How to Choose the Right Gym for You
Picking a gym is an important decision for your health and fitness goals: if most of your exercise is going to happen at the gym, the gym you go to can have a big impact on your outcomes. And if you are getting serious about your fitness and health, your gym will be a normal part of your life. But picking a gym can be complicated.
How do you pick the right gym for you?
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. There are many factors to consider, and each person is going to value those factors differently. One way to start is by understanding which factors are important.
What factors should you consider when deciding which gym to exercise at?
Gyms will try to lure you with special discounts, unique perks, fancy equipment, and various amenities. But the real question you should ask yourself is simple:
Which gym will get you to show up?
That may seem confusing: you don’t just want a gym to show up to, you want a gym that will help you workout! That’s true. But the hardest part of working out is showing up. Once you’re at the gym, you are most likely do a workout because you’re already there. So you want to pick the gym that makes it easiest to show up.
Maybe the fancy smoothie bar at the gym will actually be a deciding factor for you, but it’s likely that other factors will play a more important role.
What factors should you consider when choosing a gym? Here are seven factors to consider, discussed in detail below:
Location
Vibes & Culture
Equipment
Classes & Training
Amenities
Price
Contracts
Location
Perhaps the most important factor in whether you will make it to the gym is how easy it is to get there.
The hardest step in doing exercise is showing up, so you want to make showing up as easy as possible. Imagine yourself after a long day of school or work, trying to muster the energy to go to the gym. Or waking up earlier than usual for a morning exercise session. Are you picking a gym close enough that even your most sleepy, tired, or lazy self can muster the energy to get there?
Try to find a gym that’s close to home or that’s easily accessible through transit. You don’t want to make it hard by picking a place that is difficult or time-consuming to get to.
This is so important, it may be worth giving up on other important factors. Consider making location a priority, maybe even picking the closest gym to you until you develop a consistent habit of making it to the gym.
Vibes & Culture
Vibes are a real criteria. You want to enjoy your time at the gym, which means you need to find a gym you vibe with. If you hate the gym’s vibes and culture, you’re going to dread each visit to the gym.
How do you figure out a gym’s vibes? Start with a tour and a workout session. Every gym wants you as their customer, and will gladly give you a guided tour of the gym. Pay attention to how the gym’s staff treats you on the tour. Gym staff goes a long way in determining the gym’s culture. Ask plenty of questions, especially if you don’t know about the equipment. It’s the staff’s job to know. If the tour is seems half-hearted or lazy, the gym staff likely maintains the gym in similar fashion.
After the tour, ask for a free pass to try the gym. Some gyms don’t offer free-passes and charge for a day pass. If you get rejected, politely tell the sales rep you want to try the gym before committing: nicely asking will often work, especially if a new membership is on the line for the gym.
On your trial workout, pay attention to how you feel about the gym. Does the gym feel like a place you would want to spend several hours a week? Do you like the energy and the lighting and the colors and the decor? Do you get good vibes?
One caveat: if its your first time at the gym, you may feel nervous or intimidated. Try to imagine yourself as one of the regulars at the gym. Is it a place you can feel at home? Do you like the quality of the equipment? Do the classes sound fun?
Notice how the other gym members behave. Gyms are little ecosystems that develop their own cultures. If you’re social, maybe you’ll be excited to see a gym full of people socializing. If you care about tidiness, maybe you’ll be happy to see other gym members racking their weights.
It may sound silly to prioritize vibes, but if your gym is a place you enjoy spending time in, then that alone may get you to show up on days you wouldn’t otherwise feel like working out.
Judgement-Free Gyms
Some gyms market themselves as being judgement-free. They offer a safe space away from bodybuilder jerks who will mock you. The truth is that those marketing tactics are disingenuous because almost all gyms are judgment-free. Don’t fall for this intimidation tactic, and make sure to pick the gym that offers the best services for you, not a gym that fixes a problem that doesn’t exist.
Gyms want a happy customer-base and will not tolerate jerks (they’re bad for business). If a gym member is being rude to other gym members, they will eventually get kicked out. If someone does make fun of you at the gym, check out our post on what do in that situation.
Ironically, it’s often the gyms with the most hardcore bodybuilders that have the most welcoming culture. Bodybuilders generally respect the process of working out, and will respect anyone who is at the beginning of their journey.
(Another caveat: Some gyms are designed specifically for women to avoid harassment. I am not a woman, and have never trained at one of these gyms, but I understand the value in signing up to avoid creepy men).
Equipment
A major value proposition from gyms is that they give you equipment to train with that you may not have access to at home. Some gyms are stocked with the latest fitness tech while other gyms only have a few pieces of utilitarian equipment. Either can be a great option for you, but it all depends on your goals and what you enjoy doing. Counterintuitively, when it comes to equipment, less can often be more.
The newness or complexity of your equipment will not determine your outcomes. Remember: your success depends on how much you can get in to the the gym, and your enjoyment is an important factor. If you hate running and enjoy lifting weights, then it doesn’t matter if a gym is stocked with the newest treadmills; it’s more important that the gym have a good selection of weights. If you love running and enjoy the cushion provided by expensive treadmills, then the running equipment is important.
No matter what equipment you want to train with, make sure the gym cleans and maintains it properly. Poorly maintained or dirty equipment can be a health and safety hazard.
When Less is More
Many big-box gyms offer access to a wide variety of equipment, but this can be a trap:
First, you won’t be doing a wide range of exercise types if you have specific goals. For example, if you’re trying to gain muscle, you will likely spend most of your time with weights.
