What the best gym

That depends entirely on what your needs are. I'm broke so I went with Planet Fitness. The machines are very nice, the place is spotless, and I pay 10 bucks a month.

A good gym has good squat racks, good bars, let's you use chalk and has people in it that are there consistently, train hard, and don't ditz around that motivate you to work hard. Commercial gyms tend not to have much of the last one since their business model is built around getting you to sign up but never show up so you keep paying your dues. While planet fitness has none of the above so it's probably the worst. Although it's fine you just need to use a treadmill I guess.

any gym you go to regularly is the best gym.

Easy....

The one you use.

The one that you'll use the most. If I only want to do treadmills and you only want to lift weights the best gym isn't going to be the same. (I don't only want to do treadmills) It also helps if it fits your budget and is in a convenient location. There's at least 3 gyms in my town though and I go to ones in neighboring cities because they have more of what I want and its a chain so I can go to any location. The best gym is really a personal decision.

It's a gym that's located where you can easily access it, has the equipment that you need/want to use which is available to use w/o waiting when you want to use it for as long as you want to use it and costs what you can afford to pay for it.

For me, this is the "gym" that I built at home and that's despite the fact that I have a free membership to a commercial gym paid for by my medical insurance plan that has all the facilities and every possible piece of equipment that you could possibly need or want to use, except for a 20-25' rope climb that I wish they'd add.

The rope pull machine just isn't the same. They have the ceiling height and space but probably don't have a rope climb due to liability concerns - - but I digress.

The only things that I use at the commercial gym are the Stairmaster and steamroom. Everything else that I need I have at home, where I don't have to wait to use any piece of equipment and can work out w/that equipment undisturbed for as long as I want.

Nothing better that that.

A few guidelines:

1. Unless you're broke, don't just go with the most affordable option. This is your long-term health that we're talking about, after all. A good gym membership usually isn't cheap, but health care costs tend to be more expensive. In the long run, that $10/month membership won't be such a good deal after all.

2. If you're looking for overall fitness, then you should generally avoid thinking, "Oh, all I need is some cardio equipment" or "I just need a place that offers some group classes." Some people only want a place where they can walk or jog on the treadmills, for example. If you want to take care of your health though, look for a gym where you can do both strength training and cardio effectively.

3. Energy is contagious and atmosphere matters. In a high-energy environment, people tend to be more motivated to push hard and get results. The local community centers, for example, tend to be low-energy venues where people lift light weights and stroll casually on the indoor track. In the more serious gyms, people find themselves motivated and inspired by the people around them.

4. A lot of people here on MFP says, "It's not the gym that matters, it's the effort that you put in." That's sounds good, but it's only a half-truth. If it was only a matter of one's personal effort, then you wouldn't need the gym at all. You could just go to a park or work out in your living room. Having the right equipment and the freedom to use effective exercises makes all the difference. So does having proper guidance, especially if you're just starting out.