Choosing a fitness club. How to choose a gym? This is no longer a problem! How to choose a fitness club tips and tricks

Your well-being during fitness activities and the consistency of the results achieved largely depend on the correct choice of the gym or club in which you will train. There are a lot of things to consider: take care of your personal trainer's attention, agree on a training schedule, check the availability of a swimming pool, squash court, conditions for, a sports bar and a sauna for relaxation after a workout ... How to choose a fitness club correctly?

You need to choose a fitness club!

It is better to think over all this before giving money to the staff of the sports complex. For those who are going to take care of their health, it will be useful to find out the details. So how to choose the right fitness club? Perhaps, the questions selected below will help you to specify your own expectations and make the right choice, which you should ask yourself personally and your future fitness club.

Questions to yourself

• What results do I want to achieve? (Losing weight, developing endurance, improving overall health ...)
• What do I really need for this? (Personal trainer, game court,)
• What time can I study? (Morning, afternoon, evening, weekend ...)
• How often and regularly can I exercise? (Should you buy a subscription or limit yourself to one-time visits.)
• How will I get to the training site? (Public transport, car, on foot ...)
• Do I need professional advice and which ones? (Exercise program, diet ...)

Questions to the sports club

• What is the cost of a club membership?
• Is it possible to pay monthly, for each lesson, for an hour of lessons?
• Are there any discounts if you pay one year or several months in advance?
• What is included in the cost of a subscription (membership card)?
• What is not included in the subscription price? (Solarium, children's room, towels ...)
• Is there an introductory course or trial period for getting to know the services?
• What is the number of club members and is there a limit?
• How much does individual training cost?
• Are there parking spaces available?
• How convenient is it to get to the club by public transport? (Metro, bus stops ...)
• What are the conditions for visiting the club for "guests"?
• What time is the club open?

Specialist consultations

• Does the club have professional fitness instructors?
• What are the qualifications of the club's staff? (Knowledge of dietetics, first aid ...)
• What is the attitude of coaches towards club members? (Their impatience and arrogance are unlikely to please you as an athlete.)
• Does the new member of the club receive a use of the equipment?
• Does the new member receive free professional health and fitness testing?
• Is there a periodic health check and revision of training programs for club members?
• How often will you receive expert advice on?
• Does the club have experienced masseurs?

Additional questions

• What fitness classes are there in the club?
• Who conducts them, at what time, how full are they?
• Is there a resilient covering in the practice room?
• How clean is the halls, what kind of lighting is there?
• Are there air conditioning and ventilation in the premises?
• What is the condition of the equipment?
• How are changing rooms, washrooms and massage rooms arranged?
• Is there a separate room for individual training?
• Do you plan to introduce additional services and what?
• What are the distractions, what is the atmosphere in the room? (Excessively loud music, distracting conversations, noisy children under your feet ...)
• What is the reputation of this club among your friends and acquaintances?

Let your choice be successful!

When choosing a fitness club, people are often confused and forget what they wanted to ask, leaving important details out of sight. Therefore, we recommend that you print this list of questions and take with you when you go to the club. If necessary, you can supplement it with your own questions. Don't forget - it's better to spend extra effort on preparation than afterward and wasted money! Now you know how to choose a fitness club. Forward!

© Sergey Kolousov

Hello dear friends! My name is Nikita Volkov! Today I would like to tell you about a very important topic. A topic that concerns absolutely every person who decides to work out in the gym. In order to go to practice and transform your body and life for the better, you need to know where to go. This is what we will do with you. So how do you choose a gym?

News item: At first I would like to apologize for not writing for a long time, but I didn’t mess around, but had a very fruitful week! You will learn more in more detail in, and now I really want to report good news. I entered NRNU MEPhI, Moscow! He entered the top three Universities in Russia, as well as one of the hundred best universities in the world, this year, so I am very pleased.

In fact, the final list of applicants will only be on August 18, but the dean and his deputy liked my answer, they estimated it at 80 points out of 100, so they said to take the original diploma to the dean's office, because most likely I will do exactly what I did. Hopefully I won't. I would also like to say that the trip was wonderful and in the next posts I will post a small video selfie about my trip. Now, let's get down to the very important topic of this article - choosing a gym.

