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The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Right Gym

Going to the gym should be a fun event. And, they can be expensive. The worst thing that can happen is that you sign up for a gym you find out you hate and are stuck with 12 months worth of fees.

Edit: You can now find a gym near you using Muscle&Strength's GymFinder tool. It's free and easy to use and lists about 25,000 gyms.

Here are the best ways to find the right gym.

1. It should be close

I have found that when the gym is more than about ten minutes drive away from my home or work I never bother going. If you live in a city that is really busy then the best spot to have your gym is in between your house and your work. That way you can visit every time you finish work. It is also a good reminder each day as you will drive past it and ask yourself “why aren’t I going in today?”.

2. It should give you a trail period

Many gyms are money makers and do not give a stuff about the clients. If they DO NOT offer you a trial period of more than one session then I WOULD NOT sign up with them. This is a very good indication that they are not interested in customer relations and that further on down the track they will shaft you for no good reason.

3. The staff are ALWAYS friendly

One of the BEST TESTS to see whether a gym is a good one or not is to go in about 30 minutes before their close time on a quiet night and see if they try to kick you out. My gym always turns off the music, televisions and locks the spa and pool about 20 minutes til close time because the staff wants to go home. THIS IS NOT ON!

We pay a lot of money for our memberships and as such have a right to use all the gym equipment during all the stated opening hours. The contract mentions those opening hours. So, on your trial days go in and see whether they try to kick you out early.

4. The equipment is GOOD

Notice I didn’t say the equipment is NEW. It is important to have good quality machines that work well and are good at hitting the right muscles.

For example, at my friends gym they have a 50 year old Nautilis Abs Cruncher Machine that looks like it will break when you sit on it. However, it has been well maintained, is in good shape and the piece of equipment works so much better than any modern abs cruncher I have ever say on. So they keep it. This is the kind of attention to detail you should look for.

5. What kind of people go there?

If you are a mother who is new to the gym and just wants to go as a hobby you probably don’t want to end up at a gym where they are all bodybuilders yelling and pumping weights and staring at your butt all day. You want to exercise in peace.

Make sure you check out who goes to the gym when you are on your trial. The busiest time of the day is between 5 and 7.30pm when everyone knocks off of work. Make your way down then and check out the people. Generally the inner city gyms are full of bodybuilders, boxers and crazy security guards while the suburban gyms are full of mothers, wives and high school kids. Which one will annoy you more?

6. What are the opening hours?

I wish I was smart enough to look at this one when I signed the dotted line! My gym is open for two hours on Saturday and four hours on Sunday, both the days that I really need to work out the most. Make sure your gym is going to be open when you need it to be open. If you work the late shift then find a 24 hours gym nearby.

7. How much does it cost to cancel?

Life throws a lot of things on our road and if you have a financial speed bump then you might want to cancel your gym membership and just go jogging or workout at home. If you need to do this you don’t want to be hit with a massive $500 fine or have to pay out the rest of the year when it is only February or May. All of this information should be in the contract.

8. How busy does it get?

When you want to do bench press but all the benches are full it can get pretty annoying. And if it is like that all the time that is even worth. Sometimes my brother and I go down to the gym at midday and it is still so full we can’t get onto the right machines. Always check and see how busy it is at the times you want to be there.

9. Are there any hot people there?

This is a little bit of a joke but it is always nice to be working out and watching all the beautiful people around you!

10. Are the trainers any good?

If you go into the gym and the trainers are all skinny little soft high school kids then you probably aren’t going to be able to get a lot of good information out of them. If you are new to exercise and, in particular, weight training then you are going to want to talk to experts and get them to check out your technique. If the trainers are no good then you have to talk to people who are training there and that can get annoying.

However, if you can’t find anyone you can always drop me an email and I will help you as much as I can. If you are really worried you could send a video in an I will tell you what to fix.

Conclusion
We spend a lot of time at the gym. And, a lot of that time we are working out doing hard and annoying things. We want to make it as pleasant as possible in the given circumstances.

What else should I add to the list? I’d love some comments about what you find annoying at the gym.

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