Getting a gym membership without getting screwed is next to impossible, right? Wrong. Here are some simple negotiating tactics that will have you jazzercising in no time.

Knowledge is Power: The median enrollment fee for a gym membership is $150 dollars for an individual and $55 a month in dues, according to the IHRSA.

One way to reduce your monthly fee is to tell your gym of choice that you’ve found a better deal somewhere else. Say: “It’s $15 dollars cheaper down the block, and I’ll burn 3 calories walking down there to give THEM my money.” Watch them knock $15 off your dues.

Tell them where to shove the Membership Fee. Tell them to reduce or eliminate it. One good way is to tell them you know they just had a

off membership sale and you want that deal or you are walking out the door.

Contracts: What is this, a cell phone? We don’t think so. Aim for month-to-month. If that’s not possible, do not sign up for more than a year.

That’s it! Simple, no? If one gym won’t bend to your negotiating techniques, go to another one. That’s capitalism, baby. —MEGHANN MARCO

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