This is important because you will have to spend more than a month, and possibly a year, to achieve results that satisfy you, so it is very important that your stay in the gym is as comfortable as possible.

I trained at home, and in dirty old rocking chairs, and with my own weight on horizontal bars and uneven bars, but I want to tell you that only a modern, good gym, which has a number of necessary things, gave me the maximum effect.

I'm not talking about a luxurious fashionable fitness center, which has everything except professional athletes (because they choose a simpler atmosphere), but I'm talking about a gym that allows you, without unnecessary tension hemorrhoids, to clearly concentrate on your workout, and not on the thought: "Will my things be stolen or not while I train?", for example.

Yes, you don't have to go anywhere at home, here it is all at hand. Yes, no one distracts you at home, and you yourself are the master of your shells. No one will stand by and embarrass you while doing the exercises. But at home, the interest from training can quickly disappear, tk. home inventory is limited.

For example, I have two collapsible dumbbells at home, each of them is about 20 kg each, but, firstly, this weight is not enough for me, and secondly, it is psychologically difficult to do exercises at home, working with the same shells every day a day, from workout to workout. And also no one can insure you so that you do not get injured. Well, you can also drop the dumbbells on the floor, which will not very well affect the flooring.

In general, what I liked the most was training in a good gym. There is a working atmosphere! Even if you are tired, after work or study you come to the gym, where cool music is screaming, beautiful girls become even more beautiful and guys who surpass you in physical development, then the mood to train immediately appears! I've had it countless times!

Barely crawl into the hall, and something magical happens there! Strength appears, the mood rises and you leave there always happy! There are also competent trainers and just visitors who will gladly tell you how to perform this or that exercise, for example. And in general:

"To get better, you need to train with the best!"

For those who don't know where to start

First you need to find out if there is a large selection of gyms in your city. For example, until I left to study at the University, in Petrozavodsk, I lived in the small town of Medvezhyegorsk, where it was a big problem to find at least some gym!

I went to the gym in our port, and it was created by an enthusiastic welder who made almost all the simulators in the gym himself. There was nothing special, everything was old, decrepit, but nevertheless better than nothing. I am sure that such a problem, even now, is not only in my city, therefore, first of all, find out what you have to choose from.

I want to warn you that you do not believe, of all kinds, advertising, we talked about this in. I will only say that advertising can pour water into your ears to tell you that the advertised gym has all the necessary and ultra-modern equipment, but in fact it may turn out that the gym will be crammed with ineffective, often unnecessary exercise equipment, and equipment that allows you to perform exercises with there are practically no free weights. So, you can't blindly believe in advertising here!

The best thing is to ask your friends! Not necessarily with friends. Simple enough for your friend to know someone who goes to the same gym. This way you can get information in essence, without unnecessary water. This method is good for everyone, but, nevertheless, it can be problematic to find a familiar person in every room.

There is also a way, this is to go to the hall you are interested in and agree with the administrator about a small detour of the hall so that she herself will lead you and show you the gym, as well as the dressing room, etc.

I managed to do this when I decided to go to a good gym and I was even allowed to do one trial lesson for free! In some halls it is possible to buy a one-time lesson for little money (60-120 rubles). The amount is small and thus you yourself can estimate the level of the gym.

And now we will consider all the most important points that you will need to consider when choosing a gym.

How to choose a gym

The first thing that you will immediately need to think about is the remoteness of the hall from your home. The closer it gets, the better! With our constant lack of time (especially in big cities), the question is very burning. Look for it so that it takes you no more than 40-60 minutes to get to it. This is maximum!

The exception is when you no longer have a choice within a given time, but if you need to get to it for so long, then I think your city is not that small, so you should look for something closer to home.

The second thing you should pay attention to is the equipment of the gym, this is perhaps one of the most important points! What should be in the gym?