If you don’t have specific goals or you’re just starting out, it may be better to focus on a few exercise types to build good habits first, in which case, having a bunch of equipment around can be overwhelming.
Second, it’s hard to have every type of equipment at a gym and also have a lot of it. Many of these big box gyms will have one of everything, which means the popular equipment (like squat racks) is hard to access. It’s better to find a gym that has several pieces of the equipment that line up with your goals.
Third, the more equipment a gym has, the more expensive it tends to be. Your membership pays for the cost of the equipment, so you may find that you’re paying for a bunch of equipment you don’t use.
Classes & Training
Workout classes and on-site trainers can be a valuable resources to help you get to the gym. All you have to do is show up, and the instructor or trainer takes care of the rest. Scheduled sessions can also make it harder to back out of showing up, especially if there’s a cancellation fee.
Ask which classes the gym offers and at what times. If you’re a beginner, ask if they offer entry-level classes or if the instructor provides modifications for newcomers. If possible, ask to attend a class as part of a free trial. Gyms are reluctant to provide free classes (they have to pay the instructors), but it doesn’t hurt to ask. If they refuse, it may be worth paying for a one-time class to see how you like the instruction.
If you’re new to gyms, classes and trainers can be invaluable for helping you learn the basics and for helping you build confidence in your abilities. Fortunately, most instructors and trainers are friendly and helpful. If it’s your first time in a class, make sure to introduce yourself and let the instructor know that you’re new. It helps them help you by making modifications to the training material and giving guidance on how to do exercises.
Classes aren’t for everyone. If you like using the gym as a personal time, or if you prefer to move at your own pace, then it may be better to look for gyms that don’t offer classes. Classes can increase the cost of your membership or take up gym equipment during class time.
Make sure to ask about class pricing. Some gyms offer classes at no additional charge to your monthly membership fee while others charge for classes separately.
Amenities
It’s important to discuss amenities. Most gym amenities are a distraction from more important factors. Gyms are a competitive business, and one way gyms compete is through amenities. Modern gyms have services like daycare, valet parking, saunas, steam showers, dry cleaning, laundry drop off, and more. But it’s important not to let these amenities distract you from the other factors.
If a gym’s amenities are not going to help you get to the gym, then they don’t matter (and they can actually cost you). None of these amenities are free: they’re either incorporated into your membership price, or come at extra charge when you use them, so it’s worth making a shrewd evaluation as to which amenities are important.
While it’s easy to get excited about amenities, the most likely scenario is that you won’t use most of them. When you get into a good habit of exercising, you tend to show up, work out, and leave. Showing up is the hardest part, so you want to ask yourself the same question: will these help me get to the gym?
If you’re a busy parent, a gym with a childcare service may be a crucial amenity to help you get to the gym. However, most of the other amenities are simply nice-to-haves that likely won’t make a big impact on your fitness habits. It’s nice to imagine yourself sitting in the gym’s sauna for 30 minutes after every workout, but the odds that you consistently do that are low. Instead of signing up at a mega gym that will promise to fold your laundry and do your homework, look for gyms that rank well on the other factors, and maybe consider one or two important amenities that will actually make a difference in your attendance.
Price
When you’ve found a gym you like, it’s important to budget your gym membership in a way that you can feel good about. Your gym should be a source of positivity, not stress. It’s necessary to build good gym habits over a long period of time, which means you need to budget for at least several months of gym access.
Get a gym membership that fits comfortably within your budget. You want this calculation to be true even if you were to go to the gym less than you expect. Unexpected things happen, and you might find yourself visiting less than you hoped. If you’re new to exercising at a gym, this is especially important. You don’t want to sign up for an expensive membership as you build new gym habits. You might not go as much as you hoped, which could lead you to develop bad feelings about gym memberships.
Many people think that if they get an expensive membership, they will have an incentive to go more often: the rationale is that not going to an expensive gym will feel like a waste of money and force them to go. This could be a mistake. Shaming yourself into the right actions can work a few times, but after a while, the guilt can become more negative than positive, and the gym won’t be a happy place.
What if you love a gym that’s outside of your budget? The important thing is to start going to a gym now to build good habits. Settle for a more affordable gym while you save up for the more expensive membership. You’ll have a good gym routine going and will be able to take better advantage of the expensive gym when you’re ready.
Contracts
Gyms typically offer discounts for membership if you agree to a long-term contract, usually for a year. Some gyms will require an annual commitment for any membership.
While the savings are attractive, it’s best not to commit to a long-term contract until you’re sure you will be happy at the gym for the contact period. If you’re not sure, ask for a month pass. It’s more expensive in the short-term, but it can save you being tied into a gym you don’t like for a year.
If you have the budget, it may also be fun to try different gyms over a few months. You may enjoy being a gym nomad, trying new gyms and making new friends every month. Or you may accidentally discovery a gym that you love enough to make your permanent home.
Be diligent when signing a contract. If you’re entering a long term contract for a reduced rate, it’s normal for it to include a cancellation fee. However, some gyms will charge a cancellation fee even after that term has expired. Make sure to read the cancellation terms so you’re not hit with surprise-charges later.
The gym you choose can have a big impact on how you workout. But ultimately, the best choice you can make is to get the workout done.
If you’re not ready to go to a gym or want some ideas on workouts to do at home, check out some of our guides on working out from home.