In a person's life, sooner or later, there comes a period when he thinks about which fitness club to choose. The fashion for toned bodies and healthy eating pushes you to take decisive action. The main thing is to get down to business right away, and not for months to look at beautiful pictures, which depict those who have long been using all the benefits of a fitness club and have already managed to benefit. Any obstacles will break on a powerful motivation program, so set a goal for yourself and walk towards it. If you decide right now, then analyze it in many ways. Considering the tips from this article, you can easily, which meets your personal requirements and wishes.

What will the address be?

A modern person is so lacking in time that he simply does not see the point of wasting it on moving. To avoid wasting precious minutes, we recommend choosing a fitness center, which is located near your home or work. Of course, if the list of services does not suit you, then it makes sense to look for another option. Look for benefits and compromise. If you have your own car, it will be much easier to get to the location of the complex. The lack of your own vehicle only means that it will take more time on the road in winter.

The price of the issue

Before choosing a fitness club, you need to determine the boundaries of your budget. Unfortunately, the cost of services of most sports centers is overpriced. Do not pursue prestige, common sense should always be present! For example, if you do not want to go to the pool or, then you do not need to pay for the listed services. It's good when the administration offers a large selection of season tickets. Think about whether it is worth the candle. An expensive membership will not pay off if you plan to visit the gym / pool / group classes only once a week.

Visit plan

Want to see the results of your workouts? Visit the fitness club systematically and do not look for excuses to skip. Write down the days and hours of the visit in your diary. The subscription price also depends on the time of the day of the training. If long trips and business trips are not the last in your life, then give preference to a sports complex, which offers to pay for classes once a week or a month. - it is profitable, but only for those who can boast of stability.

Defining the goal

How to choose a fitness club for a beginner? First of all, set a specific goal for yourself. The tasks are as follows:

  • losing weight;
  • building muscle mass;
  • training in the art of dancing;
  • posture correction, etc.

For example, you go crazy watching a video where incendiary beauties together with their partners are dancing saltsa. Why not buy a subscription to a sports complex that can teach you this art? Just imagine the end result! You will be filled with energies, happiness, become plastic and mobile.

Trial lesson

You can talk for a long time about how to choose the right fitness club, but it is best to personally assess the quality of certain services. Some complexes offer to pay for 1 trial lesson, others are happy to demonstrate the professionalism of the trainers for free. Be courageous, throw off the embarrassment and boldly cross the threshold of the fitness center. During the first visit, we recommend that you pay attention to the following points:

  1. General atmosphere.
  2. Cleanliness in changing rooms and showers.
  3. The quality of the simulators.
  4. Lighting level.
  5. The amount of free space in the halls.
  6. Smell in the room.
  7. Professionalism of trainers.

Are you uncomfortable or uncomfortable with something? Continue your search, you have not come for nothing. After training, do you feel pleasantly tired, and your mood has improved significantly? Congratulations - you are not mistaken with your choice of a fitness center!

Is it worth visiting a fitness club and how to choose it? Many people try to keep their body in shape all year round, and not seasonally.

After all, this is connected not only with visiting the beaches in summer, but also with the general feeling of health and the inner strength of your body all the time.

That is why many modern people consider it almost their duty to their own body to sign up for a fitness club or to issue an annual subscription to visit it.

But is it necessary to do this? Especially if we are talking about such an impressive period, during which a lot can change in your life. Let's figure it out together.

If you are an absolute beginner in sports and want to change the current state of affairs for the better for yourself, then you need to think for what period you need to subscribe to decide if you will pull serious physical activity.

Usually a couple of workouts are enough, but if you want to play it safe, then get a monthly subscription.

Visiting a fitness club solely for the sake of arousing the respect of colleagues at work and bragging about the very fact of visiting the gym is not worth it.

At the very least, this is a very expensive pleasure in these times, if it does not bring you significant benefits, but only moral satisfaction and self-satisfaction.

You need to sign up only if you are a sports person in life or want to become one and are very firm in your conviction.
You also need to consider ways to retreat in case your preferences change a lot after a few workouts.

