9 Tips for Selecting a Gym Membership

Historically, the New Year has been an important time for the fitness industry and rightfully so since more gym memberships are sold in the first quarter of the year over any other time.

Working as a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach for two large box fitness centers in the U.S. gave me “behind the scene” experience that taught me how to make sure that the club I join is the right fit for me.

How selecting a Gym Membership is like buying a new car

Joining a fitness center can be similar to buying a new car … you are escorted to see the club’s features; they will point out the number of treadmills, total square feet of the club and of course, their pride and joy, the great number of ‘classes’ they offer.

The sales rep ‘mirror’s back’ to you the benefits of ‘working out’ at the gym to help solidify your own thoughts on joining a gym.

You are shuffled into a closed room with no or few windows, contracts appear quickly with lots of fine print, you’re asked a lot of personal questions and when you leave the room with a fresh contact hot off the laser printer, you feel excitement and doubt.

The excitement comes from the thought of your new, trim body that will look so great in those light and airy spring clothes.

The doubt creeps in because you know that your new trim body won’t happen just by driving by the club every day. 

You now have made a personal commitment to yourself to becoming healthier, fitter, slimmer PLUS you’ve made the commitment to pay the monthly gym membership.

Your doubts are in good company. Here are some stats that show how the club ‘newbies’ slowly lose their motivation after the glow of the New Year dims.

• 75% of people will make it past the first week
• 71% will make it past 2 weeks
• Following one month 64% are still on task
• And surprisingly, after six months, 46% are still putting forth effort to attain their goal.

This means that 54%, over half who took a gym membership in January, will no longer visit the club.  

To make sure you’re not one of the 54 percent; follow the tips below before you sign for a gym membership:

1. Identify what it is you want from your gym membership. Do you want yoga classes, Zumba, are you interested in hiring a personal trainer, will you need day care? Or maybe you need a 5:30AM class so you can squeeze in exercise before work.

Insider tip: Filtering out the “nice but not  needed” features  helps you  focus on the most important  feature for you. This will keep you returning to “your club.” Plus, it can help you not overpay for amenities that you’ll never use.

2. Does the club meet the “convenience test?” You find a club of your dreams, the décor delights you, the smell is sweet, the classes are cool, the equipment is top notch and the cost is crazy cheap but its 15 miles from your home.   

Few mortals are uber dedicated to drive long distances (on a consistent basis) to ‘work out.’ Life is full of distractions and excuses pile up faster than laundry as to why we can’t squeeze in time to go to the’ gym.

The convenience test should include the question “is this club on my way home to or from my work driving route?” If it is, you may be able to use it more frequently.

Insider tip: Weekend mornings are a great time to catch-up on an unexpected missed day of exercise, will you be willing to  drive 15 miles or greater on a Saturday or Sunday?    

3. Club ambiance can make you want to sweat or make you want to sleep! Check in with your first impression of the clubs energy level.

Do the employees look happy? Are there windows to let in natural sunlight? Research shows that we are more apt to ‘move our bodies’ when we have natural sunlight and high energy music.

Music volume is often aimed at a specific target audience the club caters too, is that you? 

Do you find the music deafening or are you tapping your foot to the beat?

Are you looking for a low-key ambiance where people are reading whilst pedaling away on the recumbent bike or do you desire the heart-pounding “full throttle” rush of classes full of like-minded people?

These nuances can add to your experience of exercising indoors.

Insider tip: Look around and see what age group the members represent. The club will  design programs and services based on the  most prevalent age group of the members.

4. Cleanliness is the most often complained about feature of health clubs. The volume of people using the facility requires a dedicated cleaning staff that uses appropriate cleaning products, techniques and schedules.

During your “walk through” with the sales rep, check out the changing and rest rooms; notice how the pool area smells; and look at the corners on the exercise floors.

Insider tip: Do you see spray bottles to wipe down equipment between users? A clean gym is more than aesthetically appealing it’s also safer!

5. The cost to join a gym is not cheap. In fact, a gym membership can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. The initial cost to join a gym includes a processing fee and an activation fee.

Insider tip: Ask the Sales Rep to waive the activation fee. They have the power  to do this.  

Bonus tip: visit the gym on the last day of the month! Gym membership quotas have to be met and the Sales Rep will be more willing to negotiate a deal with you.

6. Certified Personal Trainers were noted as the number one fitness trend for 2013!

Yes, people want to start to exercise but don’t know what to do or their afraid they’ll injure themselves.  The club that hires certified personal trainers from highly respected and reputable certifying organizations such as ACE, ACSM, or NSCA shows it has high standards to meet their members expectations of professionalism and results.

Insider tip: Casually observe various trainers during their client sessions. Is their client profusely sweating? Is the client sharing that they are very sore after the last session?

Does the client look like she is enjoying herself?  A proficient trainer devises a session so the client leaves with more energy than she came in with!  

7. Crowd control– how busy is it? Sunday at 2pm the club may be “empty” but Monday at 5:30PM it could be standing room only!

Visit the club at the times you plan to be there most.

Note the size of the classes you want to take. Is there a chance you can be turned away since the class is full?

Are people standing in line to use an exercise machine – yes, this does happen!

Observe the gym etiquette of the club – are the “body builders” holding court over the free weights?

Insider tip: gyms will be “packed” the first few weeks of January. Give yourself some additional time for parking and arrive a bit earlier for classes.  Please don’t let the “New Year rush” intimidate you.

Don’t become one of the 64% you don’t make it past the first month of their new gym membership!

8. Request a pass – at least 7 days and visit the club over several days.  .

It’s easy to obtain free passes on line from the big box clubs. For smaller clubs, call and ask if they provide a 7 day pass.

Insider tip: Upon your first visit, request  a copy of the group classes. Create your plan to experience the classes that interest you the most at the times you know you would be available.

Group exercise not your thing? Are you new to exercise equipment? Request a staff member (preferably, a Personal Trainer) give you an hour to show you how to set up and use the equipment.

9. Weight Management Programs – this is my expertise so my ears perk up whenever I over hear Personal Trainers sharing their ideas on “what the client must eat or not eat” to lose weight.  

Clubs that offer weight management programs are “off the shelf” programs that don’t take into account individual needs.

They often involve purchasing the Clubs’ weight loss supplements which is costly for you but profitable for the club.

Further points to consider:

Most personal trainers are not Registered Dietitians.

Most personal trainers do not have a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition.  

Most personal trainers do not take continuing education courses in weight management.

They learn from others trainers, body builders, fitness magazines, books, and supplement reps.

Insider tip: Even thought the two professions appear related, nutrition and exercise, each requires specific skills and knowledge obtained through college degrees or structured certification programs.

Most Personal Trainers working at a gym do not provide a customized meal plan based on your unique personal and health needs. The trainers often offer eating advice that is not sustainable for your continued weight loss and/or maintenance.

A gym membership is not the only way to achieve and maintain a good fitness level.

However, the structure of the gym environment, the commoderie of exercise classes, and the services of a personal trainer have helped thousands of people become fitter, healthier and yes, lose and more importantly maintain their weight loss over the years.

The ultimate goal for 2013 is to increase movement, whether through a daily walk, weekly swimming, weekend bike rides or monthly group hikes, you’ve made a decision that impacts your health in the most positive way possible.

I’d love to hear your fitness plans for the New Year! Whatever they are please “go for it and revel in your amazement!”

In health & happiness,