• Sufficient number of barbell bars, various sizes. It is imperative that there are so-called Olympic bars, 20 kg each, as well as locks to prevent the pancakes from sliding off them.
• Pancakes, various sizes, from 0.5-1.25 kg to 25-50 kg. This will simplify the observance of the main rule - load progression. Leading will accelerate your progress several times.
• Well-chosen dumbbell row. That is, so that the weight of the dumbbells goes with as little space as possible. Not 5 kg. At least after 2.5 kg, and even better after 0.5-1 kg.

• Benches in which it is possible to adjust the angle of inclination. This is necessary to work out various areas of the pectoral muscles, as well as to train the deltas, for example.
• Racks for squats and bench press. These are two of the most effective bodybuilding exercises. If you cannot squat due to injuries, then you can alternatively choose the bench press.
• Horizontal bar and vertical block. Pulling up on the horizontal bar is one of the basic exercises for working out the muscles of the back, but not everyone can pull up from the first days in the gym, so the vertical block is not a bad alternative.

• Cardio zone. If your gym has a high-quality cardio area with treadmills, exercise bikes, etc., then this is great! This will greatly simplify your life in winter, when running down the street will become not only unpleasant, but also dangerous due to ice, for example. And, on the simulators, there are devices with which you can control your heart rate.

Not less important

• Dressing room with turnkey wardrobes and shower. In the hall, as elsewhere, there are different and dishonest people, although there are not many, but they can be, so you just need to put things in a separate box, so you will have nothing to worry about. There is no point in explaining about the shower either, I think. Although someone might like to smell "natural scents" when they go home. In general, too, I think, is a necessary moment.
• Ventilation (at least opening windows). This is very important, especially in the cardio zones, because with a lack of oxygen in the room, fat oxidation is inhibited.
• Number of persons. Come to the gym during rush hours, this is the time when people are engaged after work - 18: 00-21: 00 and you can immediately understand how many people go to this gym. Administrators are likely to underestimate the number of people if you ask them, so it's best to see for yourself.
• Orderliness of inventory. Pay attention to how the inventory is in the gym. Whether it is scattered throughout the room, or neatly folded on racks or special stands. It is not very pleasant to look for the right weight, pancakes or dumbbells all over the room, and even to find them piled high, somewhere in the corner.
• Subscription! This item was even highlighted in red, tk. here the main thing is not to be mistaken. In the network of gyms where I train there are such promotions. First, season tickets are sold at a price of 5 thousand rubles for six months, then for the same money six months + 2 months as a gift! Then + 3 for free! Then + 6 months for free! There are plenty of such marketing moves. So take your time. Another 100% regularity is that, in summer, the price of season tickets falls, and in winter it rises. Pay attention to these things. And prices can "jump" from 700 rubles to 5 thousand dollars per month, it all depends on your wallet and wishes. But you can always save money. Better to choose the "golden mean".
• Trainers. Find out about the education, the achievements of these people. Don't trust your body to a trainer who is incapable of building your physique. After all, only a real practitioner can give really worthwhile advice.

Now let's summarize everything that we have considered today. If you are faced with the question: "How to choose a gym?", Then in which algorithm you should act:

1. Find all halls within 40-60 minutes from the house.
2. Look, so that the hall has everything you need: Olympic bars, pancakes of different sizes, locks, great dumbbell row, squat and bench press racks, horizontal bar, parallel bars, vertical block and of course the cardio zone.
3. Locker room with turnkey lockers, shower, good ventilation, order in the hall, preferably a small number of people.
4. When you decide on the hall, then be careful when buying a subscription... Don't fall for various marketing gimmicks, check it out for yourself.

The next article will be short, but very interesting, because I'll tell you two great news.

For a sweet little motivational video from bodybuilding professionals:

P.S. Subscribe to blog updates... It will only get steeper from now on.

Regards and best wishes!

How to choose the right fitness club for sports? This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions for those who are just about to start training.

In previous articles, we have already talked about what the most common questions are: how to create a training program, how to adjust nutrition and when to expect results. But we have not yet touched on the topic of building the training process based on the presence or absence of the necessary equipment. And the equipment in each particular case can be very different.