No need to pay in advance for the hall for a long time,if you do not have firm confidence,that you can visit it... It is a mistake to think that the money you have paid will be your best motivation for training - it is better to work out for a start for free, just at home.

After all, no one bothers you to do exercises in the morning, and for this it is not at all necessary to have additional tools, accessories and simulators. But you will see how your affairs are in order to force yourself to regularly physically load your body.

Many novice athletes also make a very common mistake, naively believing that it will help them get in great shape without titanic efforts in the gym.

As a result, the set of mass ends up for such people with obesity due to laziness, but the exercises and their intensity are sharply reduced to nothing.

This is why sports nutrition is called that because it was created for people who exercise actively and have been loading their body for a long time. It is a great helper as an aid, but not a panacea.

But if you are firmly convinced that you can withstand the load and can even force yourself to jump over your head if something happens, then there is one more important point - how choose a fitness club correctly and at the same time remain satisfied.

In modern society, it is difficult to find decent gyms where workouts are cheap. It so happened that the demand generated a significant increase in prices, and therefore fitness clubs can now afford to raise this bar to incredible heights.

That is, you need to take into account one more point - will not paying for a subscription become an unbearable burden for you in terms of budget planning? If not, then it's time to start evaluating the following criteria for choosing the right fitness club for classes:

1)The first and main criterion for choosing a gym for training - this is his workload at a convenient time for you... It is clear that the "hottest" hours will be the evening hours on weekdays and weekends, because most of the people involved work according to the generally accepted schedule.

You are very lucky if you are the master of your time and can schedule a training session for yourself at any convenient time.

But if it suddenly happened that you came to the hall on a conditional Wednesday after 18:00 and there is nowhere to pass from the influx of people, then it is advisable to refuse to buy a subscription here and find another place for yourself.

2) If, at a time convenient for you, the hall is practically empty and you can start classes, then you need to evaluate at the very first lesson the quality of the simulators and devices for active fitness.

Dumbbells, kettlebells, treadmills - all this must be serviceable and of high quality. Moreover, it is best if they are already worked in, and not new - then the likelihood of effective training will increase significantly for you.

3) Hot water in showers... It is clear that a self-respecting institution, which also takes a subscription fee for its services, will not bring its showers to a deplorable state.

But such a problem, which it is customary to keep silent about by the way, as the periodic absence of hot water or its supply strictly by the hour, can be a significant amendment to your desire for training. Be sure to check this factor at the very first lesson!

4)Comfortable changing rooms and the ability to use lockers with individual keys must be present.

Unfortunately, many fitness clubs do not understand this, believing that the workout ends for you immediately after crossing the threshold of the gym itself.

5) The training room should be divided into zones, based on what kind of simulators are in them. For example, it is customary to allocate a separate cardio area, where there are treadmills, exercise machines for developing the speed of movements, and others, for training flexibility.

There is also a separate area with powerful strength training equipment, and there is also an area with simpler devices, which is designed to develop strength in a light mode, for example, running on the spot or jumping with additional loads.

Some fitness clubs also have a dedicated bar area, where you can always enjoy protein shakes or fresh juices.

6)A well-groomed and tidy room always disposes to fruitful pursuits... From old films, a well-established stereotype has come to us according to which fitness rooms should be hung with posters of bodybuilders and other people who have achieved success in sports.

In modern society, it is much more pleasant to come to a hall where everything shines and smells pleasantly fresh.

7)Also lighting is important... It should be slightly muted so as not to dazzle, but not dull, because you can not replace the small training accessories under your feet and get injured.

8) Musical accompaniment during training not necessary, but quite desirable, as it adjusts to the correct rhythm and helps to better regulate the load.

At the same time, the correctly selected music also motivates for one more additional approach or several exercises over strength. True, you need to take into account that the music should not be loud and with sharp changes, as this can knock other athletes down and interfere with their practice.

9) Beginners must be assisted by instructors. who have significant experience in sports and have achieved success in this matter.

Agree, it looks funny when a person weighing about fifty kilograms with missing muscles is trying to teach a beginner something in fitness?

It is impossible without an instructor, since you can harm yourself with irregular large loads without prior preparation.

