A Trainer's Guide to Choosing a Health Club
Mar 25 '02 (Updated Apr 23 '04)
The Bottom Line There are many factors. I hope you read this carefully and consult a doctor if necessary.
My qualifications for writing a review on How To Choose A Health Club are: I am a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified by A.C.E. (American Council on Exercise) and have worked in 2 gyms. I have also been a member of 1/2 dozen gyms and visited at least that many over the years. I hope this information helps you make an informed decision.
Please note: I am using the word gym rather than health club.
1. What kind of a gym are you looking for? There are “types.” Do you want a gym with a pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, steam room, racquetball court, basketball court? Do you not care about any of those but just want equipment? Do you just want a pool and equipment? If you can’t find the exact gym you are looking for are you willing to pay for a pool even if you don’t use it?
~In Massachusetts, we can now have women only gyms. That may be true in other states as well. If you are a woman, is that what you want? Some women prefer working out with men, some don’t. Some work out with a male partner, some would prefer the privacy an all woman’s gym gives them. Guys, don’t get on my case that I don’t know of any all-male gyms in Massachusetts. I didn’t make the law. One of the gyms in which I worked was all women. There are pros and cons to it as noted above. I workout with my husband so for me that gym would not have been a good choice for me and in fact I had a gym membership elsewhere even though I could, obviously work out for free!
~When you go looking at gyms if they have any of the above amenities and you don’t want them, see if there are memberships that are equipment-only memberships that would restrict your using the pool, etc. Almost a year ago I belonged to a gym that only had one membership type and since we didn’t use the pool or courts and were paying for them, we left. We now belong to World Gym (Review written on that chain.)
~Do you want babysitting?
~Do you want tanning booths?
~Do you want classes and if so are some necessary such as spinning and cardio boxing?
~Do you want a juice bar?
~Do you want access to personal trainers?
~Do you want to be able to get your hair done at the same place at which you work out?
2. What kind of equipment are you looking for? Do you want state of the art weight equipment or are you the “just give me a barbell, dumbbell and bench” type of person? Do you care if the equipment is a little banged up or if the padding is ripped? You may be paying very little and you would rather pay $19.99 or $29.99 and not care if the equipment is not replaced quickly. That is your choice. Just make sure that is something you know ahead of time.
~When you visit, look at the equipment. I don’t want ripped chair pads or outdated equipment. Ask the person who is taking you on a tour how the equipment gets replaced? If they own it, replacing ripped pads will take longer than if they lease the equipment.
~Do you want a gym that has enough equipment for everyone? If you have to wait is it just for a brief time or too long of a time? Most gyms have 30-minute limits on cardio vascular equipment at peak times (4pm-8pm –give or take). Find out if that is true especially if you are a person who works out during those hours.
3. Safety is a major concern. There should be a staff person on the floor at all times. The staff person should not be talking with other staff while working. The trainers' or floor staffs' job is to make sure people are using the equipment properly, to make sure the weights are put back in the right place and not on the floor where you can trip on them and to clean.
~Look around the gym. Machines should be cleaned every day at least once or twice. Is anyone doing that? Look at the floor mats. Are they dirty? Do they look like they were swept that day? Check out the locker room thoroughly. Is the area clean? What kind of amenities do you want in the locker room? Do you need a hair dryer and shampoo? Do you want a separate area in which to change? Are the floors slippery so you may fall after your shower?
~Pools and Jacuzzis should be checked every 4 hours for: temperature, chlorine and pH levels. Ask if they are doing this. Many gyms don’t because either there isn’t enough staff or it isn’t required of the staff. If members don’t know that this is what they should be doing, they will get away with it. In the gym in which I worked I checked it during a 4-hour shift, as did everyone else. We initialed a checklist after checking the levels and adding what was needed. Look into that. Don’t just assume they are doing their jobs.
~Some gyms employee their own personal trainers; some contract out. I don’t think you will find gyms today that don’t have any trainers because money is made when you hire one and the gym will get a percentage. Ask for the trainers’ certifications. They should be certified by ACE or the American College of Sports Medicine. There are others. Some credentials can be bought by mail. Make sure the staff has taken a written exam and has to continue their training every two years. Each staff should be (and personal trainers must be) CPR certified. Ask if they are. If they aren’t you don’t want to be there. I remember a staff person at one gym to which I belonged who did not know what hypoglycemia was. (low blood sugar) That is a basic piece of information taught and he should not have been on the floor alone.
