Gym Memberships?

[Jump The Stars]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I've been thinking a lot lately about getting a membership to a gym but I'm unsure what to look for. Does anyone here have any experience with gyms that could reccommend some? #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Foxie]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I've had a gym memebership since I was in high school. Right now I'm with Good Life and I really like it there. Before that I was at Pemier. I liked it there. I know some people have had bad experiences but I didn't. I was there for 5 years. I switched because I moved.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#When you go to check out the gym make sure to look to see how clean it is and if the equipment is working / fairly new. Really look at the contract. Ask a ton of questions. Some gyms might give you a week free trial to give you a chance to see if you like it. Look at the class schedules. I do because I like step class. Go check out a couple gyms so you can compare them.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Some gyms have packages that have an initiation fee and some packages don't. The ones without you pay more monthly(only pick this if your not going to stay more then one year). If you pay the initiation fee your monthly payments are cheaper.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I don't know what else....just ask if you have an other questions.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Trufflemaker]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I have had memberships at a couple of different gyms over the years. My favorite (and the cheapest!) was the city-run gym. I would buy membership in 3-month blocks for about $75. This gave me the flexibility to stop the membership for the summer when the kids are home from school, and start again in September. My thing was weight training, and the city gym had all the equipment I needed without a high price tag for stuff I don't need (towel service, for example). A bonus was that most of the clientele was in the senior citizen bracket--very friendly and not muscle-bound mirror-fixated body builders like you find in some gyms. They even let me bring in my own personal trainer (which I could afford to hire because the membership fee was so low), which most gyms would never allow you to do. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#The gym I went to last (before I bought my horse...) was convenient, but I never got that warm friendly feeling there that I had at the city gym. There were lots of treadmills and elipticals, but I found that people were persnickety about them... I was told by one lady to get off because she had to use it so she could go to work (I had forgotten to put my name down on the sheet for that time block, so she wrote HER name in and then kicked me off.) Needless to say, I didn't feel very welcome there even though they had everything I needed. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#A word of caution: when you buy a membership, make sure you read the fine print about stopping the membership for a period of time (e.g. if you go on vacation, etc.). Sometimes they charge a fee for this. Also, if you go on monthly payments, you have to notify them if you do not want to renew. Otherwise, they just keep charging  you--the membership does not automatically stop after a year if you choose this option. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Jump The Stars]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#well, I had a membership for a year at the Civic here and it was okay but I found I ran out of things to do. What I really want is to be able to increase my cardio and go to step classes or something which I got into in college. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Of course, that step class was free! lol #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I was looking at the website for Extreme Fitness. I know someone who goes there but haven't had a chance to talk to them. They have no prices listed and I bet they'll ask me to come in when I call. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I did check out GoodLife once but I found it really complicated to get started. They guy explained a lot but I still thought there was a lot of money involved for very little value at the time. I don't know what it's like now.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I'd really like to join a gym where my mom and I can go together. But I don't want to pay an arm and a  leg either. My work hours vary and can sometimes be not so great so I have to be careful. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I do a lot of resistance at my home...#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#What questions should I be asking??? #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Trufflemaker]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#When you say Civic, do you mean the Civic Hospital in Ottawa? Your profile doesn't say where you live...#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Honestly, I think the city gyms offer the best bang for the buck. If you are in Ottawa, the Pinecrest Community Centre was the gym I liked the best. It is small and the equipment is old, but it was friendly and you could get in a great weights workout in an hour--not a lot of walking around looking for the next machine! lol At Pinecrest they offered Pilates, yoga, weight training, various aerobics classes, and swim fitness classes. Dovercourt is excellent too, with lots of classes from what I understand. A friend of mine had a membership at the RA Centre and loved it there. That is not owned by the city, but it has been in business for a long time and has an excellent reputation. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Questions to ask: #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#What is included with the membership? (personal trainer sessions, guest privileges, towel service, etc.) #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Hold privileges--do they charge a fee if you need to put your membership on hold (e.g. if you go on vacation or get sick)#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#How often do they change the schedule for classes? #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#What classes are offered in the time slots that are convenient for you?#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#What happens if you get sick/injured and can't use the membership? (I just read a complaint against a gym for this reason in the paper today!)#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#What happens at the end of the membership period? (do they just roll over into the next period, or do they contact you to make sure you want to renew?)#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#How much do they charge for consultations with the personal trainer?#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Can you bring in your own personal trainer (assuming that you might want to do this)#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#That is all I can think of right now... you are making me want to get back to the gym! I really miss my weight training. I haven't done any since I bought my horse a year ago.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#