Forums >Cross Training>Joining a gym?
I am also a 'lone wolf' as you put it yet I found tremendous value in being a gym member for a couple of years.
I bought the $300 Costco 2 year memberships to 24HR Fitness (though the dummies aren't open 24 hours!) and thought it was extremely useful. We had a 24 HR location around the block from our house. I'd get home from work, change clothes and my wife and I would walk over and use the equipment for an hour or so. Bike classes sometimes but for me it was almost 100% elliptical - I never used the treadmill. I live in California where it never gets bad enough outside that outdoor running's a bitch but I still used the gym.
When they closed down our location we stopped buying the 2 year memberships. I know that I will NEVER drive to a gym as I'm too lazy. I have a pretty nice elliptical trainer in the house now but I rarely use it as it is just too boring without being able to observe all the goings-on at the gym! That's what used to keep me on that gym machine for an hour to an hour and a half - all the characters at the gym.
If they opened that location again, I'd buy another membership if the prices were still reasonable.
The behavioral economics of gyms. Kind of interesting.
Back in the day, I used to go to a gym that had a bar. When I was there it was used to make smoothies or whatever (mostly to trade stories with the guys that worked there). But, originally the bar was an actual bar. As in, you rest your pint of Guinness on the bench next to you. So in between sets you can take a sip.
Ive been a member of plenty of gyms in the past. It helps to have a friend to go with or entertaining people at the gym to see / talk to. And, like Ken said, a convenient location.
And we run because we like itThrough the broad bright land
I've routinely done workouts at sub 6 minute pace with nary a word.
Swoon
Ready, go.
queen of headlamps
I work at a university and so I have access to the university gym, which is really nice. I much prefer running outside; while it's a short commute to the gym, it's still an extra twenty minutes between driving and parking, time is scarce, and I decided to start running to enjoy the outdoors. Still nice to have the treadmill and elliptical as options.
I really enjoy weightlifting, and the gym has all the nice heavy weights and platforms. I also do a decent amount of yoga and pilates at home.
Hey, another running blog.
Thats pretty fun but it is the truth! I was told a number of times that I don't need to run because I am not over weight. I was told I ran too hard(7 min pace), too fast(7 min pace) and sweat too much.
I tried planet fitness a couple of years ago when we moved to a new town. I got the "lunk alarm" rang on me for doing deadlifts. I wasn't slamming the weights or grunting or anything like that - just doing moderate weight deadlifts. The minion came over and told me that deadlifts were too intimidating for other people and they didn't allow them. My wife (who is a much better runner than I am) was told she was too intimidating for running at a 7:00 pace on a Planet Fitness treadmill. I've heard of other people getting kicked out or told to change their workouts because they were lifting heavy weights or running in a sports bra. Planet Fitness is a terrible place. They even have pizza and donuts - I guess muscle milk and fruit smoothies are to scary for their clientele. We both quit and joined the Y, which is fantastic. It's clean, reasonably priced (but more than PF), has good equipment, has a 25m lap pool, and even has a really good place to park the sproggettes while we parents train.
I tried planet fitness a couple of years ago when we moved to a new town. I got the "lunk alarm" rang on me for doing deadlifts. I wasn't slamming the weights or grunting or anything like that - just doing moderate weight deadlifts. The minion came over and told me that deadlifts were too intimidating for other people and they didn't allow them. My wife (who is a much better runner than I am) was told she was too intimidating for running at a 7:00 pace on a Planet Fitness treadmill.
I've heard of other people getting kicked out or told to change their workouts because they were lifting heavy weights or running in a sports bra. Planet Fitness is a terrible place. They even have pizza and donuts - I guess muscle milk and fruit smoothies are to scary for their clientele.
We both quit and joined the Y, which is fantastic. It's clean, reasonably priced (but more than PF), has good equipment, has a 25m lap pool, and even has a really good place to park the sproggettes while we parents train.
I'm a member of two gyms.
+1.
One is the pricey full-service Lifetime Fitness, which has a pool & group fitness classes, and is closer to home.
The other is the aforementioned evil Planet Fitness, which is closer to work, so I can use it at lunchtime. Sometimes just to use their shower after running outside. For $10/month I don't feel guilty about a 2nd gym; both of them get used.
I will never have a problem being too intimidating at PF, so working out there has been just fine. (Although I will say the scenery at the pricey gym is generally better.) My only beefs have been:
(1) my credit card which they automatically bill was cancelled due to fraudulent activity, & it was a few months before I got around to giving them the new one. I did not realize they were charging me a fee every time they tried billing the cancelled card. Not much luck getting that waived; my only leverage was quitting, which I didn't want to do.
(2) During the last Winter Olympics, went at lunch to watch the big USA-Canada hockey game on the treadmill. It was not on one of their regular channels. I asked if they could put it on, and they said "the TV channels are controlled by Corporate". Hello, we are in Hockeytown here!!
Dave
Kalsarikännit
Yup. I planned my run around a USA hockey game last winter. All three feeds were home improvement shoes or infomercials and they told me they (LA Fitness) couldn't change them. I spent the Olympics not being able to watch the actual Olympics while on the treadmill during the polar vortex.
LA Fitness took over my already mediocre Bally's and I have to leave them. They are so oppressively hot in the gym that along with no air circulation, I am dying while running. I (very nicely) spoke to a manager about it two weeks ago, mentioning that staff and the lifters could always throw on a long sleeve shirt, but there was nothing we could do on the cardio equipment and proposed that he have a staff member do a hard five miler on the treadmill and use some of that feedback to set appropriate temps. He said corporate sets it at 74. With all the people and machines it was 78 in there. I bailed on a tempo. I'm not heat acclimated. I thought I was going to die. Time for a new gym.