Let's start with a small lyrical digression. It must be done based on the considerations that the option of going to a fitness club is not the only possible one, since many who want to join hard sports are looking for opportunities based on their current financial and social situation. Here, it is meant that in one form or another, more or less equipped classrooms can be found in various educational institutions (schools, lyceums, institutes, etc.), in hostels at these educational institutions, in rest homes, all kinds of camps, sanatoriums, health institutions and even in the fresh air.

In addition, there is also a category of people who, again, due to their financial capabilities, can afford to equip a small room for classes at home. Such people, as a rule, no longer ask themselves the question of how to choose a fitness club. Such a home gym can be equipped with either one bench for a bench press with a pair of dumbbells, or a very serious list of equipment from strength and cardiovascular equipment, barbells, dumbbells and other equipment, the presence of which can only be dictated by the size of your wallet and, accordingly, the lack of desire or opportunity visit a sports club.

Based on the above information, we will divide potential adherents of iron sports into two categories - those who can afford to buy a subscription and accordingly ask themselves the question of how to choose the right fitness club, and those who, for one reason or another, cannot afford it ( or does not want to) and does not burden himself with relevant questions.

Each category can also be divided into levels of material wealth. Those who can afford to buy a season ticket will choose one of three club segments: luxury, standard and economy. Those who cannot afford to buy a subscription, as a rule, are also divided into three categories - those who have at their disposal a full set of necessary equipment, those who do what they have and those who have nothing but desires. You can see the schedule of applicants below, but we will describe how to be and what to do in each particular case below. At this stage, your task is to determine which segment you are in, and with the help of this article, understand what your next steps will be.

To understand what is happening, let me explain that the category "willing" is marked in gray, since these are people puzzled by intention, but not burdened with action. And quite often, not everyone intends to go into the active category. The blue color indicates the category of active persons who not only want, but have already definitely decided to act. In both categories, green means “full stuffing”, and as a result, the most comfortable conditions for choosing equipment for training. The yellow color in the first category indicates quite decent conditions for exercising in the hall, where there is a full set of equipment, it is no longer so expensive and not in such quantities, there is no longer a pool with a spa, as well as lockers, towels for clients and others. excesses. Under the yellow color in the second category is meant self-assembled from what was a sports club or hall, in the organization of which the entire hostel, the cadet corps, or a medical sanatorium took part. The red color of the first category speaks of a strictly basic set of the most necessary equipment, which may not even be enough for everyone. The red color of the second category characterizes you as a person who does not want (or does not have the opportunity) to visit a fitness club and, at the same time, does not have any equipment at all. But even this option is not hopeless, as Baron Munchausen might have put it.

Construction of the training process

In order to choose the right fitness club or conditionally home gym with the best, sufficient or critical equipment, you need to choose certain criteria so that we have the right to make certain value judgments.

As already mentioned in our article, any beginner who starts physical exercises, and is puzzled by the construction of the training process, has as his task to work out the whole body during training. Such a program, as you already know, is called "full body" - in other words - "whole body". And its meaning, as we have already described, is to work out all muscle groups in one workout, as well as be able to change exercises with three workouts a week. Based on this idea, the goal is also formed - to provide yourself with a set of equipment sufficient to perform exercises for each muscle group. Since a well-defined goal is already half of the result, now we know exactly how to evaluate the equipment of a fitness club or home gym, provided that there is or is not an opportunity for its implementation.

Training with the best equipment

Asking the question of how to choose a luxury fitness club, you should understand that you need to be guided by the presence of a large number of professional simulators and a wide range of additional services, which is a matter of course for an establishment of this level. Here we will not philosophize slyly and say right away that in such conditions you can engage in absolutely any kind of active activity, regardless of your level of training, since the availability of a wide choice of both basic and auxiliary equipment in conjunction with professional trainers will help you in solving tasks of any complexity.

Since doing basic full-body workouts requires quite a bit of equipment, you will definitely find everything you need at the luxury club. There will be weight block trainers and lever and cable trainers, in some places even electronically controlled, a free weights zone with a dumbbell row from 0.5 to almost 100 kg, and this is not to mention all kinds of treadmills and exercise bikes with their numerous variations.

