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Any opinions on budget-friendly gyms?
First post on imzy ever, woo!
Do you folks have any opinions on budget-friendly gyms like Blink or Crunch Essentials or Planet Fitness, etc.? I'm currently eyeing a membership to Blink ($25/month where I am). No group classes, which I'm fine with, but you do get access to personal trainers.
Of course, you get what you pay for, but of all the budget-friendly gyms I've been looking at, Blink seems to have the best reviews in my area.




Would it be possible for you to get trial memberships at a couple of places in town and decide which one you like best after testing them out a bit? That might help you decide which place you really prefer.
A lot of places I think will even do tours and let you use the gym for a single day to try it out and make sure you like it. So that's a great idea!
So, I own a home, so that must be kept in mind, but when you add up the costs of going to a gym for a year+, it really is the best investment to purchase your own basic equipment IMHO.
I've got a power rack and Olympic weight set @ a total of 350lbs in free weights. The excellent dumbbells adjustable set from Bowflex which ranges from 2.5 to 52.5 lbs per dumbbell. I've also got a $200 fixed bike. All added up, it cost me about $1K.
You'll spend 3 times that in 12 months at any 24-hour gym. If you have any space at all (even if you're in an apartment) consider getting your own equipment. Craigslist always has some sort of equipment for sale.
Oi, yeah, that's the problem. I rent a small-ish apartment in a city, so making a home gym isn't really an option. But one day when I move the heck out of here? Yes. Definitely.
I've only ever used Planet Fitness, but it's pretty great! One of the things that's nice about it is that it's very much a gym for people who aren't that athletic or your typical gym people. Obviously, if you are, there's not problem with that, but you don't have to worry as much about a ton of super ripped and fit people judging you if you don't know how to use the equipment or you're just out of shape and spend most of your time on the elliptical walking, or eve are just uncomfortable with the size/shape of your body. So in addition to the price being really cheap, that also makes it a lot easier to start working out and going to the gym if you haven't been doing that previously.
Also, congrats on your first Imzy post! Yay!
I like Planet Fitness. Wish there was one near me. I do 24 Hour Fitness and it's all right.
A lot of budget friendly gyms should have the basics of what you need. A treadmill, spinbike, bars and weights, and dumbells. Everything past that is a bonus.
Also IF you can get a short membership contract 1yr or shorter it would be great as when the motivation well runs out and you haven't been in 3 months and you're tired of paying you're not stuck paying for another year or so.
So in between all those gyms, make sure you like the atmosphere at least of what you are paying for!
I've got a Planet Fitness membership, and it's pretty awesome. In the winter, if the roads are really bad, I'll do at-home workout videos with the hand weights I've got, which ultimately is the cheapest, but doesn't quite give you what a gym does.