Right now I actually have two gym memberships. I’ve been going to the LA Fitness 2 miles from my house for about 5 years now, but they are opening a 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport 1 mile from my house in 2 weeks, and I got a great rate deal on that. I’ll probably keep both for awhile to see which has better class schedules, but might keep both on indefinitely because their amenities are pretty different.
I also take small group apparatus Pilates classes - those are frickin’ expensive, but I love it. And I rationalize it because it’s for my health, right???
I go three times a week. My husband decided to start taking my son, so I just go because they do, but I do about ten machines and walk on the treadmill. I’m fit but wouldn’t mind being stronger.
When my husband finishes his workout, he goes to sit in the steam room for a while and I get to read in the lobby while I wait. That’s my real motivation!
Frequency: 3x/week, plus 3 days running on the road.
Satisfaction: I’m pretty happy with it. I have belonged to a local Work Out World (North/Central NJ) for about 5 years. It’s big, bright, tons of equipment, no waiting, no crowds, lots of “free movement” areas (empty area in front of a mirror to do non-machine exercises), and no hassle. My only complaint is the music- it’s poppy/techno, which I hate but generally ignore. I don’t use an iPod or anything when I work out or run, prefer to sort of get lost in my thoughts.
Motive: aside from “stay healthy”, “vanity” and “feeling good”, I’m usually training for something (currently: Tough Mudder). Also, if I don’t exercise my core regularly, after a few weeks I start to get lower back pain which exacerbates my sciatica, so “pain avoidance” is another motivator. Another: my wife frequently telling me how good I look, which usually culminates in sex in one form or another. So, there’s that.
Cost: I don’t know what prevailing rates are, but I’m locked in at $32/mo. Seems reasonable to me for what I get out of it.
Also- I’ve done the home gym thing, but it’s actually easier for me to get motivated to leave the house and work out in a gym than it is to do it in my own house. When I’m at the gym, I get in, do my intense workout, sweat all over a floor that someone else has to clean, and get out, no socializing, no distractions, no “hmmm, now that I’m looking at that, I think this weekend I’ll get out my tools and fix (whatever)…”
M/W/F- the TM workout, from the website. I’m mixing in additional pullups throughout; I try to do 5-6 rounds of wide grip/medium grip/narrow grip pullups or chinups, total about 60-70 for the hour I’m at the gym.
T/Th/Sat or Sun- running; 3-4 miles during the week, 7-10 on weekends. Gave up alcohol for Lent and continuing that until the event on 4/29; it helped me lose about 8 pounds. Any help I can get to get up the Berlin Walls, rope climb, and other obstacles, will help.
That’s funny because I’m running a mud run that same weekend, but it’s only three miles long. The Tough Mudder I want to do isn’t until September, so I’m really just working up to running 12 miles right now. I’m doing my normal weight training regimen a few times a week, and then running intervals once a week and running a longer distance once a week.
I pay megabucks for mine - at least by my definition, it’s like $75 month. This includes all classes and childcare.
I know in some way it’s silly, but when I went to less-fancy gyms I wasn’t motivated to go. The stupid perks like a cafe with decent food, lockers that you use your member card for (no need to bring a lock), private showers, and good childcare open all day make it easier to come in. One gym had no childcare before 9AM or after 12, and sometimes I needed to go earlier or later and couldn’t because I had the kids. Others only had group showers, which I won’t use, so I couldn’t go if I later had to go somewhere that being smelly was frowned upon. I can’t run on the road with the kids, and the weather makes me wimp out of that too often anyway. Plus there’s a pool (indoor and out) for lap swimming, a hot tub, and a nice outdoor family pool.
I joined Gold’s Gym 10 months ago, and am amazed at how often I still go: usually 2-3 times/week. I should go every day, or at least every weekday (it’s near my office; I go after work), but it’s a start. I hired a personal trainer when I joined, for the first 8 weeks or so, but that’s very expensive so I’ve been on my own since early fall.
I find that when I’m not working with a trainer I don’t do any weight or fitness training, just cardio. But since my focus is weight loss, it seems to be ok that I’m only there for the elliptical machines. (Strength and fitness are nice-to-haves: having no muscle tone won’t kill me, but being this overweight could.) All the cardio in the world won’t help me, though, if I don’t get back on the “eating better” wagon that I fell off over the winter…I’ve been steadily losing weight since I joined the gym, but recently gained three pounds back. :smack:
As for the cost, it’s only $20/month: there are very few amenities (I don’t need racquetball, a pool, etc.), and I opted to be a member at just the one location (a multi-gym membership would cost more).
