like spinning, yoga, etc. and my daughter prefers solitary activities, like the treadmill. The machines nowadays have TVs in them, so you can bring headphones and watch while you walk. They even had a big dark “movie theater” with treadmills, ellipticals, and gazelles, so you could watch an entire movie (if you have the stamina!) 😉 They had LOTS of machines and also had a pool.

After our membership was up, my other daughter and I joined a much less expensive month-to-month gym. The staff were friendly, knew us by name, and very helpful. They had a lot of machines, but didn’t offer any classes.

When they closed down, all 3 of us joined moderately-priced 2-year contract gym. It’s within walking distance of our house (or would be, if I weren’t arthritic) and is open 24/7. My daughters and I have odd schedules due to school and jobs, so this is most convenient for all of us. I’ve gone at 4 am before work, and the girls have gone at midnight or later. However, it is rather small, has classes that you have to pay for, and doesn’t have a lot of equipment that I can use (just the elliptical; even a treadmill is too high-impact for me).

I am sorry for babbling, but I just wanted to show you that there are a lot of options out there. 🙂

Jala
 
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