Can't afford a fancy gym membership? Check out your local YMCA.

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  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Our Y was very expensive. My gym charges me 32$ a month- it's 29+ tax- I had no initiation fee.

    just do some research and figure out what's practical- sustainable- and financially responsible.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    We have thought about a family membership at the Y, not just for the gym, but for other things...unfortunately, there are only two Y's in the city that are full service facilities...all of the others are child care only...and those two are across town about 30-45 minutes. It's too bad because a family membership is only $70 and it would be nice to take the kids to the pool, etc...but that's just too far of a commute.

    As gyms go, I go to a locally owned community gym that has great equipment and 24/7 access...it's only $33/month. It is geared primarily for lifting with a large power/heavy room, a huge free weight and machine room, and a small but functional cardio room.

    I have belonged to a couple of commercial gyms ranging from Gold's to Defined Fitness to Planet Fitness and I loath them all. I would never belong to a commercial gym again unless it was really my only option.
  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
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    The Y here is so much more expensive than a gym!
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,325 Member
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    qwikstreet wrote: »
    Over my lifetime I belonged to a lot of gyms. When I was single I had disposable income to go to places like Gold's and use their new equipment and be around a very young and good looking crowd. In hindsight, I was usually waiting for the machines I wanted to use and a lot of the clientele was actually intimidating.

    Now as a family man I live on a budget. We joined our local YMCA. My entire family's monthly membership is cheaper than my individual premium gym membership. It's cheaper than what my wife was paying to go to Zumba twice a week somewhere else. Now she can take Zumba and Barra and others for free while the boys and I can hit the gym. Luckily, our YMCA has a very decent cardio, nautilus, and a free weight room. The place is very vacant. No waiting for machines and it is a lot of normal looking people from your very fit to your people trying to get back in shape. (Oh and a lot of senior citizens.)

    Too bad ours doesn't have a pool, but oh well.

    Check out your local Y!

    Absolutely. Great advice!!!

  • Mrsallen6_11
    Mrsallen6_11 Posts: 416 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Well the good news is the closet Y charges only $42 for a single membership and $52 for a couples membership but they also charge a $50 enrollment fee, which still makes them cheaper than the gym here in town. The bad news is that the closet Y is about an hour and a half away from where I live, one way. So nope not happening, I'd rather just workout at home.
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
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    s_pekz wrote: »
    ALl of the local Ys are more expensive than my gym. So thats a no go

    Yep!
  • canary_girl
    canary_girl Posts: 366 Member
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    The Y is more expensive and further away for me. And I have a choice of three gyms to pick from.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    The nearest Y is a 30 minute drive each way, and 6 months of membership fees adds up to more than I paid for my squat rack and all my weights and equipment. I can buy an annual pass for the nearby university (which has better facilities) for a third of the price.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    The Y is worth it. Most PF's don't have free weights. No dumbbells over 50# if any. And PFs generally do not have a pool.
    And at the Y, no judging for wearing 'the wrong workout clothes' or trying too hard. No judging for being too fit or too good looking. Nobody telling you you have to shut up about men in the ladies locker room either. Because you won't see men in the ladies locker room at the Y.
    The Y is the no judgement zone. teens to octogenarians working out in the same space.
  • spartan_d
    spartan_d Posts: 727 Member
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    I've said it before, but... this is another case where cheaper isn't necessarily better, even for beginners.

    Can PF help you get fit? Sure, but not very efficiently. Frankly, when you're a beginner, just about anything will produce some progress.

    They ban exercises that would be most beneficial to beginners and other "regular folks," which is a huge drawback. They also spread a lot of inaccurate information ("Bench pressing is only for body builders," "Grunting serves no useful purpose, not even light grunting," and "The Smith machine is a great alternative to regular squats or deadlifts.") Beginners need accurate information just as much as they need equipment, and this type of misinformation can hold them back tremendously.

    So yeah, the Y is a pretty good deal in comparison.
  • helenarriaza
    helenarriaza Posts: 519 Member
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    I came here for the song!
  • adwilliams03
    adwilliams03 Posts: 147 Member
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    I don't know if all Y's have it, but mine has something called "Y Cares" program. It's an income based financial help program for people who want to belong to the Y. I pay 33 a month for membership, and it's fantastic. I've been going 4 days a week.
  • qwikstreet
    qwikstreet Posts: 94 Member
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    Well my Y membership is about to get cheaper. They just hit me up to run their preschool soccer classes throughout the year. Not sure what my discount will be but it will be worth it plus I get to boost the talent in our small town for our small soccer club.
  • Building_Bulk
    Building_Bulk Posts: 20,596 Member
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    The Y here is cheaper for me then other comparable places. $75-$80 a month for a family membership. Helps that it is easily the closest gym to my house so that convenience is worth something. Plus my wife hits the fitness classes which are included, it has a pool and when I work out I never have any problems getting a bench/rack/etc... So for me it's the Y all the way.
  • lngrunert
    lngrunert Posts: 204 Member
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    My Y is the cheapest gym in my area except for PF, and since I lift heavy I don't think I'd ever step into one.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    As has been said by so many others..... the Y is more expensive than a gym (here) LOL
  • erinelizabeth882
    erinelizabeth882 Posts: 102 Member
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    Depending on income, you can usually get a reduced membership. My partner and I got y memberships for $44 total, while I was a student and he was job hunting and unemployed. Now I pay $32 for a single membership. The y turns away no one whether they can pay or not, so they are usually able to come up with something reasonably priced that for me, is less than other gyms in the area, with a lot more class options that I like.
  • perkins_lm
    perkins_lm Posts: 11 Member
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    To sign up for the YMCA in my community it is $54. Their fees are outrageous for single people, which really upsets me because I'm really not happy with the gym I'm at (LA Fitness). They have a pool which is out of order for weeks at a time, and their Zumba instructors are just too corny and not motivating. I really really want to join the Y which is the only other gym with a pool in my area, but I simply can not afford to pay almost double what I'm paying now. I wish they would fix this :(
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
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    VegasFit wrote: »
    I think it's all relative. A single membership at something like a Lifetime is around $150 and I'm sure a family membership at the Y is cheaper than that scenario. But I checked out the Y a few years back and it was a lot nicer than I expected it to be but it wasn't a cheap membership and the hours were limiting.

    I have 2 Lifetimes equidistant from me. One is $150, the other $70. One is very nice, the other a monument to conspicuous consumption. For $80/month, I chose very nice. Then again, I would choose very nice even if they were the same price.

    BTW, the local Y was only a few dollars less. All things being equal, I would have preferred the Y, but they weren't.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
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    The Y in my area ran around 75 per month, still charged for extra classes, didn't have a squat rack, and only had an outdoor pool closed during the winter. The Y where my brother lives is amazing though.

    I really wish there was a gym within walking distance. The closest I've been able to find is a Curves that I believe shut down.

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