I'm paying $40/ month and wish I had a PF around here.
I want to do it because I want to do it. -Amelia Earhart
I belong to a gym, but its a pretty local one (Xsport Fitness, its only in the Chicago, NYC and DC areas). I don't usually do a lot of running there unless the weather is incredibly un-runnable, but they have a ton of nice treadmills and I've never had an issue with being on them as long as I need to be. I go mostly for the weights, and when I get there in the mornings (~ five am or so) its generally pretty quiet which I like. They are open 24 hours, which is incredibly useful.
Some days I only get 4 miles in per T-shirt of easy running ... some days I make 6. So if I attempt a 20 miler, I know I have to have 5 t-shirts along just to make sure of success. I run at a Gold Gym in York, PA when I am in town - It is fairly hot there also ... Plus you have to bring your own sweat towels.
Yup. I planned my run around a USA hockey game last winter. All three feeds were home improvement shoes or infomercials and they told me they (LA Fitness) couldn't change them. I spent the Olympics not being able to watch the actual Olympics while on the treadmill during the polar vortex. LA Fitness took over my already mediocre Bally's and I have to leave them. They are so oppressively hot in the gym that along with no air circulation, I am dying while running. I (very nicely) spoke to a manager about it two weeks ago, mentioning that staff and the lifters could always throw on a long sleeve shirt, but there was nothing we could do on the cardio equipment and proposed that he have a staff member do a hard five miler on the treadmill and use some of that feedback to set appropriate temps. He said corporate sets it at 74. With all the people and machines it was 78 in there. I bailed on a tempo. I'm not heat acclimated. I thought I was going to die. Time for a new gym. I'm paying $40/ month and wish I had a PF around here.
I am fuller bodied than Dopplebock
I belong to Anytime Fitness. While it is a bit pricier than I would like (about $40 month for two of us), there are quite a few around and you have 24x7x365 access. The ones I frequent have from 4 to about 10 treadmills. If I have to use the gym for my longer runs because of weather conditions, I try to go at off peak hours. Never have had a problem with being on a treadmill for extended periods of time (even up to 3 hours). The equipment at most Anytime Fitness locations is middle quality, so don't expect high end equipment with all the bells and whistles.
My husband and I belong to a Community Center. They have a great 25 yard pool, nice variety of free weights and machines and fair amount of treadmills, bikes and ellipticals, and a tenth of a mile indoor track with a really nice surface. It is also close to my favorite outdoor running locations, which makes it convenient for changing/showering. When I go there to cross-train I try to go right after the noon crowd clears out so it's not as much of a problem having to wait to use the weight equipment or pool, but a lot of time my work schedule just doesn't cooperate, so I ended up joining the Y in addition to the Community Center. The Y is great because it has locations all over in our area and your membership allows you to go to any of them. I drive a lot all over in my area for work, so a Y is often more convenient to get to, but not all of them are equal as far as what they offer- such as nice indoor pools. The newer ones are usually really nice and are in the better areas of town or in the burbs where I feel safer running outdoors before a swim or weight training session. I don't usually go to a Y on the weekends cause of the presence of too many unsupervised munchkins on sugar buzzes.
I don't enjoy running on a treadmill at all but do so when outdoor running is too sloppy or dangerous. The indoor track at the Community Center is nice, but tends to get way over-crowded with the "Silver Sneaker" crowd. The Y tracks are nice and usually less crowded, but shorter than a tenth of a mile.
It is pretty expensive belonging to both-- the Community Center full membership is $603/yr for the two of us (we are not residents of that particular community so an extra fee is tacked on), and the Y membership for just myself is $577/yr. But the cross training aspect is important enough to me to have all those options available. And I like to swim.
Thanks everyone for your comments. The club that I visited the other night is the best option here. One year will cost me $336. The club is big and has at least 30 treadmills. I was told that there would be no time limit re using the treadmill. I also have no plan to do my long runs on the treadmills as I will still suck it up, despite how cold it gets and get my long runs in on the weekend during the daylight. There is no pool or indoor track, but I think working on the treadmills, other machines and hand weights will work fine for me. I'm still on the fence however.
June 7, 2015 Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon
charter member of a moderate size no pressure fitness center so my monthly fees are really low. Hate the treadmill but glad to have the option the few times (maybe 5 ??) when it is totally nasty (icey, huge wind/rain storms) & run inside. Live in small town so whenever I go out for a run the FC is close by if any emergencies occur (bathroom breaks. cracked my head open bad once while running & FC manager drove me home). place to shower. I also weight train 2-3 days/week. Convenient, motivating & I have developed good relationships with a few people there. cant imagine not having the gym available since I really love to workout & Its a big part of who I am.
Interval Junkie --Nobby
Wonder how much local road taxes cost me per year.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
Not as much as you might think hence why our roads tend to be in pretty poor condition. A lot of funding comes from gas taxes, which at least federally have not been raised since '93. In Illinois on average you pay about 60 cents per gallon in taxes and roughly 20 cents of that goes to the federal government. At least on a federal level, 60 percent of that money goes into road construction. Locally, depends on your state and county, but a lot of that gas tax money doesn't go towards roads.
In Illinois, the Tollway makes a fortune off of their tolls (and they keep all their tolls), which is why they can afford to do so much work on them all the time and maintain them pretty well.