Budget Gyms

“Only (Insert Cheap Price) That’s Great Value”… said the joe soap looking at the next budget gym opening up in their area.

Low cost is one thing, high value is a completely different prospect. In the next few paragraphs I’m going to differentiate between the two.

You see, when you pay for something, more significant than cheap, it then immediately holds a perceived value.

If you pay cheap for something, that perceived value immediately diminishes, because you aren’t worried about losing out if you lose / don’t use said purchase.

Low cost budget gyms can be really good, don’t get me wrong, in fact I have a membership in a local one, a really well equipped, clean, new and for a small monthly outlay. I like training there and tend to go and enjoy working out there.

I am also a member of a far more luxurious leisure club, that has all the bells and whistles and offers me more of an experience, more comfort and relaxation. Yes I know, two gym memberships may seem a little indulgent, but when that’s my “thing”, I don’t consider it so, as I use both for different things. I am in one or the other 5-6 times a week, sometimes for working out, sometimes for relaxation, sometimes for both. Anyway, I digress.

The point is… I pay my membership, I go, hence I get value for both.

The model of these new budget gyms is to build memberships of over 10,000 to make ends meet, make a small profit and then open a few more gyms in different areas. It then takes 2 or more usually before they start making money to cover costs.

The attraction is without doubt price for people. While they may be kitted out well, nice new clean gyms, when the gym instructor doubles as a cleaner, a receptionist and sales, you wonder how much attention you will actually get when it comes to helping you lose some weight and get fitter and most importantly, not injuring yourself in the process? I don’t wonder, I know, as I see it on a weekly basis. There is no offer of help from the… let’s call them ‘floor staff’.

If you want any guidance, you then have to pay extra for some guidance, in the shape of personal training. And that’s fine, some of the personal trainers in the budget gym are excellent, but some are certainly not. The point is, it’s no longer cheap to be in that gym when you’re paying an extra €100+ a week for help, the point of you joining it, right?

So my prognosis is, if you are an experienced gym goer, are suitably motivated and have a good knowledge of nutrition under your belt, then this may well be the right choice for you.

But…

If you are a newbie, starting out on what is undoubtedly a daunting, intimidating and let’s be honest scary prospect for people, who jumping out of their comfort zones and putting themselves out there is terrifying, well then…

That’s a different prospect altogether.

For you to sign up for one of these low budget gyms is madness in my opinion. You will sign up for a year, and go for 4 weeks statistically, get disillusioned, frustrated and possibly injured, as you have no direction, no plan and usually no results.

Is this value for money? I’m pretty sure it’s not, but that’s how these gyms work. Trust me, they would not be able to cater for all their members if they all showed up. This is a fact.

When starting out in gym, you need massive support, clear instruction, some education, direction and simple steps to follow. You also need a community of people you can relate to, that makes the sometimes tedious chore of working out, far more enjoyable, makes you far more likely to go, as you feel part of something and want to see your new gym buddies for chats and laughs and share how your day was.

But above all that, seeing results early and consistently, Is the biggest motivator and helps reinforce the sacrifices you have to make to change your body, your habits and your mind set.

The inevitable mind games you play with yourself before you are due to go to the gym alone, is one reason booking into a class will make you go and will help you overcome the pre workout fear and mind games. No budget gym is gonna care either way if you go or not that’s a fact.

So more often than not, when you don’t have that accountability, you’ll talk yourself out of going, and you certainly won’t work out as hard as you need to (if you do end up going past 4 weeks) to get result by going by yourself, no matter how hard you think you are training.

I myself, with 18 years of experience and training in the gym since I was 15, (25 years ago ) am often not capable of pushing myself to the dark place you need to go to get the desired training effect. That’s just human nature. We shouldn’t beat ourselves over this, it’s just the way we are wired.

So to sum up, there is of course exceptions to the rule, if gyms were the right option for newbies, I’d be saying it, but it is the one thing that I see over again.

“I’m going to join the gym up the way, it’s cheaper.”

Great best of luck with it, I’ll see you in a couple of months.

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Yours in fitness

Damian
Dalkey Fitpro