Joining a gym is a big commitment and a big investment. Before taking the leap, consider a few points from the experts at Forward Thinking Fitness.
1. What type of a gym is it?
Twenty years ago, a gym was just that—a gym. Over the past two decades, the industry has seen such a change in its landscape. Places like Gold's Gym and LA Fitness owned the industry, with a lot of ‘Ma and Pa' type of gyms sprinkled in local communities. All sorts of treadmills, ab machines and free weights took over the gym floor. Not long after, the rise of amenities came. “Upscale” became the new thing in gyms—hot tubs, saunas, extravagant locker rooms with towel service, massage chairs and even smoothie bars!
Fast forward to 2018, and we are in a totally different ball game. There are new players in town that are all about services—boot camps, CrossFit, personal training, yoga and so forth. There are more and more studios popping up that charge much more than the normal gym would, but they offer a wealth of services that work specifically for the client. These facilities are all about community and changing lives.
There are a few questions to ask yourself. What type of gym do you want? What type of a person are you? Do you need a lot of assistance? Are you sufficient and dedicated on your own? Do some research and figure out what excites you about taking charge of your health and find the local facility that best caters to you.
2. Are there fees to join? What about fees to continue being a member?
More often than not, you'll find that gyms are going to have an initiation fee or a joining fee. This fee is primarily used as a sales tactic for gyms. Throughout the year, most facilities will periodically take the $100-plus fee and cut it in half or even waive it all together during slow months.
On the other side of the coin, there are also facilities that have fees every year or every six months built into the fine print of your contract. These fees are known as club enhancement fees and they MUST be used to improve the facility in order for the business to legally advertise them as such. Planet Fitness is a pioneer in this movement: the $10 per month changes when you factor in the joining fees and the club enhancement fees. If you notice your gym charges an enhancement fee, but you see no improvement, there are legal options for you to pursue in Pennsylvania.
3. How easy is it to cancel your membership?
If you are looking to cancel before your contract is expired, you're in a tough spot. The majority of gyms look to charge half of the remaining balance owed on the contract to cancel. If you joined for $1,000 per year, and you have only spent six months there, you would owe a $250 cancellation fee. Trying to cancel after the contract is fulfilled is a totally different story. Many gyms have a 30-day cancellation notice AFTER your contract is fulfilled. This means that you must hand in some form of notice that you wish to cancel your membership, and the gym will process that request within 30 days. The kicker? You're going to owe one more payment on your membership at the very least.
When you sign up, find out what is required to cancel your membership at the gym after your obligations are fulfilled. Do you need to mail them a certified letter to their corporate offices? Is it as simple as walking in and filling out a form at your local facility? Can you fill out a cancellation form online? Whatever their policy, be sure that it is in writing in your contract—clearly, not ambiguous in any way.
4. Can you negotiate any of the fees?
Anything that you legally agree to with your signature, you are obligated to commit to. If you signed up for a year and put your initials next to the cancellation policy, you're stuck. On the other side of the coin, you have leverage if you are just signing up. All of the fees, from joining to cancelling to club enhancement, are negotiable. At the end of the day, the best negotiating tactic you can make if you don't get your way is to walk out of the gym and don't look back. They'll call you and email you until they say what you want to hear.
5. How many members does the gym have? What is the facility's max occupancy?
This is an important question to ask. Many gyms sign up more members than they can actually accommodate. It's legal, but one big problem: All of the equipment is taken up when you want to go. Talk to the manager at the gym you're looking into and ask them how many members they have. If they won't tell you, that's a potential problem in two ways: They either don't have enough members to make it sound impressive, or they have way too many that you can easily figure out that the gym is going to be PACKED when you try to go at prime time.
6. What qualifications does their staff have?
All of the staff members in a gym or health club should be trained in, at the very bare minimum, CPR/AED. This can save a life—yours, specifically. Ask the club manager to see all of the CPR/AED certifications for all of the staff members. This will guarantee that you know you're in good hands when you're working out.
7. How do I know the trainer is qualified?
Sadly, Pennsylvania law does not regulate the training industry. One does not have to be certified or pass any board exam to be a personal trainer or a nutritionist. There is no requirement to know CPR. This means that anyone, without proper education or experience, can be in charge of your health. Check your trainer's credentials before you hire them. Ask them for a resume and look for one of three acronyms in their certifications: ACSM, NASM or ACE. If they have a bachelor's degree in exercise science or an equivalent, that's a huge bonus.
Jot down a few of these notes before you consider joining a gym to ensure that your experience is both enjoyable and credible!
Forward Thinking Fitness | 6750 Iroquois Trl. Suite 12, Allentown | trainftf.com
This post is a sponsored collaboration between Forward Thinking Fitness and Lehigh Valley Style.