We will not stop here for a long time, since everything is extremely clear and extremely comfortable with the conditions of classes, and it makes sense to visit a club of this level, unless only in order to confirm your status, or, for example, the status of your parents, which, in general is completely optional.

Well, if everything is more or less clear with a fitness club, since they are all created according to approximately the same template, then the organization of a conditionally home gym is usually a vinaigrette from various multi-stations with exercise machines of completely different manufacturers and cardio equipment, not so much for a professional as for home use. However, this does not in the least detract from the semantic and power load that is attached to them.

In the case of the best equipment of such a hall, it will be necessary to acquire first of all free weights - these are dumbbells and barbells with pancakes. Moreover, it is desirable that this was exactly the dumbbell row, for a quick change of weights, for example, from 5 to 25 kg, in 2 kg increments (5, 7, 9, 11 ...), barbell bars, it is desirable that among them there were Olympic 2.2 m long and 20 kg in weight, as well as 1.5 m in length and 10 kg in weight and curved EZ bars, preferably the same length (1.5 m) and weight (about 10 kg) for doing biceps exercises and triceps. A bench press, squat racks or frame, a bench with an adjustable incline, a multifunctional station, of which there are a great many now and, if possible, a treadmill or exercise bike. If your dormitory, for example, at the university has a hall with the above set of equipment, which includes a changing room, shower, ventilation, good lighting, music and perhaps even a TV under the ceiling, such a hall can be considered more than comfortable for bodybuilding classes.

Training with adequate equipment

Often, those who are wondering how to choose a fitness club are interested in the middle class, since it is the most demanded and the most widely represented on the market. This is a kind of golden mean between expensive season tickets with overpayment for elite and budget-to-the-bone clubs where you have to stand in line for the bench press. Clubs of the "standard" class are equipped with a full set of both basic and auxiliary equipment. Quite rarely, in addition to a gym and fitness zones, they have a swimming pool with a massage room and spa treatments, but absolutely, such a club has all the necessary strength and cardiovascular equipment on which you can build the entire training process. Here you will have available subscriptions, comfortable changing rooms with showers, treadmills with exercise bikes, all the same weight block and lever trainers with a free weights area and a full set of barbells and a dumbbell row. The difference between the "luxury" and "standard" class can often be completely invisible, since it consists mainly in the design and decoration of the club, the availability of additional services and more comfortable conditions for training, but in terms of technical equipment, in terms of simulators, these two class go head to head, as "luxury" does not reinvent the wheel, that is, does not offer exercise equipment that you could not find in the clubs of the standard class. Lux clubs provide you with the same simulators, only from more expensive manufacturers, which increases the status of the club and the price of a subscription.

As we have already indicated above, a training room, the equipment of which could be called sufficient, often has such a basic set of hardware as a multi-station, in one or another modification, on which you can perform up to 10 different exercises for all muscle groups, at least one barbell bar, and most likely it will not be Olympic (with a smooth glass with a diameter of 50 mm), but will be an amateur one (with a diameter of 30 mm and a screw nut). The dumbbell row, as a rule, of the most popular weights - 5 kg, 10 kg, 15 kg and possibly 20 kg. The presence of other weights in the dumbbell row depends on each private institution, as well as the presence of the dumbbell row itself, which is usually replaced by a pair of sets of collapsible dumbbells with a set of pancakes. Also, such a gym should have at least one squat rack and at least one bench press. Most likely, there will be no cardio equipment in such a gym, except for a jump rope, but the presence of a treadmill or an exercise bike in the simplest modifications, that is, not electrical more expensive ones, but in a mechanical version, set in motion by the user, is not excluded. Working out in such a hall with a large number of people will be, to put it mildly, not very comfortable, including because of the rather primitive locker rooms, the lack of a shower and poor ventilation, but from the point of view of the availability of equipment for working out all muscle groups, such a hall can be considered quite satisfactory.

