Gym memberships - do you have one?

[trinacriabob]

I have a membership to 24 Hour Fitness, which I bought in Northern California in 1996. They charge my bank account, you guessed it, $ 24 a month. They are all over the West and in other states as well, judging from the map.

I also belong to Bally's which I bought when I moved to the Seattle area(there are about 10 in Oregon, too). It's such a cheap renewal now that I just pay it because I would spend more in join-up fees if I moved. For example, ATL and FL have Bally's, but not 24 Hour Fitness.

OK, the "low cost" gyms have problems of their own...the clientele they attract. In June, before moving up North, I went to 24 Hour Fitness the evening that a friend was going to come over to help me load my rented truck.

I didn't particularly like that location, so I wondered how much I should put in the locker, so I kept my keys in the pocket of my shorts. My wallet always stays in a hidden place in my car. After a quick workout and 30 minutes on the elliptical, I came back to find my lock cut, as were 2 others!!! They looked around and didn't take anything because there were no valuables. If they had stolen my keys, I couldn't have gotten into my place and loaded my rental truck with my friend that night.

The Ballys in Portland are all fairly nice, by comparison, and the crowd is a little more suburban, but the crowd at some 24 Hour Fitnesses I've seen in Northern Cal/Northern Nev can be a little

Do you belong to a gym? Is it a "low cost" one? Are there problems such as this? Be careful.

[Nick]

I am a member of a smaller private gym. Being that it is located in Westlake Village, there isn't much I have to worry about. But I did read an article about a guy I know who got robbed from the 24 hour fitness in Thousand Oaks. His lock was cut as well and all his stuff was stolen.

[the_yellow_dart]

I belong to a very cheap gym - $50 for 3 months. It is a community gym, sponsored by the city. As far as private gyms in that area of Toronto go, some of the cheapest you can find are around $75/month.

As far as safety, I've never had a problem, but that's because I don't use lockers. I drive to the gym, and leave everything but my membership card and car keys in the car. I just carry those two things on me while at the gym. Whole lot easier that way, safer and cheaper too.

[tmp]

I belonged to a gym for a while, but I have a gym at work, so I use that now.

When I did use the gym I never left anything in the lockers of value. I kept my wallet and keys in a small bag with me and showered at home.

[K.C.]

I am a lifetime member to a very, very small private gym. It's right here in my house. I work out six days a week doing half cardio and half weight training. If I don't work out, I feel a depressed about it.

[Satty]

When I was a junior in high school, I had a membership to the 24/7 gym at a local hospital that I acquired through an acquaintance who worked there. One evening, after work, my girlfriend and I (we worked together) went to the gym to workout. It was about 1am when we finished working out, instead of heading off to the locker rooms, we stopped by the hot tub to relax and things got a little...physical. Turns out we weren't the only people at the gym. I ended up being banished, although I was not told how long the banishment would be. I applied for a job at the hospital last year and kind of wondered if I would be able to re-join. Didn't get the job so its a moot point.

[CARBIZ]

I belong to a gym where I am the youngest person by 25 years!

I pay $45 a month and go first thing in the morning, after the downtown office crowd has left. Just me and the geriatrics! There are better gyms around, but this one has free parking. Yeah, I know: drive to the gym that is only 6 blocks away, but those 10 minutes each way that I would walk is time away from walking my dog. I get plenty of time walking him.

There are better, more expensive gyms around (one charges $70 a month and is a palace), but it really boils down to the parking. I got at least 3 times a week (gotta keep buff - Mother Nature has no use for us once we hit 30!).

I'd love to have a Class of '80 Reunion! All those highschool jocks with their beer bellies and 4 screaming brats!

[scharmer05]

I pay like 6K a year. Sounds like I am getting ripped off compared to what you guys are paying :AH-HA_wink: I use the Wellness center on campus. They just opened a new addition to it this fall. There is plenty of room now, and always an open machine to use. So it works well.

I hated going there before they added on, so I took a job reffing basketball at the Y on random Saturdays during the winter. Didn't pay much but I got to go work out for free at either the downtown Y or Y west. They Y west is brand new, but still nothing special. I like the crowd that hangs out there certain times of the day, being a college age guy and all.

I don't need much when it comes to working out. Some free weights and a track to run on are usually all I need, so I don't see the need to seek out anything else.

[Oracle of Delphi]

I don't have to work out, I was blessed with superior genetics! Thanks Mom and Dad!

[ocnblu]

Periodically, management at my gym will put up signs in the locker room warning people who leave locks on the lockers for extended periods of time that those locks will be cut off. It is a security measure taken by the gym management.

[mustang84]

ISU has a rec center with a gym that I go to. They have lockers that don't have locks provided, but they are in the open and I'm not really worried about stuff getting taken because I never bring any valuables anyway. A three summers ago when I still lived at home I went to the community gym at the hospital...I think it was $30 per month.

[Camino LS6]

My work is workout enough for me. :AH-HA_wink:

[VenSeattle]

I've had a Bally's membership since I was 18. I keep it for the same reasons you do, but I'm growing tired of it. The facilities near my home are not that great and all the hotels I stay at when traveling now have gyms.

I have another membership at The Pro Club which I use 2-3 times a week when time permits. I'd say it's pretty nice with a Spa, restaurant, & car detailer on-site.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I've had various gym memberships over the years...

I really hate the whole experience to be honest.

I couldn't go during the day and work out in peace because of the annoying ass starving-for-work "personal trainers"

And I couldn't go at night because of all the "jocks" trying to prove that they had bigger balls than me. I'm 6'9" 330-340lbs. So automatically, when I walk into the gym I get stared at (like everywhere) and then I get 2 or 3 f*ckers trying to "out man" me.

It gets so old. Bigger muscles or not, if I'm 2 or 3 times your size, I could do some serious damage if I wanted to.

Edited October 13, 2007 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[CARBIZ]

Hey, I'd trade that over a 70 year old woman, lifting one plate (10lbs), then scribbling in her note pad, adjusting her water bottle, doing 5 reps and then wiping down the machine! I'm thinking: hey, lady - stay home and lift some dishes in the kitchen - you'd get a better workout!

And those 'personal trainers.' Yack, yack, yack. Good Grief: don't you realize that the lonely old cow is just sizing you up? Let me see: 23 year old university student in a black T-shirt and shorts, showing a 90 year old with major cottage cheese thighs how to lift 10 lbs! I'm thinking: ya need an hour a day of walking (if you can!) before you even think of lifting weights. These clubs should be ashamed of themselves fleecing these old bags for their 2 week or 4 week or whatever packages. I've seen the same woman off and on for 4 years and she could still have her own zip code! I guess these old folks need somewhere to hang out, other than the food court at the local mall.

And my gym isn't a dump, either. The trouble is, there is a 52 storey luxury apartment building on it, and I suspect they have some kind of a deal with the tenants, who must get reduced memberships or something.

Frankly, I hate my gym, but I have a 32" waist at 6'2" and 46 years old - that doesn't come free.