Okay, so I haven’t done a lick of exercise since October, when my apartment complex’s free fitness center shut down for an indefinite amount of time for structural leaks. I’m middle aged, and want to become healthier and stronger just so my body and heart don’t completely fall apart in the coming decades.
I now have a job with a $25 stipend a month for gyms, and there’s an exercise room (just equipment) in the same building on the second floor that opened. I’ve decided to join this mostly-gym.
Problem: I work in a high class area, so the membership fee, before the stipend, is $75. I can afford it, as an investment in myself and my future, but it’s still $75; I’m cheap, and investment sites like to harp on how much compounding interest I’m missing out on.
Factors: There’s an LA Gym a block away, and five minutes drive away from my apartment. Other gyms are more inconvenient. However, I’m afraid that any added inconvenience will reduce the number of times I actually go, which is why the building option was so attractive.
I’ve heard horror stories about trying to cancel with gyms. Since the gym isn’t the primary business in this building, canceling will likely be much much easier.
I don’t intend to spend money or time on classes or personal training right now.
I’m planning to use the gym for at least the rest of the month so I can evaluate the situation, starting today. So am I missing any options or factors that make this membership a worse or better idea, and what other options I could ponder?
What type of equipment is it? And would you use that stuff? Would it be like working out in your apartment’s workout room?
$75 sounds like a lot for just a room with equipment, but the convenience factor cannot be ignored. How does the price compare to LA Gym? My preference would be to use a regular gym since it will likely have more features like sauna, pool, classes, etc.
75 sounds like way too much for what is essentially a few dumbells, some machines and maybe a treadmill or two. I’ve been a part of my fair share of gyms because of convenience and moving and stuff, and I’ve always enjoyed having more at my disposal because it makes the pain of the membership a bit less.
Your big gym might also have a tier of membership that includes classes at no additional cost (other than the higher per-month fee).
When it comes to cancelling, I’ve never had a problem. I think it’s more myth than fact about the terrible cancelling policy. The worst I had was Planet Fitness that required me to send an actual letter to cancel because I moved away from my home location. Gold’s let me off with nothing more than a question as to why (“Don’t want to spend the money anymore” “Ok”)
Most high class gyms have a staff member whose only job is to sign up new members. Find out of that gym has one and then see if they will be willing to negotiate or if they have any special deals.
Well, like I said, this is a high class area, so this particular room is actually 7000 square feet. But it’s a good point; I’ll obviously pay attention when I go tonight.
Another factor I forgot is that I get kind of self conscious and I like quiet, so the atmosphere offered by the exclusivity might be good for me.
And I get your point about having more, but honestly, I’m looking to go in and get out as soon as possible so I can unwind from the work day. That’s why I said I didn’t have the inclination for classes and stuff, though if it helped my motivation, that would certainly be a reason to switch.
ETA for post 5 above: I get the impression that the gym is a perk, not a business in of itself, so I’m not sure if such a person exists, technically, but that is something I could try.
Would you be interested in going on weekends, when you are not in the vicinity of your work gym? That would push me more toward the LA Fitness scenario.
What are the hours that the workout room is open? If you got into working out before work, would you be able to?
I could go on weekends, but it would only be to avoid going on a weekday, not because I want to do more. I find it more a necessary chore than enjoyable.
The door to the gym is controlled by the same keycard we use for the elevators, so I believe it’s open for a while after reasonable work hours. I’ll confirm, though.
Maybe take this time to try a variety of different kinds of workouts. If it you feel like it’s just a necessary chore, it makes it harder to keep up with. Remember, you need to exercise for the rest of your life! There are all different kinds of workouts. There’s probably one or two out there that you might actually enjoy.
As a suggestion, try to find a place which has instructor-led workout classes. Some classes might be just a handful of people, others will be with 40+. The benefit of a class is that you can turn off your brain and just go along with the workout. You don’t have to think about pushing yourself, you just have to follow along. I used to workout with weights and machines, but I found them boring. I switched to classes and enjoy working out much more now.
In that line of thinking, try the LA Gym if they have classes. Some gyms will have free passes, so you can go for a few days to see if you like it. Of course, a public gym is going to be louder, but see how it goes.
My gym membership works out to about $41 a month. Since I go to the gym about four times a week, that’s about $2.60 a class, although I do pay extra for Boot Camp.
Do a trial membership first. Different gyms have different cultures and you may like one more than another.