Critical Training

Once again, looking into your wallet and thinking about how to choose a fitness club, oddly enough, you will come across clubs of this level that you can go to with a subscription. Most often, these are sports institutions of still domestic formation and quite Soviet equipment, on the basis of all kinds of sports schools, sports schools, and so on. Created during the union, which existed to this day, but due to lack of funding, which have fallen into decay, these sports clubs provide an opportunity for everyone, as a rule, for a minimal fee to join the old school of fitness and bodybuilding.

The equipment in these rooms is often hand-welded and riveted from bolts and nuts, with cables purchased from a nearby hardware store. The dumbbell row in this case will represent approximately the same picture, where the step of the weights will be different, each pair of dumbbells will differ in an individual assembly from improvised pieces of pipes and metal. Cardio trainers can easily be represented by domestic copies of the "Sport" roller treadmills and the "Health" magnetic exercise bikes. In some places, such establishments can look quite decent, and sometimes, you can find peeling walls, rusty exercise equipment and blinking lamps, which, together with the suffocating smell of the basement, will create the atmosphere of a horror movie. Sometimes, when cottage cheese is without fish and bleach, you don't have to choose. In this case, just pay attention to the operability of the existing equipment to make sure that it is completely safe and only then purchase a subscription.

Now let's imagine that for one reason or another, you want to practice on your own. We know for sure that you will not go to a fitness club, so you will have two ways out. The first is that to perform the vast majority of exercises, moreover, on all parts of the body, you only need collapsible dumbbells. Either you buy them, or find and requisition from friends. And the more weight that can be adjusted, the better for you. Dumbbells are perhaps the most necessary element of the training process, since they can be used to perform exercises for all muscle groups.

The second scenario is that to perform, again, a sufficiently large arsenal of exercises, you will need TRX loops. Information about what it is, what they are for and how to use them, you can find in the list of articles "Accessories" of the section "Hardware" in the catalog "Instructor". I will not spread my thoughts along the tree, and I will only say that the ideal option in this case would be the acquisition of both dumbbells and loops. In both cases, even in conditions of almost complete lack of equipment for training, keep in mind that both with dumbbells and with straps, it will be possible to easily build a training process with exercises for all muscle groups.

Conclusion

Well, after such a detailed biography on how to choose a fitness club, you just have to take this final and crucial step - choose a club and buy a subscription. These steps will be the beginning of your long journey. In conclusion, I want to give you a couple more tips on choosing a place for sports.

ADVICE. When choosing a place to study, hang out with friends. With those who are already walking or walking somewhere. For those who have already changed their place of study, it is important to find out why they did it. People communicate with each other and share information, both live and on social networks. Research all the proposals, collect as much information about them as possible and weigh the pros and cons before making a choice.

ADVICE. Take your first test visit. This service is available in almost any club of any level. Classes "luxury", "budget" and "economy" always give their potential clients the opportunity to evaluate the environment in which they will be engaged. Use this opportunity to understand whether it is worth purchasing a subscription to this club or not.

ADVICE. Don't buy long-term passes, at least right away. Even your first trial visit sometimes cannot give you a complete picture of what is happening at the club. Something may be deliberately hidden from your eyes. For example, the keys to the locker room, which can be used to open any locker, or fitness equipment that are in disrepair, or the fact that the club sells season tickets for 6 months, but the management is going to close this business in two months. First, buy a subscription for a month, then, during this time, evaluate the feasibility of purchasing a long-term club card.

ADVICE. Didn't like the club, change it. The fact that you have purchased a subscription does not in any way oblige you to renew it. As I said above, at any moment there may be circumstances in which you either do not want to or will not be able to continue to visit the club. Depending on the situation, you can contact the receptionist with a request to freeze the subscription (in case of a business trip or illness), or with a request for a refund (in case of moving to another district or city). The most trivial reason may be the reason for the return of the subscription - you just did not like the club.

So, now you know more about choosing a fitness club. I wish everyone a successful choice, set goals and achieve them.

Let's admit: now there is a dark, dark variety of rocking chairs, and they all somehow differ from each other. In this article, we will provide some tips to help you make your choice.

