Annoying gym policies

SummerNights32
SummerNights32 Posts: 86 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does your gym have any policies that you find completely annoying?

Perhaps I am whining a bit too much, but my gym has a policy that you have to sign in for a class within 30 minutes before it starts. That is great, and needed...especially with the new years resolution crowd right now, but it really annoys me that if I want to run for 45 minutes before class, I have to stop what I am doing and go sign.

For example, my class started at 11 today, and I arrived at the gym at 10:25. I was already a bit later than I wanted to be, so I wanted to sign up quickly and get to running. They told me I had to wait to sign for another 5 minutes. Really??? 5 minutes??? So my options were to wait upfront for 5 minutes, or start running, and then stop to sign up. I chose to run, but I wasn't a happy camper. Put out the sign up forms a while earlier so we can get on with out workout!!!

Anyhow...rant over haha!

Replies

  • azwen
    azwen Posts: 237 Member
    Sorry. That does sound pretty annoying. Five minutes? I think they should be more flexible. We don't have to sign up for classes at my gym; you just show up.
  • laurieagain09
    laurieagain09 Posts: 183 Member
    That is lame! My gym's annoying policy is closing their daycare from 2-4pm. I pay extra to be able to use the daycare, it should be open during normal hours :/
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    that's annoying. i know gym do that when classes are full. i think they make it so close to class time so that someone won;t sign up hours in advance and then decide not to go and then there's no way of knowing that ahead of time to allow someone else in.


    my gym had an annoying rule after they installed new carpet that you couldnt have anything but water pass the front desk. the only thing is that they sell gatorade muscle milk, etc. so if you bought that stiff and wanted to drink it during your workout you couldnt
  • a_certain_shade_of_green
    a_certain_shade_of_green Posts: 134 Member
    no petting...
  • BlueEyedDevil88
    BlueEyedDevil88 Posts: 17
    My gym is already expensive $30/month.

    They provide many classes, like circuit training and other stuff but you have to PAY (though for some reason the Zumba class is free...)

    So if you want to do the circuit training class, you have to pay $130 a month for 3 classes a week, or $180 a month for unlimited circuit training ON TOP OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP FEE.

    I think that is ridiculous. My last gym ALL classes, with way more of a variety of classes, were all FREE.

    This gym is a mile away though, and I like to walk there in the summer, and a lot of the time its not too crowded (I wonder why...).
    The next closest gym around here is my old gym, 12 miles away, so thats why I keep going to this gym...
  • Jaulen
    Jaulen Posts: 468 Member
    Sorry, can't feel bad....I'm jealous that you get to go to the gym during the day and actually make it to classes at the gym.

    My gym pretty much only does classes for the Mom crowd. What about those of us that work?
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    Nothing except that my gym changed their opening time from 8:00am at 10am because according to them, too few people go to the gym at that time. Err I would love to go to the gym as early as 6-7am since I'm trying to avoid the crowd. Don't they know there are many people who hate crowded gyms :grumble:
  • azwen
    azwen Posts: 237 Member
    That's ridiculous! All the classes are free at my gym, too. I wonder if they do that to make sure enough people will show up for the class? If you're paying, you're more likely to show up regularly. And Zumba may be free because it's so popular, they know it will fill up.
  • BlueEyedDevil88
    BlueEyedDevil88 Posts: 17
    Nothing except that my gym changed their opening time from 8:00am at 10am because according to them, too few people go to the gym at that time. Err I would love to go to the gym as early as 6-7am since I'm trying to avoid the crowd. Don't they know there are many people who hate crowded gyms :grumble:

    now THAT would make me quit and go to another gym. I DO like that my gym is 24 hours...I love going as early as 5 AM and knocking my workout out before I go to work.
  • BlueEyedDevil88
    BlueEyedDevil88 Posts: 17
    That's ridiculous! All the classes are free at my gym, too. I wonder if they do that to make sure enough people will show up for the class? If you're paying, you're more likely to show up regularly. And Zumba may be free because it's so popular, they know it will fill up.

