Hit The Gym On The Cheap "If you're juggling your finances and your fitness goals, here are some ways you can still hit the gym on the cheap." [Consumer Reports Health]
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I stopped by the local YMCA briefly b/c their sign said "summer membership special." But my question is, 'What is so damned special about a 3 month membership that costs more than the month-to-month plan, you idiots?"
I walk. Outside. If I wish to continue in the colder months, I'm considering purchasing a $600 treadmill. That works out to $50/mo for a year, but I'll use it longer than that!
Haggling doesn't seem to work at the Y.
But I'm not giving it up anytime soon. Especially in FL where the pool is chilled in the summer and heated in the winter :)
I like the downtown Phoenix Y SOOO much, but sadly I can't afford it right now. I like the atmosphere, it's easy to get to, the staff is great, the machines are fantastic... Booo at being broke.
@doctor_cos: I like the Y. I feel more comfortable there than I do in a regular gym. Plus they always have tons of classes too.
Cheaping up on the gym is one of those things that you shouldn't do. I agree that spending $60-$100 a month on places like Life Time fitness here is Michigan or LA Fitness in CA (although we have two of those here now) is a bit excessive to those who don't value fitness and working out.
A person should spend $20-$30 a month though at least. You can buy a Bally's membership and join their bad, but nationwide, gym. You could go to places like Fitness 19 that are $20 a month with no contracts. You could buy a Bowflex, Soloflex or some sort of other home gym for like $30ish a month for a couple years and never have to go to a gym ever.
You can run, you can bike. This is great for cardio. But you will NOT get the same quality workout as when you can swim (burns much more calories, no impact) or go on an elliptical (no impact, full body). Not to mention that to effectively burn calories and prevent issues (like falling, throwing out your back etc) you must weight train as well. It is much more effective to weight train at a gym with the right equipment than to try to do it at home with limited resources (Bench press, pec fly, pec deck, cable crossovers etc). If you have a bowflex with ALL attachments, a workout ball and you either run, or have a treadmill or elliptical, then you'd be in good shape to workout at home. If you don't have the money or the room in your home however than a gym is a worthwhile cost.
The benefits far outweigh the costs. For about the cost of taking two people out to a cheap restaurant, you can help prevent numerous diseases, feel better and improve your looks. Woman complain all the time about their looks, but then some do nothing about it. They use makeup to improve their facial tones, wear nice clothes and wear perfume but some refuse to join a gym or workout to actually improve their core appearance.
Same can go for men. We ignore the beer gut, but allot of us are lazy and unmotivated to do anything about it. We wonder why we aren't checked out on the beach, it could have something to do with the beer gut were carrying around.
If you have a Planet Fitness near you, go check them out. They are franchised so it varies a bit gym-to-gym, but I like em a lot.
The prices are the best part. You can sign up for a basic $10/mth membership which gives you unlimited access to your "home" gym, and no contract, so you can cancel any time.
Or you can go for the $20/mth plan and get unlimited access to your home gym, up to 10 visits to other Planet Fitnesses per month, unlimited guest passes for your home gym, etc. This has a 12mth contract.
I find I like the gym a lot, and especially appreciate the fact the place is for "real" people like me. And they make an effort to promote that in lots of little ways.
Planet Fitness in my area had the same quality equipment then others gyms and the best part is no contracts and a very low sign up fee. Not getting scammed is priceless. The Y cost $36 MORE a month, but does have a pool and classes.
Yeah I signed up to Planet Fitness in April. No contract and only $10 a month. Only complaints are that the dumbbells only go up to 60lbs and there's no bench press except for the smith machine.
During the warm weather months I have no problem taking regular bike rides and going to the local park district pool for lap swim and I found a really great yoga podcast that fills in the gaps when I can't afford to a yoga class.
@Michael Yockey: I would offer you the following scenario:
I have a simple weight bench with ez curl bar, adjustable dumbells and a bar. Also a couple bars for pullups (they're kind of built in to my apartment, but they work perfect for every type of pullup). I would disagree that you can't get as good of a workout at home, I have a pretty basic bench and I do bench press, flies, squats, deadlifts, pullups, pullovers, rows etc... even more targeted exercises like preacher curls can be done on a basic bench.
As for cardio, I mountain bike about 5-6 hours a week. It's fun, addictive, and it's not unusual to be burning upwards of 800-900 calories per hour. I've been soaked with sweat when it's about 60 degrees outside before.
So, aside from my mountain bike parts / maintenance (which is basically something I do anyway) I spend approximately $0 per month. Yes, I'm cheap. But I can also train any time I want. It's not unusual for me to lift weights 3-4 times a week and then ride my bike on the off days. I still plan on joining a Gym when a Golds opens up near me just for a little variety, but it's not going to give me better results overall.
@SexCpotatoes: at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, you need to be at least a program member to participate in any camps (or any otherprograms, for that matter) - normally, this involves a $20 annual fee, along with a higher rate for all programs. the other option (which most people call a "membership") is Facility Member, which allows you full access to all workout facilities, access to the pool, and a lower cost for programs (and camps)
They might also be waiving the Join Fee for the summer special
@doctor_cos: i was going to mention this, at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, if you refer a new member, we will give you a month of membership for free
New York people should really look into the public gym. It costs $75/yr. Granted it's not as well equipped as a NYSC or Crunch or what-have-you but they have everything you need. Some locations even have pools and I'm happy I made the switch to NYSC.
How many more of these do we need? These stories happen about once a month here. We get it, we're fat and lazy.