What To Look For When Joining A Gym

Whether switching gyms or joining one for the first time, the following things to look for will help you choose the right gym so the only thing you’ll find sucky about working out is your workout itself — NOT THE GYM AND EVERYTHING ELSE!

DUES

Pick the membership plan that’s right for your length and type of usage. Don’t get suckered into buying add-ons you don’t need that the cute sales associate pushes onto you so they can make commission to supplement a base salary that’s even more pitiful than your own!¹

LOCATION

The statistic that I’m pulling out of my ass right now says that you’re 99.63 percent more likely to skip a workout for the most bullshittingest of reasons if getting to and from the gym is a pain in the ass because it’s out of the way in a completely different direction than where you are most of the day.²

ENVIRONMENT

Sure, you might be able to deadlift at the posh athletic club you want to sign up for but it might get annoying if members are always complaining about the sound of the weight slamming onto the ground. So what type of people does the gym cater to? And are you looking to be left alone? Or are you looking to become friends with people you can potentially have lunch with, swap partners with, and do other shit outside of the gym with? Those are some things to keep in mind!³

HOURS OF OPERATION

The gym should be open when you need it open in accordance to your work and daily schedule, as well as on the weekends and holidays when you want to get away from your family.⁴

EQUIPMENT

Make sure the equipment suits your needs so you don’t find yourself trying to build serious strength in a place where the dumbbells only go up to 50 lbs, for instance.

Also, make sure there’s enough of everything so you don’t join a gym with only one then find out you’re the only person who likes squats and thinks squatting in a squat rack is a genius idea, as opposed to taking up the only squat rack in the fucking place to do anything but squat.⁵

PERKS AND AMENITIES

You probably shouldn’t join that gym if you like swimming or need someone to babysit your kid while you work out but those offerings aren’t available or access to them costs more than you can afford.⁶

According to industry estimates, the average gym membership costs just under $60 per month and two-thirds of them go unused. What this amounts to is billions of dollars wasted on underutilized gym membership.

Other than having a lack of motivation and humans being genetically hardwired to conserve energy rather than expend it by exercising, some of the reasons that people don’t go to the gym despite plopping down money for it is because the gym they joined just isn’t conducive to their goals and everyday lifestyle, which underscores the importance of location and environment, as well as extra features, like childcare service.

But do you even need a gym membership?

The answer is not really.

If you live in a temperate climate, you can run and cycle outside year round. If you’re not so blessed, a new or used treadmill or stationary bike can be easily had, so long as you have the space for the equipment and discretionary income. The same goes for dumbbells, barbells, weight plates, and a power rack. Even more, the advent of the internet has brought about social media and online forums that can help recreate the workout community of a gym.

Be that as it may that working out at home is a viable option, a large majority of home exercise equipment goes unused. There’s just something about having gym equipment at your ready at home that removes the sense of urgency to use it because you feel like you can always use it whenever you like. As a result, today’s home workout gets put off for tomorrow, then the day after that, and the day after that. And then *BOOM!!!* the piece of exercise equipment is nothing more than a glorified clothes rack.

That’s why the gym is a better option for most people.

So if you want to make a part of your life and know that having a home gym setup will have more of a negative than positive effect toward that objective, then some of the above things to look for in a gym should help you make your decision on which one to join.

After that, you just have to make it a priority to actually go!

Glossary: barbell, deadlift, dumbbell, exercise, gym, gym membership, home gym, Monday, motivation, priority, squat, squat rack, squats, tomorrow, treadmill, weekend, work out, workout

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Monster Longe

Monster Longe is a personal trainer in San Diego. He has been lifting weights for +25 years and training clients in the gym and online for about half of that time. When not working with clients or making content that's easy to read, understand, and apply to everyday life, he enjoys long walks and leaving buildings crushed and entire city blocks decimated in his wake.