If you think of it as a chore, it will be difficult for you to be motivated to go. Find an exercise you like. I started out watching the TV on the elliptical and now I exclusively do fitness classes. I’m at the point now that I like the results, so I may not enjoy rolling out of bed at 4:30a to get to Boot Camp, but damn do I feel good when I leave the gym! Plus the fitness classes allow me to make friends with like-minded ladies and gents.
You know yourself. If you won’t go, then any money spent is wasted. Visit these places and try them out before you make any commitments. $75 a month would be more than I’ve ever paid for a gym. For that I expect the whole family to get in and a pool.
I like group classes so I look for a good, varied list of those, included in the price.
Classes are an interesting idea, but I’m not sure at this point I want to have to fit in something so strictly scheduled that always lasts a certain amount of time. OTOH, I don’t have to go to every single instance offered. Hmm.
And everyone tells me to find a form of exercise I enjoy, but does it necessarily exist? I haven’t found one yet that I haven’t found tedious or confusing or difficult. Not saying it couldn’t exist, just that I can’t think of anything fitting the bill right now.
It’s not necessarily a matter of enjoying doing it. Do I like doing burpees? Not really. Do I like knowing I can do more now than before? Hell yes. Holding a hover is tough. But I can hold it longer than I could before.
It’s supposed to be hard. You don’t change unless you challenge yourself. On a website I frequent there was a column about a man who faithfully lifted weights for three years. Documented dates and number of sets. After three years he was still at the same fitness level. To her horror, the fitness instructor realized he had never been told that when it gets easy, he had to up the weights. He’d been doing his dumbbell rows and clean and presses with the same weights for three years. :eek:
Find something you can do, and see how fast you can get better at it. It doesn’t get easier. You get stronger.
Group workout classes can generally be divided into these two categories:
Pay-per-class: You either pay at the time you show up or you might buy a package of classes ahead of time. For example, a single class might cost $10, or you might buy a packages of 10 classes for $70.
Free classes as part of your membership: Most gyms have a variety of classes offered on a space-available basis throughout the day. You just show up and take a class.
But regardless, you would look at the class schedule and find classes that work for what you want at the times you have available. It’s not like college where you sign up and have to go for the whole season. If you’re just starting out, it would be best to find a gym that has free classes so you can try a wide variety without worrying about the cost.
Men generally take more classes like kick boxing, boot camp, kettle bells, cycling, BodyPump, and those that are more about power and strength. But men also enjoy taking classes like yoga, Zumba (latin dance), and stuff like that. As for enjoyment, I would say kickboxing and Zumba are generally the most fun, but everyone will be different.
But if you try classes, go very, very, very slow and easy at first. It’s easy to get caught up in the group vibe and want to go at the same pace and effort as everyone else, but give yourself time to adapt.
Oh, and don’t think everyone is pointing and laughing at you in fitness classes. We’re too busy trying to follow along with the instructor to notice what anyone else is doing. To this day, I have no idea what my Zumba instructor shook to make her body move that way. But it was a good work out!
I was addressing your suggestion above to find a form of exercise “I like”.
Sounds like a chore to me.
Oh, another factor to all this is that I’m incredibly cheap. Investment sites make me feel guilty about spending any money on this to begin with (“Look at all that compound interest you’re throwing away!”), so it’s sort of a motivator and demotivator at the same time.
Yeah, I was trying to clarify that. It’s a bit more subtle than “Oh, I love to run!” It’s more of loving the results.
You’re investing in your health, so you’ll live longer and can invest more! I don’t consider a gym membership to be throwing away money, as long as you use the membership.
Well, I went, and it had a much better variety of equipment than my apartment fitness center, but it was still bare bones compared to a gym.
Still… I had the entire place, including the locker room and showers, pretty much to myself 99% of the time, since it’s only used by the workers in my building and the residents in the adjoining high class apartments. Not having big crowds and lots of noise around, not feeling claustrophobic in the shower room… that could be worth the extra money to me.
It’s something I’ll have to think about, carefully.
Most gyms will have a free trial; do a workout and ask yourself honestly whether it’s something you could see yourself doing regularly. If so, I would recommend the gym in your workplace as the convenience factor cannot be overstated: it’s too easy to quit if the gym is even a short walk away.
Of course try to haggle on the price.
If you find it boring then I would find something else. If your goal is just to delay the wheels falling off, things like rock climbing, running, hiking or swimming are much more fun IMO.