I hate my gym, because it’s a gym. I hate exercise, sweating, all that stuff. I’d much rather have a nice brisk sit at home with a cup of tea, a good book, and a cat. But then I’d be even fatter, so I go 2 or 3 times a week. My gym has a pool, which is a nice reward after the sweaty stuff. It’s moderately expensive, but it’s the best I’ve found. It’s clean and well-maintained. Also it’s associated with a hospital and rehab/physical therapy facility so there are plenty of people who are in worse shape than I am. Definitely not a “meat market,” no pounding rap music, etc.
I’m wondering - is the only choice in your culture between “Gym” and “doing sports on your own (running, biking)”? Is there no third option like “Join a sports club” where you play many different games on different times? Football = soccer, basketball, volleyball; budo; outdoor: kayak/ canoing, hockey, …
Because I belong to a sport club with many options. I could add a gym = machines option, but generally gym is too boring.
There are gyms = machines plus aerobic and similar classes, mostly for people who work a lot and thus want to work out during off times, or who have image problems and want to do body building.
Since I’m in a university setting, I have access to various sport clubs and special classes. I do (in addition to regular gym stuff) capoeira and belly dancing.
I don’t like gym with just free weights and treadmill (or elliptical). I take the aerobics and water aerobics and sports muscle conditioning, and yea, run on a track (instead of treadmill). I found out I prefer it that way. Makes exercise less boring, and, at least for my area, I feel a bit of satisfaction when even though I’m one of the “oldest” in the class, I can do more than the undergrads.
I try to go every other day, but it usually ends up being about 3/4 times a week. I go to my University’s gym which is huge (actually same one as KarlGrenze’s), but I only pay around $15/mo since I’m staff. I mainly use it for cardio machines and classes, getting most of my strength training at my trapeze studio. It skews younger since it’s a university setting, but I’ve never felt like an outsider. I hardly notice the other people anyway; I don’t think I’ve ever talked to anyone there unless I already knew them.
I get a kick out of running past gyms and watching the schmucks inside on the treadmills, paying perfectly good money when I get my exercise for nothing more than whatever tax I pay to keep up the sidewalks and roads and the cost of my running shoes. Running on a treadmill is relentlessly, hopelessly boring, plus you don’t get the breeze to cool you off/dry your sweat, so I wind up soaking wet. True, it’s hard when it’s cold or raining, but the discipline to get out there even in less than perfect conditions is, I feel, one of the benefits of running.
That said, I’d probably feel differently if I was into lifting heavy things. (I’m not. Heavy things are heavy for a reason: They don’t want to be picked up.) And I’d dig having some of the side benefits of a gym, like a sauna; I just love a good sauna. But it’s not worth the membership fee just for that.
I don’t go to a gym, but I do workout regularly (about 3 times a week), just basic calisthenics and running though. I do so to lose weight and keep healthy. I thoroughly enjoy calisthenics and loved lifting weights when I used to. The running I still despise though. I cannot understand this “runner’s high” I’ve heard of for the life of me, and I have been consistently running for almost a year. The only feeling I get is utter exhaustion, granted, followed by a good feeling of satisfaction, but that is often short lived.
I don’t think I can justify myself going to a gym. I don’t really like working out with other people. Part of that is being self conscious, but I also just prefer doing my own thing, not having to keep up or wait up for others and not have to worry about equipment being occupied. You can get a decent bench and a set of free weights which will last you a life time for what most people spend on a year or two of a gym membership.
For me, no. I’d hate the organized sports even worse than the gym. I am horrible at those things. I was always the very last one chosen for any sports team in school. Because of my bad knee my doctor says I must refrain from any impact activities – no running, for example. Not too fond of organized activities in any case.
Theoretically I could have my bicycle repaired and bike around the neighborhood, but that’s not an option when it’s too hot, too cold, raining, snowing, etc.
If gyms really looked like they do on the commercials, i.e. full of highly attractive, happy, cheerful, very fit people working out, bouncing around, and performing suggestive exercises in tight, thin clothing, I’d be there in a heartbeat, but the reality is what you see in the big windows when you go past: sweaty, fat, unhappy, unattractive people undulating on treadmills (why do they always put the treadmills in front of the window facing the street?!).
I’ll just ride my bike down to the high school down the street and run a few laps around the track for free, thank you very much.
