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Choosing the right gym is an important investment in a healthy lifestyle and, as with any investment decisions, it’s critical tfor you to take your time to find the right gym to suit your needs and preferences. Here are the top ten tips for choosing a gym which is right for you.
1. Search Within Yourself
To many, location would be the first thing to consider in choosing a gym. Venue is surely imperative but what’s more important than anything else is to ask yourself what you exactly want to achieve and what sort of gym facilities would help you attaining these goals. We all have different motives for joining a club and these could range from improving fitness to losing weight to hooking up with someone. Another question to ask yourself is, of course, how much you are willing to spend?
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2. Convenient Location
You may feel highly motivated now, but realistically speaking, there’s no guarantee the enthusiasm would last a few weeks or months down the road. Location is a matter of grave importance simply because an unnecessary and inconvenient commuting can easily dampen your motivation. For the sake of convenience, go for gyms that are close to your home or office.
Major fitness centres like Fitness First and True Fitness have branches all over Klang Valley these days so you may just be lucky enough to have the same franchise near your home as well as your workplace.
3. Price
Substance should always win out over glitz and glamour. Be aware of what you are looking for in a gym and what you will be paying for in a membership. If you just want to use the weights but are getting charged for the sauna, steam room and other trappings it’s a better idea to go for a smaller and cheaper gym with no frills. Parking fees should also be put into consideration.
Don’t fall for their aggressive sales approach. Fitness centre marketing people would hit you with all sorts of sales tactics just to pressure you to sign up. They’ll even resort to telling you that you’re obese or at a pathetic fitness level. Feel free to ask them to @#%! and walk away when they do this. Since they’re not concerned about offending you, neither should you. Always remember to be the boss in the selling process.
Here are tips on things you should be aware of when you are signing a health club contract:
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Find out how long the contract is for and if they have a monthly membership where you pay as you go.
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Find out if the membership automatically rolls over when your contract is completed.
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Haggle with the salesperson and you’re likely to get reduced rates.
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Be absolutely sure everything you agree on gets inked into your contract.
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Be clear on the terms and conditions for cancelling your membership. A lot of the big fitness clubs are overly stringent with membership cancellation and charges penalties when you do so.
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4. Timing
It’s wise to know your preferred days and times you would want to hit the gym. Ideally, anywhere from three to six times a week is good enough for a beginner or a serious athlete. The trendy clubs tend to operate as early as 6am to as late as 12pm, seven days a week. Nobody likes to wait for their equipment so if you prefer working out in a more private environment it’s best to go early in the morning instead of the peak hour which is usually 7pm to 10pm. Or else, join a less crowded club.
5. Selection of Equipment
A gym that has too much equipment can be just as bad as a gym that doesn’t have enough as they can be quite confusing, especially to a beginner. If you are a beginner in weight training it’s important to look out for the weight room section of the gym because this is where you would and should spend most of your time in. Intermediate and advanced trainers should look for heavy dumbells as this is a good indication of the target membership of a gym – the heavier the dumbells, the more advanced the trainers. Remember to look for a wide variety of cardio machines as well.
Of course, if you already have a basic home gym (dumbells, barbell and bench) you should be looking for access to equipments that allows you to do the workouts you can’t do at home so go for gyms that offer machines that would necessitate this stipulation. Personally, as far as weight rooms are concerned, I go for gyms that has rubber flooring and rubber plates for its dumbells and barbells. This is just so that I have the pleasure of dropping the weights after every set without worrying about damaging the floor or the plates.
If the gym is dirty and the equipment is falling apart then chances are it is not a good choice. Also, if you don’t have a workout partner or spotter it’s best to go for a weight room that has a Smith machine. The Smith machine consists of a barbell that is fixed within steel rails, allowing you to do squats and bench-presses safely without a spotter.
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6. Atmosphere
There’s no point of going to a gym that has all the latest equipments if the environment makes you feel uncomfortable or anxious. This is why I always advise beginners to start off at home or at a smaller gym.
Some people like the upbeat atmosphere while others prefer the working out in peace and quiet. Find a gym that motivates, inspires and energizes you. You must also see what the other members are like. There’s nothing worse than being around people who are unpleasant or intrusive people. For women who may not feel at ease exercising amongst men there are female-only gyms in town that’s worth googling.
7. Staff and Trainers
The trainers they have at the gym are very important especially for beginners. Entering a gym having no idea what you’re doing can be awkward and even intimidating so a good trainer would help you get pass this by guiding you as you learn to attain the proper form in your exercises. If they are very qualified and experience you can learn a lot from them so make the most out of this by asking them a lot of questions.
Friendly, pleasant and approachable staff would also provide for a positive atmosphere.
8. Facilities
The big and trendy clubs would have changing rooms, showers, lockers, hairdryers, hot water, saunas, studios, steam rooms, children’s facilities etc. If you’re into all these frills and don’t mind paying for them than go for it by all means.
9. Classes
Be informed about all the classes held at the fitness centre you’re scrutinizing. The popular ones usually hold the usual yoga, aerobics, tae bo, pilates, RPMs etc.
10. Try Before You Buy
Ask for a trial membership or a guest pass that will allow you to try out the gym for at least one week. They have every reason to let you to do this before making a decision to join.
Take That Step
A journey begins with a single step. I hope the above suggestion would be of help for those who wants to start getting in shape. Remember to test out a few gyms before signing any sort of contract and don’t let the pushy salesperson pressure you into it.
Here are links to the three of the biggest fitness centres in the country that would provide you with further details:
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