10) It is important to fitness club, which you wish to choose, was near your home... Perhaps you have your own car so that it would take no more than 10 - 20 minutes to get there. It is highly irrational if the road takes the same amount of time as the training itself.

11) Before signing up for a subscription to the hall you like, it would be nice compare conditions and financial offers other training centers... Maybe someone has better deals.

We hope that now you will be fully armed to the question of choosing a fitness club and will soon please all your surroundings with significant results!

10.01.19 33 612 64

Start exercising and not quit

Okay, I'll hand over this article and go to the gym on Monday. Now for sure.

Valentina Lavrentieva

started to play sports and did not quit

It often happens like this: I decided to improve my health and figure, bought a ticket to the most expensive gym and did not go. This article is about how to buy and still walk regularly, preferably so that it also brings results.

Thanks, Cap!

This article contains obvious information for people of steel will, embossed abs, and second grade adults. Everyone else, come on.

Hall address

There are two points on the map that you should be guided by when choosing a hall: home and work. The gym should be within walking distance of one of them, even if I travel by car. The closer, the more chances that I will go there regularly.

A hall that can only be reached by car is a utopia, even if it is profitable in terms of money. At first I will be stuck in traffic jams, then I will not be able to find a parking lot, then I will find a paid one, then I will calculate the cost of gasoline and understand that all this turns out to be unprofitable. You need to walk to the gym from home or work.

Often, gyms want to lure me away from home by offering pools, spas, massages and 10 free sessions with a trainer. This is great, but the simple truth of life is that if it’s inconvenient to get to the gym, I’ll last for a maximum of two weeks.

The ideal room is a room right in my house. It may have fewer machines or even not have a shower, but if it's easy to get into, that's perfect. The long way to the hall will be the biggest obstacle.

Subscription price

The main thing to know about the prices for gym and sports club passes is that they can be reduced. Will explain.

There is a hall, electricity burns, consumes water, rent and salary of the collective are dripping. These are fixed costs. It doesn't matter how many people come to it: ten, one hundred or a thousand, the fixed costs will be the same. Variable costs, that is, those that you specifically create the hall, are so small that they can be neglected. As a result, if the hall sold you a subscription, it replenished its cash reserves, but did not incur additional costs. Conclusion - it is profitable for the audience to sell you a ticket for any amount: no matter how small it is, the audience won anyway. This means that the hall can make discounts.

I live in St. Petersburg, so the prices are local. An annual unlimited subscription here costs from 8,000 RUR to 50,000 RUR. A subscription to a hall in a semi-basement in Kupchino without a sauna and a pool will be cheaper than a membership card of a light fitness club with hot yoga on Nevsky. Clubs with a network of halls throughout Russia are more expensive than local ones.

If you want to go to a certain hall, but the subscriptions there are expensive, go to the group of this hall on Vkontakte. There will likely be a big discussion about selling and buying unused used season passes. So you can buy a subscription not for a year for 50 thousand, but for nine months for 30 thousand. It will be possible to sell your subscription in the same way in such a group if you suddenly stop going to training.

Prices in fitness clubs St. Petersburg

Services, equipment and halls

When I come to get acquainted with the club, the manager will perform in front of me the ritual dance "Look how much we have." He will tell me about all the variety of the club's services, justifying the high cost of the subscription. I will not need almost all of this. Here's how to resist the charm of a manager.

Zones. There are usually three zones in the gyms: the cardio zone, the strength training zone and the free exercise zone - boxing, athletics and crossfit. There are also halls for group training: these are separate zones with partitions and doors, because during group training music rumbles there.

The cardio zone should have a lot of treadmills, exercise bikes, steppers and other outlandish equipment to strengthen the heart and breath. One person takes each of these simulators for 15-30 minutes, so it is better when there are many "seats" in the cardio zone. If there are few paths, but there are many people in the hall, there will be an eternal queue on the paths.

Treadmills and stationary bikes are the most expensive purchases for a gym, so some put them down less, filling the rest of the space with cheaper strength training machines. Since I'm going to run a lot, this doesn't suit me - I want the gym to have a large cardio zone.

