Gym or Y?

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polarcubby
polarcubby Posts: 38
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm considering joining my local Y but I don't know what's the essential difference between Y and regular gym (never been a member of either). Any of you guys can share your experience or any general info?

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  • doornumber03
    doornumber03 Posts: 221 Member
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    I belong to the Y and i love it. They have pools, group classes, cardio section and weights. The classes they offer are great and the people in general are very helpful. I'd recommend it. I left planet fitness to join and am very happy i did
  • curbnoise
    curbnoise Posts: 37 Member
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    Having been a member at both here in Chicago, I can only go by my own experience. The private gym had better/more equipment (hammer strength vs nautilus, more free weights etc...). From a cardio standpoint, the gym had all the same equipment treadmills, elliptical, recumbant and spin bikes, just more.

    My Y is one of the smaller facilities in Chicago, but has very up-to-date equipment and has individual TV's on each of the cardio aparatus. In general, the gym was nicer, but was also more crowded, a little more preening went on and cost a heck of a lot more with minimum one year contracts.

    The Y by contrast is very laid back, cheaper and has no contract. Another plus for the Y is that when I visit my family in Detroit, I can use the nearby Y free of charge. The larger chain gyms allow this too, but I don't think they have as many locations as the Y.

    The final selling point for the Y for me is that many of the classes are free... I take a bootcamp class 3-4 days a week and will be starting up a spinning class soon. The gym I belonged to charged extra for each of the classes.

    Ultimately, I think it is a matter of personal choice, convenience and what you are looking for.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
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    I'm sure you could get a tour of each before joining
  • Tujitsu56
    Tujitsu56 Posts: 392 Member
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    Agreed, but leaning towards Y... The Y has soooo much. Classes, Basketball, tracks, pools, etc.... The thing you have to pay attention to is sometimes they have set times for open gym and stuff. Man I miss the Y lol.
    I'm sure you could get a tour of each before joining
  • polarcubby
    polarcubby Posts: 38
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    Great info. Thanks guys!
  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
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    I'm sure you could get a tour of each before joining

    Not just a tour, but probably a trial membership of some sort. The gyms near me will give you a week to try it out for free.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    From my expeirence from living in different cities it just depends. YMCA's for the most part are locally controlled. Just like local gym managements...some are better than others.

    The Y I belong to is less expensive than the next "Gym" competitor, has world class equipment and facilities including outdoor water park, and inside track. They offer a myriad of classes and organized sports. Including Marathon, and Tri-Athalon training. And they are still expanding the facility.

    In other cities I've lived, the Y was just a hole in wall, and the local Golds Gym was the better value.

    Like others have said. Take a tour of each, and weigh the pros and cons of both.

    I still call them both "The Gym"

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