How do I choose the right gym?

Let's admit: now there is a dark, dark variety of rocking chairs, and they all somehow differ from each other. There are Curves for ladies, Powerhouses for powerlifters, Gold for bodybuilders, and so on and so forth.

Therefore, finding the one in which you are comfortable is a matter of principle enough. If you sign up for a gym where you feel uncomfortable or even timid, chances are you will quit altogether. Therefore, whichever hall you choose, it is important to feel at home in it.

"There are many different conditions to consider when deciding which gym is best for you. You need to know what type of training you will be doing and proceed from that."

Think about what you need from the audience. Will you only work with weights? Do you want to attend aerobics classes? Or maybe you just need a cardio zone? Or maybe all this at once?

As you can see, there are many different conditions to consider when deciding which room is best for you. You need to know what type of training you will be doing and proceed from this.

Let's take a look at the basics when choosing a gym.

Questions to ask about the gym

• What are the opening hours?
• What time is the hall most busy?
• How much does the subscription cost? Are there any special pass types available?
• What do I need to do to cancel my subscription?
• Do I need to pay periodically, or can I pay in advance?
• Are the staff certified?
• Is the room equipped and instructed in the event of an injury?
• How new is the equipment in the hall?
• How often is the equipment updated?
• What are the most commonly used simulators?
• Is the number of people in the group limited?
• Is there a fee for additional services, or are they all included in the cost of the subscription?

• Is there a children's room at the hall, and, if so, is it paid and how much does it cost if it is paid?
  • Do they show you how to use the simulators, and if so, is this included in the subscription price?
  • Do they do body fat tests and are they paid?

What to look for

Location

How convenient is it for you to get to the hall? Find a gym that you don't have to drive far to and that doesn't take a lot of your effort. If it is too far away or the road takes too long, it is unlikely that trips there will become a habit for you, or it will not happen as often as you would like. If you do not know the addresses of the halls, then use the catalogs, for example, there are fitness clubs in St. Petersburg, there are definitely such portals in your city.

Look for a place close to your work so that you can stop by before or after, or at lunchtime. Look for something close to home. This will allow you to walk into the gym anytime you want without having to carve out a time in your schedule, especially if you just need to do a little warm up or do some cardio.

Opening hours

"It is best if the room is open 24 hours a day."

Does their daily routine suit yours? Can you calmly do your workout without being pressed for time? Make sure that if you are paying for a membership, your workout schedule will be consistent with the opening hours of the gym, because otherwise it will be a waste of money, because you will not be able to use its services to the fullest.

It is best if the hall is open 24 hours a day. This means that no matter how much the watch is on, you can go and do a good workout.

Price

This is what really matters. How much will it cost you, and will it be worth your money. Better to spend a little more on a membership in a place that has good new equipment and an inspiring stay than go to an old, shabby hall that looks like a cave.

You should also take into account the time of year in which you are going to buy a subscription. As a rule, in the high season, when people are not up to the rocking chair, the halls hold promotions, for example, in the New Year area or in September. If you wait a little and catch such time, you can save a lot in the future.

Make sure you pay exactly what you want at that price. Do not get carried away with additional services that you may never resort to or things that you are not really interested in. Many halls will bombard you with such offers to the point of insanity, make sure that the clever manager does not add a kilometer list of unnecessary additional options to your subscription.

Another thing to watch out for is the halls seeking to tie you to them with long-term membership. It happens that you bind yourself with obligations for 1-3 years and cannot break them in any way.

Suppose, over time, you don't like the hall, or something happened that turned you away from it. And you are already tied up and there is nothing you can do. And then you have to pay for the hall that you do not use, or you think with horror about going there again.

Purity

How clean is it? Are there personnel who wipe the equipment every day? Do they make sure visitors wipe the equipment after use? Is there debris on the floor? Are the lockers in the dressing room in order? All this must be taken into account when buying a membership.

If the room looks like a dump, you need to decide if you want to visit such a place every day. For most people, a dirty room is a mood killer. If the staff cannot take care of the premises, can you expect them to take care of you?

