I’m currently in gym membership limbo. Over the past few months I’ve been in negotiations with my previous club, and on the lookout for a new option.
Currently my options have consisted of — resigning my gym membership, joining a small-box facility near my house, the new YMCA near my house (not my idea of a great option), joining CrossFit or a boot camp studio.
I have yet to make a decision, but this is what I’ve discovered. Being sold by a large corporate gym gave me odd voicemails from locations in Louisville, where we are located, all the way to California. The voicemail typically never stated who the person was with, just a friendly, “Hi Tyler, this is ‘so and so,’ please give me a call back.”
The first time this happened the person shared the name, and sound of voice, as a co-worker, and I gave them an immediate call back. That’s when I discovered, annoyingly, that the person wasn’t a co-worker, but a sales rep trying to get me to resign.
I haven’t resigned because of the annoying voicemails, entirely. Part of what has bugged me has been the attempt to up-sale, without any modifications being made to the facility. The pitch itself didn’t even promise that upgrades would be coming, but just the price would be going up. That’s not really going to tug at my bank account.
However, the big-box facility does have one advantage that some of the others don’t — a great website. I can log on, look at hours, classes and locations without leaving my desk. Although, many times I can’t find price lists because they are never set in stone with the club — always changing depending on time of year or the promotion going on.
When I looked at the small-box facilities, they were confusing. Often they are franchised, which means that they operate differently. One that I inquired to never called or sent me an e-mail. The second tried to get me to pay for a trial membership. I simply wanted one or two opportunities to get in to see the facility. I’m not typically good at throwing out money for something I’m not sure about.
In terms of the new Y in my area, it’s got everything I could ask for — outdoor pool access, low family membership and a great fitness area. However, as the editor of Club Solutions, I don’t necessarily believe that aligns with our mission to help our readers. (This is your, “awwww, he cares” moment.)
When looking at CrossFit and boot camp studios I’ve found the same issues. Most have extremely high initiation fees — this is for an evaluation and startup classes — and higher monthly rates than your typical club. However, some provide nutrition guidance as well as coaching — although not always one-on-one coaching.
I know a lot of my sources in the club world attend CrossFit and boot camps along with their club memberships, or working out in the clubs they own. Everyone I speak with that sticks with CrossFit or boot camps receives results. I have one friend that said his boot camp class got him in better shape than when he was in high school. I’ve had other friends say that CrossFit has given them the fitness level to tackle any type of challenge, such as mud runs, 5Ks, marathons and even triathlons.
The downside to CrossFit and boot camp studios is that they are hard to find through a simple Google search. Additionally, their websites are fairly basic and can be difficult to navigate. An e-mail for more information could take a couple of days to return, and some don’t operate with the same EFT options that a major health club would.
At this point, I’m a little torn. I’d love to get in great shape this year, but I also don’t want to spend $400 a month for a membership and personal training, when I could potentially spend $120 a month at a CrossFit or boot camp studio. I also enjoy being able to go to a gym and get a quick workout in, so something near my house would be best, even if it’s just a small-box facility. What do you think I should do? Give me your advice in the comments section and we can discuss.
Tyler Montgomery is the editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com.
Stay ahead in the fitness industry with exclusive updates!
Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
Why did you join your current club in the first place? You can get in great shape at almost any health club it all come down to your motivation. If you can’t get motivated to workout hard on your own then you are going to have to invest more $ for an environment that forces you to push yourself, be it one on one training, crossfit, or a boot camp. Instead of pointing out this issues you have with the different styles of clubs you should look at yourself honestly and determine why you are not reaching your goals.
Hi Tyler
When shopping for a club you should always put price on the bottom of your list. It may be tempting to join the low cost provider clubs but the bottom line is this.
If you don’t like the facility you will not be motivated to go. I don’t care if it is free.
A great website does not get you in shape and some of the best gyms out there are run by private owner/operators that love what they do.
In Health
Dave Didion
American Gym Trader
I agree with the previous comment. Obviously you hope that a group environment such as bootcamp or crossfit creates the motivation you don’t have currently. Maybe an additional option is to get a friend to workout with you towards a common goal. I also would proceed with caution on bootcamp and crossfit since they also are known to have a high turnover..not everyone can tolerate the high intensity over a long period of time.
My advice is to set some specific short,mid and longterm goals, then have a trainer assist you in developing some realistic programs and following through on it week by week. Stay in your current gym ! This should not at all cost $120-400 a month for a period of time.