5 Helpful Tips to Finding the Perfect Gym

Around 45 million American adults have a gym membership. Learning certain tips will make the gym selection process go much smoother for you. 

A huge 80 percent of Americans who have a gym membership don't use it. Many times, these inactive memberships occur when people choose the wrong gym. 

The right gym will motivate you to work out more. You'll look forward to going to the gym more instead of hesitating about it. 

Here are five brilliant gym-finding tips: 

1. Stay Local 

Choose a gym that's located within 15 minutes of your residence. Even people with the best intentions and motivation struggle more with going to the gym when it's further away. 

Better yet, use Google Maps to locate all of the fitness centers within a five-mile radius. This gives you the most local options, but then, you must narrow them down based on the following: 

2. Must-Have Features 

Knowing how to find a gym means listing crucial features in advance. Which special features are you looking for? For instance, if you do water exercises, you'll need to find a gym with a pool. 

Always research a gym's features before committing to a contract. One gym's contract might be cheaper, but there's a good chance it doesn't offer as many special features as other gyms. 

If lifting weights is important to your regimen, visit the weight section before signing up. It'll give you a better idea of how well-stocked their weight-lifting area is. It'll also clue you in on the following: 

3. Assess Gym Cleanliness 

A clean gym is a happy gym. Also, since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, finding a gym that values cleanliness is more important than ever. 

Visiting the gym gives you insight into how clean it is. Even better, go during the hours you would normally attend/be working out. That way, you'll see how sanitary the gym actually is. 

The best gyms hire a professional gym cleaning company to keep the establishment sanitary. Feel free to learn more about what quality gym-cleaning services look like in our Frugal Fitness section. 

4. Read Reviews 

One of the best tips for finding a gym is simple: read the reviews! This includes good reviews and bad reviews. All it takes is downloading Yelp and doing your homework from there. 

Always pay careful attention to bad reviews. When multiple bad reviews reflect the same experience, they're revealing a concerning pattern. Acknowledging them could save you from a bad gym experience. But also take individual reviews with a grain of salt.

While you're reading reviews, look out for insights regarding the following tip: 

5. Pay Attention to the Culture 

Be on the lookout for complaints about a toxic gym culture or environment on Yelp and social media. There's no point in going to a gym that's going to make you feel bad about yourself. 

Certain gyms are more friendly and welcoming than others. Some gyms cater to serious athletes and bodybuilders while others are popular with more casual gym-goers. 

Get Strong and Healthy at the Gym 

Americans acquire 12 percent of new gym memberships during January. Nonetheless, any time is a good time to join your ideal gym. 

Half of all gym-goers keep attending because they prefer the location. It's even more of a reason to check your local area for affordable gyms. 

Strengthen your body and mind—read our frugal fitness articles. It'll benefit your workout routine big time.

Five Ways To Save Money On Gym Memberships

Joining a gym will help you to fast track your fitness goals – but not everyone wants to splash the kind of cash on a gym membership that many quality fitness centers charge. 

Thankfully though, armed with the tips and tricks we highlight below, you are going to be able to save a mountain of money on gym memberships from here on out. 

The inside info below will help you cut your gym membership fees dramatically without ever having to sign up for lower quality gyms for going without. 

Take Advantage Of Special Sign Up Offers 

Right out of the gate, the overwhelming majority of fitness centers and gyms out there regularly offer deep discounts during new sign-up drives. At least every couple of months these businesses significantly discount their memberships to bring in new customers and clients, sometimes by up to 50% or more – and sometimes even more than that. 

Definitely look into these offers and capitalize on them whenever possible. If the gym you’re interested in isn’t offering this kind of deal just yet pass them if they are going to in the near future. They may be able to offer you the same deal now to get you signed up. 

Start With A Trial Membership 

Trial memberships are usually deeply discounted as well, giving you a week or a month worth of access at a significantly less expensive rate so that you can see if this gym or fitness center is right for you. 

Leverage these kinds of offers to test drive fitness centers you’re not sure you want to be a member of long-term, but also consider using trial memberships at different gyms to save a bit of money in the short-term, too. 

See If Work Offers Any Discounts 

You might be surprised to learn that your job offers a whole host of discounts or incentives to sign up for a gym membership, especially if local fitness centers have partnered with them to bring on board new clients. 

A quick call to HR can usually help you find out if there are any special fitness center discounts available to take advantage of. 

Check Your Health Insurance Plan 

If HR can’t find any special discounts available directly through work it’s not a bad idea to ask about whether or not your health insurance plan include discounts, incentives, or reimbursements for gym memberships and the like. 

A lot of health insurance plans not only offer significant discounts or rebates for gym memberships but also provide rebates and discounts good towards fitness equipment, apparel, and shoes as well. A healthier client is someone that uses health insurance less, saving them money in the long term. 

Consider Prepaying For A Bigger Discount 

Lastly, if you have found a gym that you really like and one that you feel you’ll stick with long-term it’s not a bad idea to see if you can negotiate a discount for signing up for 12 months, 24 months, or 36 months in advance. 

You might be shocked at the kind of discounts you can get when you offer a gym owner this kind of financial security. It’s worth a shot to save money on your gym or health club membership! 

At the end of the day it’s important to remember that there are all kinds of ways you can save big on your gym membership. You might even want to try combining some of the tips and tricks we highlighted above to help you save as much money as humanly possible going forward.