The strength training area will include equipment for the legs, back, abs, chest, shoulders and arms. It is useful to note if the machines are bolted to the floor with large steel bolts. If not, it is a safety violation. What else is disturbing this hall?

In the free zone, pay attention to the floor: if you are doing CrossFit or working with free weights, there will be elastic rubber blocks on the floor. It is convenient to throw barbells on them without fear of damaging the floor.

A basic set of any fitness- drinking water, changing room with lockers, shower room, hairdryer, toilet. In the dressing room, make sure that the benches are clean and do not absorb water: when a lot of wet people use them, it is important that the fungus and bacteria are not transferred to you through the furniture.

Some clubs provide towels - specify which ones. These can be large bath towels, and this is good: after the shower they dried up, left the towel in the club and went home light. Small training towels are also useful, but to a lesser extent: they are easy to carry with you.

Water. You will drink plenty of water while exercising. If a fitness club does not give access to water in the gym, but sells it only in a bar for one hundred rubles, this is an alarming sign. The cost of each workout goes up, and the club doesn't really care about the convenience of its customers. What else are they collecting money for?

Personal training is a really useful service, especially for beginners. It is in any fitness, and it is better to ask about its cost right away. Most likely, you will not need to constantly train with a trainer, but buying ten to twenty workouts will be useful.

If you are just starting to go to the gym, I advise you to choose the simplest fitness club with a standard set of services. The simulators are the same everywhere. Group workouts also have a standard set: strength, interval, Pilates, stretching, several types of dances, any fitness will offer you now, and the presence or absence of a relaxation zone in the club will not in any way affect the sports result. The location and cleanliness of the dressing room is much more important than the hammam and fitness bar.

Hygiene is more important than bells and whistles

In the sports club, many people you don't know sweat, rub, wash and leave their biomaterial on all surfaces. If you do not constantly clean up here - not regularly, but constantly! - then the club quickly turns into a breeding ground for fungus and bacteria. It is better to go to a simple, clean gym than to a super-sophisticated gym where hygiene standards are violated. What to look for:

  1. There should be no puddles in the locker rooms and in the shower. Yes, even in the shower: all the water immediately goes down the drain.
  2. All surfaces are washable, nothing absorbs. Tile and laminated chipboard are better than natural stone and wood.
  3. Shoe covers. If you were not forced to put on shoe covers at the entrance, imagine what it will be like in this sports club in winter, when guests come from the street, where mud and snow lie knee-deep.
  4. The floor must be clean.
  5. Equipment and equipment in a good club are washed at least once a day. Sticky handles are bad.

How to buy a subscription

Most likely, the prices for the same subscription will differ on the website, over the phone and during a personal visit to the club. Administrators will smile and promise you different prices for the same subscriptions. Sales managers will impose unnecessary services and may remain silent about the really important conditions.

What to look for when choosing a subscription.

Freezing. You must be able to suspend your pass for the duration of your vacation or business trip. What is the minimum freezing time? How many times can it be applied? Can I buy extra freeze?

One fitness had two offers at roughly the same price. One could study for 11 months, but the entire freeze was paid. In the other - nine months with free 30-day freezing and additional paid freezing.

It seemed that the first offer was more profitable: more days of classes for the same price. But I thought about this: the likelihood that I will train for 11 months in a row without breaks and weekends is zero. That is, I will pay for 11 months, and I will be engaged in nine at best. And it's better for me to work on my schedule for these nine months, having the opportunity to freeze the subscription, than to be afraid of missing the paid weeks of classes.

Therefore, my choice is more flexibility. I must admit that I will not study all year in a row.

A similar situation with the freezing of training blocks. The club may offer to buy several lessons with a trainer at a discount, for example, 10 workouts with a 20% discount. But you need to use these workouts for a certain time, for example, 30 days. Then the block burns out. It turns out that in order to have time to work out, you need to go to the coach every three days - this is unrealistic even for many experienced guys, not that for beginners.

To be fair, in my club they always met me halfway, allowing me to transfer training from a burning block to a new one.

Discounts. Be sure to ask the manager if there are any discounts now. If there are no discounts, ask for a discount for you: sales managers in fitness clubs almost always have such an opportunity.

