Gym Membership

shesblossoming
shesblossoming Posts: 426
edited September 30 in Fitness and Exercise
I think I might be ready to join a gym. I came to this conclusion, because I would like to have a personal trainer for a few months. I want to use all of the equipment correctly, and I want to be as healthy as I can be. Also, I'd love to start going to classes and learn how to swim and do water aerobics!

What kind of gym do you guys go to? What is the cost? Is there a membership fee or any other fees? Do any of you have experience with personal trainers (cost and overall experience)?

I live in California, and I'm considering going to California Family Fitness or Anytime Fitness. I like California Family Fitness, because it seems like a friendly facility, the gym is HUGE, and they have a ton of classes. I like Anytime fitness, because it's a 24 hour gym, and from the reviews I've read it seems clean and not too overcrowded.

I am also trying to get through the fear of joining a gym. I'm getting more comfortable with working out outside, so I think I might be ready. And I think it would be great if I could try out different machines and change up my routine.

Thanks guys!

Replies

  • sarahazelnut99
    sarahazelnut99 Posts: 307 Member
    cruves is suppose to be really helpful but it cost way to much for me. planet fitness isnt that bad on price plus you get trainers and unlimited tanning if you get the good deal lol
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
    I knew I wanted to do Zumba and other grup fitness classes so that was the deciding factor for me.... most gyms didn't have any of that. So I joined LifeTime Fitness which is awesome -- -and when you join you get several personal trainer hours...


    PS I was petrified tojoin a gym too -- but its not all perfect people :) Sometimes I am amazed at the people who can do zumba... I give them huge respect.. I would not have done it myself 100 pounds ago but I sure wish I had!
  • nacobi
    nacobi Posts: 28 Member
    Golds Gym is just 20 bucks a month with no contract, stop anytime you want pick it back up when you want. Has a nice pool and a area for the kids.
  • Finding_Tina
    Finding_Tina Posts: 48 Member
    We are not in CA, but my husband LOVES anytime fitness.. very clean, pretty quiet, and has lots of hand sanitizer stations. Our local one also has bowls of fruit, and a nice library. I don't go there, as I need childcare and the closest one doesn't have it, but my husband LOVES it there.
  • rebeccabickle
    rebeccabickle Posts: 19
    I love the gym. Just joined it for the first time ever about a month ago. It's also a 24 hour gym. They have a women's room for Aerobics and no men allowed Haha. I do the treadmill and elliptical most of the time. It also has pool and tanning. I'm going to try swimming Aerobics soon. The gym is like my time away from home and kids where I can work out and feel relaxed. There are many different types of people in there so I never feel out of place. I was always afraid people would stare but they don't. I haven't gotten a trainer yet but I will soon. I don't regret spending money on a membership at all :)
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
    I absolutely LOVE my gym membership.
    Probably the best investment, EVER.
  • jessicarn76
    jessicarn76 Posts: 94 Member
    I joined anytime fitness a little over two months ago and really like it. I signed for the 3 months for $99 deal. BUT, I had a free personal training assessment and signed up with personal training, which is kind of pricey, but, for me, oh so worth it. She has me do stuff that I would NEVER do on my own.
  • LJCannon
    LJCannon Posts: 3,636 Member
    I LOVE Curves because they have a Trainer right there, as part of the package. For me the cost was similar to other gyms in our area, without the 'Built-In' Trainer. Most Curves will let you try it out for a week.
    The Curves Clubs are much Friendlier and less intimidating than any others. In my experiance. I do belong to Anytime Fitness and I go occasionally with my Husband, but I am not nearly as comfortable there and I doubt that I would have had the encouragement and support I got from my "Curves Girls" when I weighed 318 pounds and didn't have a CLUE about using the machines.
  • ThumperWabbt
    ThumperWabbt Posts: 82 Member
    I'm a member of In Shape gym...it's huge. Lots of classes, tons on cardio equipment, ditto on the resistance equipment and there's a separate room for free weights. There's even a circuit, racquetball courts, and a pool.

    I used to belong to Anytime Fitness, but you you could pick that place up and drop it into the In Shape gym, and it would fit in one corner. That's not bad, but it is what it is, and what it is happens to be a small gym with limited equipment. It's good if you don't need or want classes or a pool...not so good if those are important to you.

    I've heard good things about California Family Fitness...sounds a lot like In Shape.

    You can probably get free passes to each and give them a try before settling on anything. Wouldn't hurt to ask!
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
    I highly recommend a gym membership. It is my home away from home and where I am surrounded by others that want to be active!

