how did/do u guys choose your gym???

[danielson]

ive finally grown out of using some of the weights at my ridiculously underfunded rat infested uni gym (plus it has no squat rack only a smith machine, and i hate what it is doing to my knees)

unfortunately there are more fitness centres here than gymnasiums.....and they all want to hold u down to a contract, usually 12 months.

problem is im pissed scared that i'll eventually wanna quit due to a problem with someone there or i hate the way its always packed or i dislike something else with it.

so how do u guys choose your gyms. i take the tour and tend to take everything the guide says with a pinch of salt...i look for everything i need (squat rack, moderately heavy dumbells etc), but what else can u look for. people there, washroom facilities? anything else?

Also what tricks do the gym put into their contracts? the guy showing jme round the last one sounded like a 2nd hand car salesmen (he said "because i like u and u look serious ill drop the membership fee from 299pounds to 250pounds, but dont tell my boss ok!....but this means u have to sign up in a week!). a warning klaxon in my head went off.

any help would be appreciated

 

[Big Buck]

my gym is free.

 

[Kryp2o]

how did/do u guys choose your gym???

Very Carefully.

Actually it was through a friend of mine who rarely ever post on this board.

 

[satanic goatslayer]

I workout at home.

 

[danielson]

my gym is too....trouble is its not got a squat rack (only smith machine), dumbells are only 30kg (i aint particularly strong but this is taking the piss), its has rat infestations (they promise me they got them but i still here 1 or 2 at nights) and most depressing as well the gym is 1hr15 mins away by tube (3hrs 30 total journey time!)....when i come back there are always drunk mofo's on the tube and i cant sleep, or someones trying to annoy me or its just packed, wither way it just bugs me

and i dont have nearly enough equipment (a barbell and dumbell set with not enough weight) at home nor the space to put it....i could always invest in bowflex

 

[Peyote Killa]

If that is the closest one, stop going, and invest in some home gym equipment.
It's your only choice

 

[danielson]

no there are many that are closer, but

1) they all cost significantly more

2) since ive only ever belonged tyo my uni gym which was like pay 20 quid and use it as much as u like, i have no idea how to approach getting these gyms memberships. i have read of people getting scammed before, once or twice on here and i wad just wondering if u guys had any advice, what to look out for, what too look for on the contract?

the closest is 10 minutes walk away

 

[Peyote Killa]

First I work for 24 hour fitness
Do NOT sign any contract period, cuz if you do, you are getting screwed.
Look for something with low monthly, you might have a high down payment, but the monthly is the thing to be worried about. Cuz it will ad up if your monthly is high.
Also don't let them sell you something you do not need, just pay attention to all the little details.
If you are smart you will find exactly what you want, and not have to pay an arm and a leg.

 

[DEI]

My gym is the closest to my home, even when it is not the best nor close to be, but the distance can not be an excuse to miss a training.

 

[danielson]

cheers for the info dude

they said something odd to me:

24.50 a month or 299 a year (he said hed discount the year)

but he said the monthly one was for 12 months anyway, they just withdraw 24.50 every month. and unfortunately almost every gym has yearly membership apart from 1 which has daily, or 3/6/12 months "(but the gym aint all that

 

[danielson]

My gym is the closest to my home, even when it is not the best nor close to be, but the distance can not be an excuse to miss a training.

i be at uni, but live at home so its very tough to train and work. but ive only missed 7 days of training in the last 8 months....which is due to illness or finals (which i passed )

 

[theoak01]

i fouind the biggest gym with the most freeweights,works for me

 

[kitKat]

I have to drive 25- 30 minutes to get to a good gym (24 hr. fitness) all around me are massive houses fancy shopping centers and one workout place for women. I went in when it first opened and promptly left. It is set up for aerobics, treadmills, bikes, a few machines and almost no free weights. NOT my idea of a gym or a place to get a good workout.

 

[BackDoc]

One of my best friends is opening a gym that is going to be ultra hardcore. No universal, no cybex, no cable driven weight stacks, not even a smith machine. Only free weights and the basic necessities for power lifts. An underground basement facility with hardly a sign or anything. Membership by invitation only. Hardcore for the most hardcore of lifters. Some cities have these types of gyms. No contract, pay by the month, everyone knows your name and how much weight you can push. That's the kind of gym for me. No bullshit contracts and no cardio playtoys.

 

[HappyScrappy]

this was the only gym that would let me bring a goat in for cardio - no questions asked.
I just had to clean up and prove the goat was of legal age of consent.
good people.

 

[bigmag]

There's only three gyms for me to choose from so it wasn't difficult....my gym is the cheapest of the three with the best quality and variety of weights

 

[cladshirt]

Re

Our church had a gym that was just ok. Nobody was doing crap with it. I took over the gym, got them to spend 10k and we have a kick ass gym. Did I mention it is free.

 

[Scott Steinner]

Here, were I live just opened 2 great workout centras. They are 5 min from my house. The dumbbels only goes to 60 pounds. So this is not really possitive, but the first centra also opened a centra 20 min. away and there there the dumbbels will go to 200 pounds. and we are allowed to train in the both centers!

 

[danielson]

cheers dudes

u guys are lucky....it seems u do have some proper gym around the place (i dont near me at least)....hmmm, descisons desicisions.....i wanna whack on some mass these holidays so id better choose fast! i got a choice of 4 the rest are just too expensive. at one they offer to scan your body by laser and project a 3D model of your body to monitor your progress...then i asked how much this all cost

but i definately need more equipment

 

[BigGuns2]

It is the only gym in my town.