Bring a friend. Clubs want more customers, so it makes sense to ask what discounts and offers they have for friends or when buying a membership for family members. You should only ask about it towards the end of the conversation, using it as an additional argument in favor of reducing the price.

Remember that it is not so important for a fitness club whether you paid 10 thousand, 12 or 30 thousand for a subscription. The club is already standing, the staff is already working, the electricity is already being consumed, and without you the club will be worse off than with you. Therefore, it is possible and necessary to ask for discounts.

Contract

By concluding a contract, the manager will try to sell you as many additional services as possible, such as fitness testing, a doctor's consultation or a subscription to a solarium. You can politely refuse: the solarium does not affect your fitness.

Regarding the state of health: before starting training, in any case, it is worth visiting a doctor and doing an EKG. It is better to do this in your usual clinic, and not in the gym.

Read the agreement with the club carefully. If it's long, take it home and read it in the evening, and only then come to sign. Look for pitfalls in the contract.

Once I did not notice the line "without the possibility of suspension of the subscription" - and could not freeze it when I went on vacation for three weeks.

Another agreement stated that the club was not responsible for the serviceability of the equipment and did not guarantee its availability. That is, if someone breaks the machine or it falls on me due to poor fastening, then these will be my problems. I doubt the validity of this wording.

It is interesting to look at the penalties: for what and how the club proposes to penalize. I saw a fine for coping with a small need for a shower. I wonder how this will be checked.

Gym shopping

In a fit of enthusiasm, beginners often waste their money: they buy fitness bracelets, personal training packages and several cans of sports nutrition before the first trip to the gym. There is so much you can do with the enthusiasm and support of a polite salesperson at a sports store.

Do not do this: it remains to be seen which of these will really come in handy. It is unlikely that you do not have a sports T-shirt and pants at home, for the first time this is enough. All sportswear needs are sweat-wicking synthetic fabric and minimal seams.

You can also work out in cotton clothes, but if you sweat a lot, it will quickly pick up moisture, dry slowly and, as a result, it will be unpleasant to work out. Although I watched the men in the crossfit zone die on the ninth round of exercises, and it was not noticeable on their faces that wet T-shirts brought them significant discomfort.

Spend your money on normal running shoes. They should have a stiff heel to support the foot, a raised stiff sole, and frequent lacing for a good fit. Sneakers won't work. Sneakers for street fashionistas won't work.

A special water bottle is nice, but not necessary. You can carry any regular bottle with a twist-off cap. If you run the first 10 km, then you can have a bottle.

If your membership includes a free trial lesson with a coach, do not take it straight away. Start exercising on your own to determine your fitness goal and accumulate questions. If you take a lesson without preparation, the trainer will simply show you how to use the equipment, and at the same time will advertise yourself and sports nutrition from a local fitness bar.


How not to leave the hall

I have always believed that if I have spent money, I do everything so that the waste is not useless. Therefore, if I bought a subscription, now I will definitely go. Money, they say, motivates. I was wrong.

In the case of the audience, diligence did not help me: I still stopped walking several times. Here's what experienced guys advise.

Reduce the number of things. If you do not have a car, you will have to carry a bag with sneakers and uniforms in your hands or go home for it before training. If you have a car, you will still have to regularly carry your bag home and back, because things need to be washed and dried.

The solution is to rent a locker. There you can store shoes and a spare set of clothes, and wear changeable things in a bag and a regular bag: sneakers take up the most space. Unfortunately, in many sports clubs this service is expensive, check in advance.

Keep yourself busy in training. When you exercise on the simulator just like that, the time drags on for an agonizingly long time. But when I started watching interviews, TV shows and video tutorials during training, I stopped noticing the passage of time altogether. Instead of half an hour on the track, I could run an hour and a half. Another thing is that, being distracted, you can stop following the technique, this is bad.

Trainer. Every day a new simulator is not invented, so nothing changes in the gym. You have already worked out on all simulators and went to all group classes - training has become a routine. The solution is personal training. A competent trainer will show you three new ways to use a familiar simulator, point out mistakes that you did not suspect, - it will immediately become more difficult to perform the exercise.

