How To Find Your Gym

This is hard to do for most people for many reasons. Common reasons include cost, location, free-weight vs machine selection, amount of treadmills, and intimidation factor.

Since high school I have gone to about 8-9 gyms all with their own pros and cons. On average, over the past 12 years, I have spent about $25 each month on a gym membership. For me this was an investment since I utilize my membership nearly every day. Personally, I look for how heavy the weights go and how big the gym is (can I get my work done during a high volume time?).

Location: You want to look for a gym that is convenient. First think about when you will be going to the gym. If you’re going before or immediately after work you may want to find a gym near your work. If you’re going to go late at night or every weekend then stay close to home. Take the effort of having to go to the gym out of the equation.

Cost: While searching for a gym I have found gyms that cost $9/month through $200/month. For the average person who just wants to use weights without wanting to go to classes I would recommend going with the cheaper option. On average, the cheaper gyms are in good shape and give you enough tools to achieve your goal.

Crowd: The first thing that I like to do when finding a gym is to go on google. Google lists the amount of people at the gym during a given time using a bar graph. Obviously, most gyms will be crowded during the after work hours but it is always good to check this out for when you want to go.

Credit: Google.com

Free-weight vs Machine selection: This is hard to identify without actually going to the gym. For the average person I would recommend a mix between the two. It’s always good to have the variability. Some gyms like Planet Fitness are heavy in machines while other gyms like NYSC are heavy in free-weights. Go to the gym and ask for a tour.

During this time it’s a good idea to check out the crowd. Do you feel intimidated? Do you feel comfortable?

After weighing the pro’s and con’s of all your options it is time to choose your gym. Look for friends who can refer you for credit. Look for credit card perks such as cash back! If you have a card that gives 1% back on all purchases use that card to make the most of your money.

Sign up without dragging your feet. Once you begin to pay not going is only a waste of money.