    I'm a member of a YMCA which has the largest pool in the city, TONS of classes including yoga, pilates, pump/weight classes, step/aerobic/kickboxing, spinning (cycling) and others. We also have a rock climbing section, an indoor track, two large basketball courts, and tons of raquet ball courts. Upstairs there is a full area with TONS of bikes/treadmills/ellipticals/step machines - with TVs! Another room dedicated to circuit training kind of like Curves but on your own with machine weights and another section of free weights! If you have kids there is a section for children and includes a full outdoor playground fenced in with people always watching.

    A gym like this also includes personal trainers, physical therapists, coaching, and activities that are associated outside of the gym like summer camps for children or walking groups. This gym, with classes included, costs a person approx. $30 a month with no contract. You get access to a FULL olympic pool with a built in water slide for the kids, a hot tub, and the little kiddy pool with stuff to play on. It's extremely hard to beat and I LOVE going 6 days a week, half hour a day mind you lol.

    I recommend you get a gym with tons of options included. I tried the cheapo $12 dollar a month strip mall gym but it was horrible. They only had one set of each dumbell weight, and were missing tons of other free weight things. They also didn't have tv's on the cardio equipment and that is a lifesaver for me when I'm running. Doubling the price to get SO MUCH more is absolutely vital in my opinion. My gym is a ten minute drive away and in a community I used to live behind in, full of upper class neighborhoods and a beautiful park. You really want a place you can feel welcome and safe at as you will spend so much time there.

    Hope this helps!
  • alienblonde1
    alienblonde1 Posts: 749 Member
    Did you check online? Some gyms offer a trial period. Best to go with one that is month to month no contracts. So if you don't like it you could just freely go somewhere else. I saw snap fitness offers 8.95 first month no contract. Youfit you can join for $10 a month no contract. Just do a search for fitness in your area and check your options.

    I have been going with a co-worker as a guest to Youfit and enjoying it. Wish it was closer to my house though.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    I am a gym rat, have been going steadily for 3 years. I recently changed gyms even though I had won a 2 year membership that lasts until the end of August. It was a smaller local chain gym. There was not enough Cardio equipment and you had to sign up for 30 minute time blocks. People were constantly arguing over the machines. They would have friends sign them up and it was a crime to go over your time by a minute. I walked out one day after 3 women were arguing for 20 minutes over a treadmill. So my first piece of advice is to make sure there is sufficient cardio equipment to handle the busy times.

    Upon changing gyms I realized where I had been going was comparatively filthy. So look for cleanliness. The new place has a steam room which I absolutely love!!! I would also recommend a gym that offers the standard Cardio equipment, weights, personal training but also offers a variety of fitness classes (Zumba, yoga, body pump, bootcamp) etc. Sometimes it's nice to join a class when you need to switch up your routine.personal training is great but can be pricey so the classes can also give you ideas to develop a routine.

    I would stay away from using many of the machines for strengthening, many of them aren't very good - definitely make use of the free weights

    Finally, no matter what gym you chose just be ready to go, otherwise it's a waste of money and a source of frustration. Don't be intimidated - don't worry about what others are doing or thinking. Go for yourself and enjoy the new challenge. 
  • sunyg
    sunyg Posts: 229
    I don't belong to one at the moment but I loved the YMCA. Ours is huge and offered free daycare. They also had a lot of classes that were free. I'm not sure how much a personal trainer cost but you did get 2 sessions free. They would assess your fitness level at the first one and then the second they would give you a work out plan and walk you through it. They also always had 1 or 2 walking the floor that would answer any questions about how to use any machine. I miss it a lot.
  • noogie98
    noogie98 Posts: 451 Member
    I LOVE Curves because they have a Trainer right there, as part of the package. For me the cost was similar to other gyms in our area, without the 'Built-In' Trainer. Most Curves will let you try it out for a week.
    The Curves Clubs are much Friendlier and less intimidating than any others. In my experiance. I do belong to Anytime Fitness and I go occasionally with my Husband, but I am not nearly as comfortable there and I doubt that I would have had the encouragement and support I got from my "Curves Girls" when I weighed 318 pounds and didn't have a CLUE about using the machines.

    Curves is awesome! And, you are only working out with women. I love the atmosphere & support you get from everyone & my Curves offers Zumba classes!!
    :wink:
  • sherrillg
    sherrillg Posts: 317 Member
    I joined our local Y 2 months ago and I LOVE it and feel it is well worth my money. I haven't used a personal trainer (add'l fee) but they are available onsite. I like the idea of being able to choose from a variety of options. It's HUGE and the assortment and offerings of classes is enormous as well. I'm there every single day for at least an hour. Onsite childcare was a plus for me as well.

    If I had a Curves in the area, I would have checked them out as well as I have heard such great things about their program, but all in all I would have probably opted for the Y in the long run because of more opportunities.

    Good luck with your search!
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