If you've never exercised or exercised before, always start with a coach. If you do not know how to perform the exercises, this is what can happen:

  1. First you try a light weight machine and you are good at it. It seems that you are doing everything right: just like those around you.
  2. Excitement gradually comes and you want to take on more weight. You are taking. Then again and again, it still works. You feel confident.
  3. Behind this confidence, you do not notice that the lower back is not bent correctly, the elbows are looking in the wrong direction, the right muscle groups are not working. It seems that the movement is being made, but because of the subtle nuances, it does not bring either benefit or pleasure.
  4. At some point, you realize that there is no result on the simulators, and you start to increase the load. Awkward movement - and trauma.

The coach will immediately give you a technique of movements, the main thing is to consolidate it and be able to perform it yourself.

Eury time coach

There are people who train in the gym only with a coach. The motivation is: "I agreed, he is waiting for me, I will definitely come." This is probably very effective, but very expensive.

It is important to remember that training with a trainer does not in itself make you slimmer or stronger: the overall load during the day, diet and sleep patterns, and the amount of water you drink are important. If you train with the most elite trainer, and then crack a beer with garlic croutons for the night, there will be little effect.

If you work with a trainer, go along with the dietitian, who will study your diet and draw up a meal schedule.

Sports nutrition

When you go to the gym for a long time, you get the feeling that it's time to move to a new level in training. At this point, many begin to buy sports nutrition. It is your choice to accept or not to accept sports nutrition, but do not buy the first brand you see, but study the question. Do not think that sports nutrition is absolutely harmless, as advertisements claim. In fact, sports nutrition has contraindications and side effects.

I have kidney problems. I hadn't heard anything about contraindications for the use of sports nutrition and just started drinking protein. Within three days I suffered from renal colic and gastrointestinal disorders. You should not consult with a trainer, but with a doctor. Show him the ingredients of the food or supplements you want to purchase.

Buy sports nutrition only from well-known manufacturers, it is sold in specialized stores. Do not buy supplements from private traders: sports food must have a certificate of state registration from Rospotrebnadzor. To protect yourself from fakes, study the website of the selected manufacturer, find a section with official representatives there and order from them.

Unfortunately, there are stores in Russia that sell counterfeit sports nutrition. You will recognize it by suspiciously printed packaging, fake authenticity marks, and gastrointestinal disruption.

Just come back

An important mantra: if something doesn't work out, it's okay. There was a breakdown - not scary. We were ill for two weeks and did not study - not scary. Just come back and keep going.

Everyone does stupid things, everyone has breakdowns, even a good athlete, no-no, will penetrate with his teeth into a warm juicy burger cutlet. Let be. Just go back to the gym and continue your studies. You're okay, it's okay, practice tomorrow at eight.

Remember

  1. The hall is within walking distance from home or work.
  2. Hygiene is more important than bells and whistles.
  3. Find out if you can freeze your pass for vacation or illness.
  4. Fight boredom: On the treadmill, you can not only run, but also watch a movie, listen to an audiobook, and even learn a foreign language.
  5. If you decide to use sports nutrition, do not buy the first available one for a profitable promotion. Instead, consult your doctor and buy only from authorized brand distributors.

Worked on the material

Author - Valentina Lavrentieva, chief editor - Maxim Ilyakhov, production editor - Marina Safonova, photo editor - Maxim Koposov, information designer - Zhenya Sofronov, photo editor - Anna Makarova, executive officer - Anna Lesnykh, proofreader - Alexander Salita, layout designer - Evgenia Izotova

Hello friends! Finally, we waited with you for this beautiful weather outside the window. The mood from such a weather is just a bomb! And of course, this weather requires us to be in good shape.

Today's post will be dedicated to those people who want to exercise, but do not know which gym to choose. How to choose a gym, what to look for when choosing a gym, what can you overlook?

Besides, you definitely need to know. By the way, I am here, as the author, compose free 10 individual ones and, who are interested, apply.

CLASSIFICATION OF GYM ROOMS

Conventionally, all gyms existing in the CIS can be divided into three classes.

Basement rocking chairs

There are very few of these rare halls left, but they still exist. In the basement rocking chairs there are no show-off, pathos and other vices inherent in prosperity. But, often there is no shower and toilet.

