Is your local commercial gym more crowded than ever? Is your gym filled with people doing bizarre exercises? Are you tired of worrying about filming or being filmed while training?
More people are beginning to take their health seriously, formulating a plan, and executing, to achieve results that foster a healthier lifestyle. I encourage everyone to engage in physical activity and improve their health, especially with weight training.
But why does it seem like we all go to gym at the same time?
If you’ve spent any extended amount of time in a gym or exercise facility, then you are aware of peak times. Peak times are the busiest hours at the gym. For most commercial gyms, these times tend to be anywhere from 5am – 9pm, then again from 4pm – 7pm, with an occasional lunch rush. This is obviously because most of us run on the same schedule, and these are the optimal available hours for the general population.
If you fall into the category that your only available time to exercise is during peak hours and avoid the gym because of the crowd, then this is the first obstacle you must tackle to start your path to fitness. It is easy to sit at home in comfort while justifying your excuses.
I'm also not asking you to just suck it up buttercup and go to a gym that you despise - with no available equipment during peak hours - ruining your interest to lift weights and exercise altogether.
Why settle for a gym that you don’t enjoy? If you don’t already have a passion for fitness and are new in this pursuit, the poor experience will only cause you to enjoy it less. While no gym is a hostile environment in any means, a new gym may be intimidating to some individuals, especially if you have never been a member.
If you are passionate about fitness, then why would you want to settle for something less than optimal for you? For the experienced lifter, you have probably realized that this is a lifelong pursuit for you, and begun investing accordingly. Gym memberships are consistently rising, especially if you are looking for a premium or exclusive gym membership - such as Equinox, which will run you around $200/month.
There are only a few successful business models for gyms.
The most achievable is the low-cost, mass subscriber membership style. Planet Fitness for example – gyms that will sign anyone up for less than a buck during a promotion as quick as possible. These types of gyms are notorious for not letting you cancel your membership, overcharging your card without notice and make their money from members who don’t use the gym, forget to, or do not feel like dealing with cancelling their membership, and charge an absurd cancellation fee. A simple google search agrees with this conclusion.
I personally experienced this when I attempted to cancel a gym membership with a commercial gym that rhymes with Brunch Fitness in 2014. This gym does not let you cancel your membership until after you have been a member for one full year. I had been a member with this gym for about four years before leaving town for the Navy, then to an area with no Brunch Fitness locations.
When I called to explain my situation, a manager told me that I must cancel my membership in person, where you request a cancellation form and awkwardly fill it out while a representative tries to convince you not to cancel, then pay your fees
OR
I could write a handwritten letter with -
- Your member number
- Your name
- Your billing address
- The address of your Crunch fitness location
- Your signature
- Three pieces of identifying information, such as the last four digits of your driver’s license, your date of birth and the last four digits of the account being billed.
- The date
- Your membership number
- fax a copy of the letter to ABC Financial, send the letter to a family member in the area who could then drive it specifically to the location that I signed up for the membership at, which they would then verify with photo ID the last name of the family member dropping the letter off, to ensure they have the same last name. Then I would pay them a $175 cancellation fee for making the process so convenient, followed by the next months membership price. Finally, I hope and pray they are done taking money from my account.
Aside from that little hiccup, these gyms are constantly overcrowded, experience small and poorly equipped locker rooms, subpar customer service and mediocre equipment. Most members are dissatisfied with their gym but feel there are no other options, or choose not to deal with the hassle of cancelling.
These types of gyms thrive by using cheap real estate – such as old grocery stores or strip malls – which tend to lead to a poor ambiance. The staff is underpaid which leads to quick turnarounds and disgruntled employees. We also touched on the sheer amount of people these gyms must pack into their small area which effects what equipment you can use.
So what exactly is the solution?
There is no one size fits all solution. At the end of the day you must prioritize what it is you will do with your time. Do you want to sit and relax while watching tv and drinking for a buzz, or do you want to take less than an hour out of your day to feel better, look better, and live longer?
Do you want to complain about the way you look and feel while making excuses as to why you can't do it, or do you want an actual solution?
Do you want to continue to spend your time and money as a member at a subpar gym where you don't enjoy your workouts, or do you want to build your own sanctuary for you to train in?
The most effective tool to staying consistent and motivated, but most importantly dedicated to your training and pursuit of health, is by bringing an enjoyable and custom gym experience to yourself.
From saving you money and the hassle of driving in traffic, to allowing complete workout freedom and customization, building a home gym is the greatest solution to providing us with what we all desire more of - time.
Whether building a home gym to compliment your current training or building one for full time workouts, a home gym will save you time, money and frustration.
"Too expensive for me and I don't have any space."
There will be a few individuals that live in a 100 square foot apartment in NYC that may not have much room for a full time home gym workout area. For you I would recommend dumbbells, a pull-up bar, and to find your best local gym.
For the majority, there are options available for you to optimize your training with less space than you may think. Wall-mounted racks have become a great option to saving space whether in a bedroom or garage. There is also equipment that can be used and kept outside, just don't expect it to look the prettiest.
Building a home gym tailored specifically to your needs can range anywhere from $300 - $15,000+ depending on the size of your wallet.
Let’s say you pay $75/month for your current gym. Most gyms this cheap will also have a sign-up fee ($50), a yearly fee ($50), and a cancellation fee ($150). These are general estimates and vary greatly, but fairly cheap costs to what most may encounter.
75 x 12 = 900 / yr. This only includes the monthly membership. Not to mention the gas money you waste, miles you put on your car, the time and stress it takes driving there and the wait time for equipment you want to use.
If you have been going to this gym for four years, then you can expect to have spent around $3,600 on monthly membership fees, $3,850 after yearly and signup fees.
For $1,700 – less than the cost of two years at your local overcrowded gym - you could OWN your gym.
Your own gym where you choose the hours, you choose the members, you choose what is needed and what is not. YOU own it forever.
Not to mention you save gas, time, frustration, money, hassle, and you immediately throw out any of those excuses to skip a training session.
Which sounds better; three years at your overcrowded and underwhelming commercial gym or creating and tailoring your own gym that is yours forever?
We’ll let you decide.