Membership privileges and bonuses

Are you a recipient of discounts on their products as a member? Do you have the opportunity to use the solarium and swimming pool free of charge or at a special price? Do they have massage therapists? Is there a place in the gym where you can take your child while you exercise?

Do they have a juice and energy bar? How much will you pay for them? Find out what bonuses you get for your membership and what you will need to pay separately. Are there any advantages due to which it is worth choosing this particular room and not another? Make sure you understand what is included in the package price and what is not before you sign any papers.

Equipment

Each gym should provide more than just a gym. For example, it can be a pool, sauna, massage. But sometimes, something like this can only be found separately, like swimming pools in St. Petersburg, not all gyms have them. But quality simulators should be everywhere.

The equipment you use must be in good working order with no operational problems. Take a look at what brands of exercise machines are in the gym and make sure that this is exactly what you need. What about the free weights zone?

Make sure that the dumbbells are not broken, that there are no missing or unpaired weights. Inspect the handles of the dumbbells, they should not be gripped until they are completely smooth, otherwise it will be unsafe to use them.

Look around and notice how visitors handle the equipment. Do they throw dumbbells on the floor? Do you bang the barbell on the floor after repeating or taking it off the counter? Do the weights tap on the machine after finishing the set and releasing the handle?

If something like this happens, it is better to treat the room and equipment with caution. If you treat simulators like this, sooner or later problems and breakdowns will begin. Pay particular attention to how personnel react when such situations occur. If they have good equipment, they will try to keep it in good condition. If the simulators are rubbish, then, obviously, that's why they don't look after them.

Clientele

What type of people train in the gym? Are they mostly men or women? Is there a division into zones for some and for others? It is important that you feel comfortable working with the people you see in the hall. Certain rocking chairs are home to more brutal characters, such as powerlifting or bodybuilding gyms.

"It's important that you feel comfortable with the people you see in the gym. Certain rocking chairs have more brutal characters, like powerlifting or bodybuilding gyms."

If you are uncomfortable or even uncomfortable exercising around such people, it is better to look for a place that you can safely call home. Remember: the hall should first of all suit you, and not someone else.

Atmosphere

How is the atmosphere in the hall? Does it invigorate or depress? Find a gym that inspires you and makes you want to study. There is nothing worse than walking into a rocking chair to exercise and feeling stuck in groundhog day.

Find a room that energizes you. Take a look around and see how visitors interact with each other. Are they friendly or snobbish? Comfortable coexistence plays a significant role in the place where you are going to get a good amount of muscle.

Care

Nothing is more frustrating than walking into the gym and finding that the machine you always use is broken. How quickly is the equipment repaired after a breakdown? Do you report a malfunction, come back in a week, and the simulator is still inoperative?

It does take time to fix some of the machines, depending on whether a part needs to be ordered, but how quickly do they deal with the situation? If the fix is ​​delayed, this is most likely a sign that management simply does not want to spend money, and will delay with it as much as it can, just not to do it.

Always do a trial lesson before purchasing your membership!

It doesn't matter what you see, always do a trial lesson before buying your membership. If you don't see what the gym looks like in action, then simply wandering around and paying for the membership could be a big mistake.

You can ask for a trial lesson, a guest pass, or anything that will allow you to test the room at least once. Most establishments provide such services; however, those that don't usually have a one-day pass that costs around $ 10.

Even in the case when a fee is demanded from you, if you want to choose a hall, it is better to pay and understand whether you like it or not. It is better to invest $ 10 than to give away $ 500 and then think every time why you did it. Better to go to the gym at a time in which you prefer to train. This will allow you to understand how busy he is at the time you are going to be there.

When choosing a hall, ALWAYS read the contract before signing it!

By reading the terms of the agreement and the contract, you are aware of what you are signing. This includes how you will pay the membership fee, contract duration, termination conditions, and any other required information.

Conclusion

We hope that the article will make it easier for you to choose a hall. When that moment comes, it is best to take all the things described in it into account. If you didn’t like something in the hall, you’d better look elsewhere.