    I have nooo idea. Honestly I think its just a dumb tactic to make more money.
  • orangelobster
    orangelobster Posts: 151
    Nothing except that my gym changed their opening time from 8:00am at 10am because according to them, too few people go to the gym at that time. Err I would love to go to the gym as early as 6-7am since I'm trying to avoid the crowd. Don't they know there are many people who hate crowded gyms :grumble:

    now THAT would make me quit and go to another gym. I DO like that my gym is 24 hours...I love going as early as 5 AM and knocking my workout out before I go to work.

    Yeah me too, (though closer to 6:00 am). There is much to be said for getting that workout happening first thing in the morning - sort of sets the tone for the rest of the day and makes sure it actually gets done.
  • MuslimFitnessInstructor
    MuslimFitnessInstructor Posts: 119
    the sign up sheet is very nessary. as a fitness instructor you only have so many bikes. and well if you only have 20 bikes and 30 people show up then the instrustor would have to kick people out , then you would get the well I was here first , no you were not mess. this way if you name is not on the sheet you need to leave.

    the rooms can only hold so many people, trust me I been classes were 150 people would show and they had to kick 50 people out cause it was overly crowded and that caused soo much trouble. so then they started the you had to sign up 30 mins before or Pay 1$ to save your spot get your pass and give it to the instructor.

    no pass no class.

    it is the only way to make it fair. people will show up 30 mins before class just to make sure they get a spot.
  • BlueEyedDevil88
    BlueEyedDevil88 Posts: 17
    the sign up sheet is very nessary. as a fitness instructor you only have so many bikes. and well if you only have 20 bikes and 30 people show up then the instrustor would have to kick people out , then you would get the well I was here first , no you were not mess. this way if you name is not on the sheet you need to leave.

    the rooms can only hold so many people, trust me I been classes were 150 people would show and they had to kick 50 people out cause it was overly crowded and that caused soo much trouble. so then they started the you had to sign up 30 mins before or Pay 1$ to save your spot get your pass and give it to the instructor.

    no pass no class.

    it is the only way to make it fair. people will show up 30 mins before class just to make sure they get a spot.

    That does make sense.
  • Troublemonster
    Troublemonster Posts: 223 Member
    Hmm, +1 for the daycare at the gym thing, I pay for it on top of my dues and it has weird hours, frustrating.

    I really hate that I pay full price for my membership and for that of my wife but they give memberships out in the community to known criminals and others who have been proven to steal and cause problems in the facility. All the while they have the nerve to raise the paying member dues because the overhead is getting too high. Why not just offer reduced fee memberships or something instead of free. Or maybe offer free memberships in exchange for x number of volunteer labor hours.

    20 treadmills, 9 ellipticals, 3 stair machines, 6 bikes, 4 recumbents, 1 jacob's ladder, but only 1 squat rack.

    Once when I was there in the morning doing dead lifts and there was a guy curling or stretching in the rack. I grabbed a bar and started doing dead lifts in some empty floor space in the weight area and the gym monitor guy came over and right in the middle of me lifting 275 lbs told me I was "obstructing the traffic flow and should be doing that lift in the rack" when me and the guy in the rack were the only two people in the weight area at the time.

    If it weren't for the kid care I would be at a different facility in a heart beat.
  • mstjmack26
    mstjmack26 Posts: 121 Member
    I would try looking into another gym. I love my gym. They offer classes all thru out the day, starting at 6am and the last class starts at 5:30p.m. It is 24hrs and they have a youth fitness zone for my 10 year old too! They also have racquet ball courts, a heated pool for winter (lol, winter in south Ga)and a steam room! The classes are packed at times but if you miss it in the morning before work there will be another after work too.
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
    No chalk allowed.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    No chalk allowed.
    No setting plates down loud
    no making noise
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    My gym is already expensive $30/month.

    that's expensive??? wow, this really makes me want to move out of manhattan. my gym is $94.45 a month and that's not even the expensive gym here.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    pisses me off that they either shut the lights off 10 minutes before closing or flicker them. that's not gonna make me leave any quicker. i will leave when it's closed and not a second before. that's just gonna piss me off, not to mention it's a fire hazzard.

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