1. Is the membership monthly or locked in for a period of time?
Many places try to lock a person up with a long membership or a onetime lump sum initiation fee. Others might be a little more flexible by allowing you to by as you go. For instance, I’d be more likely to use a gym during the winter than I am during the summer. Being able to quit when I want is attractive to me. However, just because a place tries to lock you up or make you pay a lump sum should not be automatically looked as a negative. They place could be very popular or the demand for a membership is high where the upfront cost or commitment would be worth it. It is good to look into which membership fits you and what makes you feel comfortable.
2. How busy is the gym at the hours that you want to work out?
Go to the gym when you intend to try and workout and see how active the gym is or if the equipment you want to use is being monopolized. If a 30 minute workout lasts over an hour because you have to wait for a machine or a weight to free up could get frustrating really quick. Some gyms can handle this traffic because they have a ton of equipment and weights to use. Try to get feel for the gym before committing a membership.
3. Is there a free trial membership?
Most places offer at least a few visits free so you can get the feel for a gym. If they don’t they either have something to hide or they are doing well and don’t want nonmembers visiting the gym. Some gyms are the “it” place to train at and they don’t need to convince people to train there. However, for most normal people having a free trial will allow a person to see if the gym fits them or not.
4. Are aerobic, yoga, and other like classes included in the fee?
At first the price of gym might be seem high to you but that price may include being able to take part in a spinning class, a Turbo Jam course, or another aerobic session. If this is something you’d be interested then that is something that needs to be factored in when comparing other sites. Another gym might have a lower membership but if the class is an added cost it might not be as good of a deal as originally thought. The more added features to a membership the better the value as long as the features are of a high quality.
5. Is physical training advice free all the time or for a limited amount of time?
If you want one on one physical training with a fitness expert you will likely have to pay for that service. However, sometimes a gym may offer an introductory physical training period where advice is for free. Some places include occasional advice and help free of charge. On the flip side physical trainers working on a commission may not want to invest time on freebie lessons in fear of being taken advantage of. This will vary greatly from gym to gym so it is an important feature to ask about.
