Choosing the right gym membership
Posted by
Stacie |
April 14, 2007 .
While pondering if my gym membership is really worth the cost versus owning gym equipment, buying several videos, or just running/biking outdoors, I decided to price several different fitness clubs. I called around to several clubs in the area today (and looked at several websites), and most cost between $40 – 50 a month plus an initiation fee.
How to choose the right fitness club
- Most clubs have an initiation fee. These fees range from $50-$150, so be prepared to dish out a chunk of cash up-front. You may be able to negotiate a lower fee, or no fee at all, so try!
- In order to find out how much the club membership costs, expect to spend about 30-60 minutes at the gym talking numbers with their “sales representative”. As I found out, most clubs are not willing to give you pricing online or via phone without making an appointment first. They know it’s too easy for you to just hang up the phone versus walk out the door.
- Ask for a trial membership—most clubs offer between a 1-day free membership to a 30-day trial membership.
- Only buy the amount of membership you need. If your club offers the ability to use other clubs for an extra fee , would you really use it? Do you expect to move anytime soon? Do you usually travel and plan to use the gym there?
- Do you live in an apartment complex/condo that has a gym? If so, why spend the extra money to go to a gym when you could work out there? After all, you are already paying for gym privileges at your apartment/condo through the “condo/community” fee, so why pay twice?
- Do you get privileges to all amenities within the gym facility (pool, racquetball court, group fitness classes, dietitian, personal trainer) and would you use them?
- Can you transfer or sell back your membership if you no longer can use it? For example, some gyms let you cancel the membership only if you move more than 50 miles away.
- Do you need a club? Do you mostly work out outside (biking, hiking, running) or with an exercise video? Or, do you enjoy the atmosphere of the gym? What type of workout will help you meet your fitness goals?
My gym membership is good on rainy days and those unbearably hot days when I don’t want to run outdoors. As well, I like having the ability to weight train at the gym. So, for now, I think I’ll keep that membership! What do you think?
Posted under
Health & Fitness |
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Hi Stacie! Another tip I have is to check out your city’s park and rec dept to see if they have any facilities to use. Most likely it will be a lot cheaper than a regular gym. The one I belong to uses a punch card system instead of monthly fees. 3 years ago I purchased 100 punches at $1 each. I am still using those same punches today. I prefer to workout outdoors instead of using a treadmill so this way I only pay for what I use. No monthly memberships wasted.
The downside is I am not very motivated to do any strength training when I am at home. My plan is to go to my gym over my lunch hour for a 30 minute strength training workout twice a week.