Tips for Joining a Gym

I  joined a gym. I’ve been toying with the idea for a little while now and finally bit the bullet.

Since graduating college all my jobs have included free fitness classes or a gym membership in some format (that and wearing yoga pants all day are definitely the perks of working in the fitness industry!). It’s been about 2+ years though since I’ve had a gym membership– I was still in college actually. Since then I’ve taken advantage of my work perks and every so often hit up the NYU gym while I was a post-bacc student last year.

I’ve previously chatted about boutique fitness vs. gyms, and for me the choice really came down to $$ and convenience. I thrive best when I stick to a routine– wake up at the same time, workout close to home so there’s no travel anxiety, hit up the same classes, and so on. While I love being a fitness nomad of sort trying out all the incredible classes this city has to offer, it was getting tough traveling from the Village to the Upper East Side for a workout before heading to work in Chelsea and hitting up any old class because it was convenient when really I wanted to strength train that day. The personal trainer in me also wants to stick to a more strict workout regiment– X amount of days of strength, X amount of days of cardio and a yoga class thrown in there too.

After a lot of contemplating (and staring at my credit card bill) I decided to sign up.

I’ve had a lot of experience joining gyms in the past and arguably have gym ADD– I’ve been a member of more or less all the major chains in New York City. Here’s what I’ve learned over the past few years about gym shopping

Tips for joining a gym:

• Don’t feel pressured by the membership advisor to join right away. It can be super overwhelming– they just showed you around the gym, you’re pretty dazzled by all the shiny new machines and quirky group fitness classes. Unless you’ve already researched your options, don’t feel pressured to join right away. Take the time to think about it so it’s not just a (pricey) impulse buy.

• Get all the details before signing any contracts. What’s the cancellation policy? Can I freeze my membership if I’m away for a long period of time? What if I move? What if I lose my job? Are there any hidden fees? What’s included? What’s not included? Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions.

• What do you plan on doing at the gym? In NYC, and even the suburbs where I grew up there’s a plethora of gym options from incredibly bare bones to downright luxurious. While you may feel tempted to pamper yourself, if all you want it a treadmill and a couple of weights it might not be worth the price.

• Try and visit during the time of day you’ll be working out. Some gyms get pretty cray cray during peak hours aka the pre-work and post-work rush. I’ve been a member of gyms that it’s literally impossible to find an empty locker at 6PM and all the treadmills are being used. If you only visited the gym at 2PM on a Saturday you might not realize that.

• See if you can “test it out” before saying yes. Take a class, check out how crowded it is during the time of day you typically workout, if there’s any “red flags”– long shower lines, no lockers, overcrowded group fitness classes, etc.

• Don’t join in January or right before the summer. Ah, the resolutioners, every gym-goers least favorite time of year. Think you’re the only one who wants to get in shape for the new year or bikini season? Yeah, you and everyone else. While the gyms don’t necessarily jack up the price for the surplus, they definitely aren’t hurting for business during these peak seasons. Thinking about joining a gym for 2015? Now might be a better time to get a good deal or some perks.

• Join a gym at the end of the month. At the end of the month a gym is trying to close in on it’s sales goal for the month and are more likely to throw in bonus perks and extra savings.

• The best gym for you is the one you’ll go to. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how awesome your gym is and if it has all the bells and whistles if you hate traveling there. At the end of the day the best gym for you is the one you’ll got to, whether it’s the bare bones gym down the block that’s super convenient or the all inclusive option thats a bit more of a hike.