4 Things To Know Before Your First Visit To A New Gym

Getting to the gym can be daunting at the best of times, but if you’ve never actually tried one out before or it’s been years since you set foot in a fitness club, there are a few things to know that can help to make the whole experience less intimidating. 

Reading over a refresher on gym etiquette will help you feel like you belong there even if you’ve never tried out a health club before. The is give you the confidence you need to ensure better success. 

1) What To Bring 

It’s impossible to get a good exercise routine going if you don’t get yourself to the gym in the first place. Knowing exactly what to bring to be prepared and look like a pro will keep you from having excuses. Take a look at this simple checklist before you go: 

• A towel to wipe down equipment 
• A combination lock for your locker 
• A Water Bottle 
• Exercise clothing to change into at the gym 
• Everything you need for a post-workout shower 

Remember it’s always better to bring something you won’t use than finding out you need something you don’t have. 

2) Watch Out For Expensive Long-Term Contracts 

There are two main kinds of payment options that are offered by most gyms. The more traditional one involves getting locked into a long-term contract that can be very difficult to break. In this case, the health club usually offers you a cheaper fee for a limited time, which involves a higher cost once that promotion period runs out and you contract is still going. You may also have to watch out for extra costs of classes or sign up fees. 

3) The Benefit Of A Pay-As-You-Go Option 

The second type of payment option is a pay-as-you-go plan. If you’d like to see a great example of a gym that offers a pay-as-you-go payment option and discover why so many people are finding this option to be a better way to exercise. 

4) Gym Etiquette 

When you’re familiar with the culture of the gym, it’s easy to feel more at home there and that will help to encourage you to visit more often. Here are few things that you should know about how to interact at the gym: 

• Always wipe down equipment after each use 
• Don’t monopolize equipment 
• Leave the cell phone at home 
• Bring a towel 
• Give others their space 

When you’re confident that you’re following all of these rules, you’ll start to feel more at home at your gym. The better your feel, the more likely you’ll be at keeping up your exercise routine. 

Get To The Gym Consistently

The hardest part about any workout tends to be the ability to gather up the motivation to get started. When you’re making your first few visits to a new gym, the pressure feels even stronger. Get to know these easy ways to make that transition easier so that you can get started at a pay-as-you-go gym right away.

Are You Wasting Your Gym Time?

It takes a lot of effort to go to the gym, especially when you have so many other things to do. When you’re there, the best thing to do is utilize your time effectively so that you aren’t wasting it when you do manage to go. There are so many mistakes that people make in the gym that takes away from time doing a work out and if you stop these bad habits, you can be ripped and trim instead of wasting your time and taking longer to hit your workout goals.

Socializing 

It’s nice to go to the gym with a buddy, but if you’re spending your time catching up on the gossip and not on the weights, you’re not going to get anywhere. Unless you’re wanting to naturally increase your male hormone or the best foods to get into your system to up your protein, try and rein it in. You’re all there for a reason: an effective workout. And talking isn’t going to get you there! 

Slowing Down

There’s a lot of merit in going for a walk on the treadmill. The problem lies where you are on the treadmill having a stroll and reading a magazine. You’re paying for a gym membership so that you can stay as healthy as possible, and going slowly isn’t always going to do that for you. Push yourself and get your sweat on so that you are using your gym time properly. 

Forgetting Your Plan

If you have paid for and spent time with a personal trainer, you’re going to regret leaving your training plan at home. Put your plan on your phone - which you are more likely to carry with you - and never forget your weight plan again! 

Resting Time 

Taking breaks between workout sets is smart, but if you’re taking more breaks than you are working out, you may as well save your money and go home. There is nothing wrong with taking a break at the gym to catch your breath, but you’re going to do yourself a disservice if you aren’t keeping yourself going. It is only one hour depending on your fitness goals. Just one hour to train your body and trim it down at the same time. 

Worrying About Looks

You don’t need to worry whether your frugal workout clothes look baggy or your hair is a mess. It doesn’t matter what you look like and you shouldn't be concerned with how your Instagram gym selfies are going to turn out. You’re there to train and this means a vest, leggings and if you’re a woman, a sports bra is enough. Tie back long hair - no need for fancy styles - enough to get it out of your face and off your neck and you’re set. Don’t idle in the locker room if you can avoid it. 

Conclusion

The only person that you are going to sabotage by wasting your time in the gym is you. You started up going for yourself, so don’t let yourself down now. Put the smartphone down and get to work. Make your gym time something to be proud of and you will be ripped and shredded in no time at all.

I hope you enjoyed this article about how to avoid wasting your time at the gym and enhance your workouts to boost your performance.

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The Good And Bad Of Equinox Fitness Ads

Nearly every company and brand uses sex to sell their products. You'll find this marketing tactic in everything from laundry detergent commercials to car commercials. Fitness businesses have always known that sex sells, but Equinox Fitness takes it to a whole new level with their rather forthright use of sexuality. There have been some applauding this ambitious marketing campaign by Terry Richardson, although many others have been angered and offended. They are even having a great deal of backlash from their own members. What do you think? 

And there's another dozen or so of these ads floating around on billboards, posters, magazines, and maybe even on this website haha. Equinox has been getting significant criticism but perhaps their motto (besides "sex sells") is that "any publicity is good publicity". What do you think? Tweet @iFrugalFitness 

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