Gyms and Health Clubs – 5 Pitfalls To Avoid (Part 2)

To find Part 1 of Gyms and Health Clubs - 5 Pifalls, click here. Otherwise, please read on:

4. Hygiene
   
   Most gyms and health clubs are conscientious about maintaining and sanitizing their equipment. But, to be safe, when you take a tour of the facilities before you join observe any pieces of equipment that look old, broken, or really dirty. Ask how often the equipment is sanitized and maintained. Watch how the members treat the equipment. Do they carry sweat towels to wipe up after they get done on a piece of equipment? Are there signs reminding members to put their weights back after use, and toweling off sweat when they are finished with a piece of equipment? A good gym or health club will not tolerate sloppy members that don’t do their part to keep the equipment clean and in its place.

   Ideally there should be bottles with sanitizing solution at various stations so that members can wipe a machine off before they use it as well as after. Staff should be seen wiping down and sanitizing equipment at least once a day. Likewise, check whether the restrooms and showers are clean.

5. Long Term Contracts
   
   If a gym or health club pushes you toward a contract of more than 1 year there is a very good chance that they are cutting corners in many aspects that will affect the quality of your experience and instruction.

   When a gym or health club sells you a 2-3 year membership, they put it on a finance contract. And guess what they do with that contract? They sell it! If it totals up to $1500 for 3 years they will probably sell it at 80 cents on the dollar. This means they get their money up front. And rather than put this money in a savings account and pull out your monthly fee each month and apply it to their operating expenses, they put the whole amount in the operating expenses.

   Now guess what the incentive is once they have your money up front? They go on to the next unsuspecting prospect and work on selling them a 3-year membership. The focus moves from getting you in shape to making the most money that they can in the shortest period of time.

   So, logic would tell you to sign up for a minimum term (1-3 months), to see how you progress. Anything more than a year membership and in most cases you are asking for trouble. Many things can happen in 3 years e.g. you can relocate, the gym or health club can go out of business, etc, etc.

We hope that, equipped with some of these secrets, you can find a gym or health club that meets your health/fitness needs and gives you the positive experience that you seek!

To find Part 1 of this Gyms and Health Clubs article, click here.

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