~The gym should be comfortable – not too hot, too cold or too humid. If you are working out and there are fans blowing in your face, shut them off if you don’t like it or ask for them to be turned off.
~Are there plenty of lockers in which to put your things? Use a lock. No matter how safe the gym seems use it. More and more gyms are requesting that you use one. They aren’t liable for anything stolen but the point is no gym likes to have its member’s things taken. In addition, there is nothing more annoying then opening locker after locker only to find it full. If there is a lock on it, members know it is taken and won’t have to open ones that are full.
~Is the gym in an area in which you are comfortable walking to your car at night? If not ask that a staff escort you. Always lock your car. Gym parking lots seem like they would be safe places but I know of two instances in which cars have been broken into. The fact they were locked didn’t matter in these cases, but lock in anyway. If you have a pocket book and don’t take it in with you, put it in the trunk. Don’t leave it visible in the car.
4. The location of the gym is crucial. People are less likely to go to a gym on a regular basis if it is is more than 10 minutes away from either your house or place of employment you are less likely to go. (This is the only piece of information taken from the Personal Trainer Manual written in 1996.) If you are not super motivated find a gym close by!
Some other points to keep in mind:
~What is the cancellation policy if you want to leave the gym? Some have 30-60 days notice; some have none if you have prepaid for a year. Make sure you know that. Also find out if you can suspend your membership for medical or other reasons. Most gyms will allow a 3-month’s suspension for medical reasons. The gym to which I now belong allows a 3-month suspension for any reason but we must pay $10.00 per month during that time.
~Take a tour of the gym at least once. You should be able to visit the gym again and check out who is there and when. You may not want to work out with 18 year olds after they finish school. If that is the only time you can go, think carefully about your decision. If the clientele (age, gender) matters to you visit at different times. Every gym will let you work out at least once so take them up on that. Many will give you a week - if they don't offer it ask. Don’t join a gym before you sample it!
~What kind of music is playing and is it too loud or soft? You can ask for it to be made lower and usually staff will comply. In the first gym at which I worked the music was always on very loudly and people complained. We lowered it. Personally I like loud music, but you may not. I overheard a young man say to one of the staff at World Gym, “Is this the only kind of music you play?” If that is important to you, ask.
~If your gym is part of a chain they may have a reciprocal deal with other gyms around the country. That will allow you to go to another one of their gyms or affiliate gyms either free or at the guest rate for as long as you are in the area.
~Does the gym have a sports store? Is that something you want? The all women’s gym in which I worked was constantly hard selling everything from clothes to classes. That was one reason I left. The final straw for me was the powders they were adding (with member’s knowledge, of course) to smoothies. A gym should not be adding ephedra to protein drinks even with your permission. It can be a dangerous substance if you have a medical condition unknown to you. Don’t join a gym that does this. It is my opinion if they are doing this; they may be doing other things that jeopardize your safety.
~Does the gym do body fat measurements? More and more gyms are doing them routinely but not all do. If the gym you choose does, take advantage of it. It is painless and will give you a starting point so you know if you have changed in 3 months, then 6 months, etc.
~What is the dress code? Find out. Some gyms don’t allow midriffs showing, though that is rarely enforced and some don’t allow anything but sneakers and that should be enforced. Make sure you are dressed right both for you safety and comfort.
~Does the gym allow guests and what is the cost? Most gyms will give you a couple of passes and the cost of a guest after that ranges, from what I have seen to $6.00 - $15.00 a visit per guest. If that is important to you, ask and make sure you get some passes.
~Most gyms don’t ask for doctor’s letters before beginning. It is something as a personal trainer we are told to do if, for example, you are a man over 45. Gyms don’t have to do this but they will ask you to sign a waiver that they aren’t responsible for any injuries. That is normal and you will have to do that. Please if you have never exercised, are a man or woman over 45, (That number has some leeway.) are pregnant or have any health issues, consult your doctor before joining a gym.
I hope you have found this helpful. If you have any questions that I have not answered here, please feel free to e-mail me. I will answer them or find the answer for you if I don’t know it off the top of my head. Enjoy your workouts. Every piece of scientific study shows the benefits of exercise at any age but if you have never exercised and have any medical conditions or are over 40 again, please consult your doctor first.
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