Thursday, March 02, 2006

Picking out the Right Gym or Fitness Center

My first step in living a healthier lifestyle seemed logical to me, I would join a gym. There was several things that I was looking for in a gym. Let me share some of the insights I gained when looking for a gym or fitness center to join.

First off I was looking for a gym that utilized both free weights and machines. Free weights help you to make faster strength gains whereas machines help you to utilize, or isolate, a single muscle group at a time. Most places should have both, but it never hurts to take a look around. Besides why would you want to use a gym that uses exercise equipment circa 1970?

The second thing I was looking for was cardio equipment. The cardio equipment would not only help me achieve my weight loss goals it would also help me reap the other benefits that come with cardiovascular workouts such as reduced stress, better sleep, more energy and confidence as the results started to kick in. A gym or fitness center should also have several different options for you to choose from when it comes to cardio workouts. There can be different machines such as a stationary bikes and ellipticals that give you a low impact workout that will not effect your knees and joints. Also, the staple of the fitness center is the treadmill. Nowadays most gyms and fitness centers also offer classes that can help you to accomplish your cardiovascular workouts. These classes can include (but are not limited to), kick boxing, spinning, yoga and pilates.

Another thing you should look for when joining a gym or fitness center is the amount of people that are at the gym. Are they filling the gym to capacity, making it hard to utilize their equipment? Or are they tailoring their membership capacity so that everyone can reap the benefits of a good workout? Think about it. Just having the cardio equipment, free weights and machines is not enough, the gym or fitness center you are thinking of joining has to have enough machines to satisfy all of their members. You do not want to leave home or work to go to the gym only to find out that all the cardio machines are in use. Trust me, you don't want to join a gym where you spend half your time waiting to use their equipment. You will lose motivation and your results will suffer. A good way to find out if the gym is always packed is to ask for a free trial and go to the gym at the same time you would be exercising. If they don't offer a free trial just show up during the time you would normally be exercising and ask for a free tour.

Proximity to work is another thing that you might consider when joining a gym or fitness center. Having the gym close to your home or your place of work makes it easier on you. You will have one less excuse to go workout because you can no longer use the excuse of "I don't want to put up with the traffic" or "There is not enough time."

Facilities at the gym is another thing work looking into. If you are going to exercise in the morning you better make sure that they have showers. Just having showers is a good thing but you also want to make sure that they regularly clean them. This goes with the rest of the facility as well. Along with showers should come a locker room. Do they have adequate enough space for all your stuff?

The staff at the gym should be friendly and helpful. Ask them if they offer a free training session or if they can tailor a training program to meet your needs. The staff at the gym should also know what they are doing. Ask them if they are a certified personal trainer. When showing you around the facilities they should be familiar with all the equipment. Having them point to the treadmills and ellipticalls and saying this is where you do cardio and then pointing to a stack of weights and saying this is where you lift weights is not enough. They should explain to you the benefits of using each particular machine. Do a little research online and be prepared to ask a question or two before you look into joining a gym.

Finally the price can be a big reason why you choose or pass on a particular gym. Think of what you personally need in a gym. All gyms should have free weights, machines and cardio equipment. Do you want the extra cardio classes that some gyms offer? Does the gym provide towels, personal training or even tanning? The more the gym or fitness center offers the more you are going to pay. My advice is don't just join the cheapest gym you can find. Find one that suits your own personal fitness needs. Remember if you are paying a monthly membership it is much easier to blow off going to work out when the membership fee is only $20 instead of $40.

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