Once upon a time, in the days of crime and Coca-Cola, these were the only places from which swayed healthy men with steel biceps came out. Such halls were made by the future jocks themselves. Most of the simulators in the basement rocking chairs are home-made, but they are well-designed.

I myself began my acquaintance with bodybuilding from the basement. I will say that the main difference between the basement and modern fitness centers is that iron sports fanatics gather there, and a warm and friendly atmosphere always reigns.

Workouts in basements are usually very cheap and have a number of disadvantages: low weight, old uncomfortable exercise equipment, dampness, lack of shower, toilet, and sometimes locker rooms.

Glamorous fitness centers

The main difference between glamorous halls is their high cost. In large metropolitan areas, the price of one workout can reach $ 100, and a monthly subscription can sometimes cost up to $ 1000. It is excluded that majors are engaged in such centers, who, even in choosing a gym, strive to show their status.

Expensive fitness centers include a huge number of all kinds of services: solarium, swimming pool, sauna, massage therapist, personal trainer and God knows what else.

Large and varied in functioning halls are a competent pumping out of finance. In my opinion these gyms just aren't worth the money. But again, if there is a goal wherever possible to show your high status - why not.

Golden mean

The most, in my opinion, the ideal solution would be the most common average gyms and fitness centers in the post-Soviet space. The price of a monthly subscription in such halls on average ranges from $ 10 to $ 40.

These gyms have everything you need for training.

WHICH GYM TO CHOOSE?

Residents of small towns are more fortunate in this regard. There is simply not much to choose from. Residents of megalopolises have a wide choice, so you need to decide on a number of criteria by which we will choose a gym.

Gym location

I think I will not open America if I say that it is convenient when the gym is located near the house. This will allow us to quickly get to the gym, as well as quickly rush home after training and eat as they follow. Plus - it's very convenient!

To get started, I'd recommend surfing the internet, chatting with people you know, and jotting down a list of all the existing gyms in the area. Sit a bit with a map, see which one is more convenient to get to. If you plan to get there by car, it will be useful to find out if there is a guarded and lighted parking lot. Make a list of the most convenient ones and call them one by one. The next question that should worry you is the value for money.

Every whim for your money

When the question of how to choose a gym arises, the question of price will be important.

Before we are ready to shell out our money for training, we need to find out what we are getting in return for our money. Do not hesitate to ask the administrator by phone in detail about what is offered to you in the selected gym. Is it possible to pay for one workout, for a month, or just for a year? Is it possible to transfer unused workouts to the next month? What additional services are there? Are there any discounts and special offers? What is the form of payment? Is there a trial lesson? Is the stay in the gym or the number of workouts limited for the proposed subscription? All this is important!

As for additional services, you don't need to be afraid to seem like a greedy person, you need to find out what is included in the price, what you need to pay for separately, what and how much it costs. It often happens that the subscription price may include, for example, a sauna, swimming pool or solarium. If you don't want to overpay, I advise you to ask if you can take a subscription without these services. Well, if for some reason there is no such possibility, then it would be appropriate to delete this hall from the list. Well, or fork out 😳.

Also pay attention to the work schedule.

The morning is wiser than the evening!

Of course, the work schedule is a very important condition when choosing a gym. Pay attention first of all to those that work all day until late at night. This will allow you not to be afraid to miss the right time and not get into training. You can devote as much time to business as you need, and then drive to training without losing anything.

I worked in the basement for a long time, where the work schedule was from Monday to Friday from 5 to 7 pm. This is very inconvenient, how many times I had to under-finish something somewhere, or skip a workout. So at this point I ask you to pay special attention.

Special morning offers can also serve as a bold plus. Many gyms offer discounts for morning workouts. There are even special passes for the morning hours. If your activity allows you to work out in the gym in the morning or at lunchtime, I do not advise you to strive to get there in the evening. In the evening, it is usually very crowded, but for a good workout, this is not good: a long queue gathers for the inventory, there is not enough space for it and, moreover, it smells bad.

So, from the first list you have already thrown out several halls, it remains to decide which one to choose from the rest. How to choose the right gym from the list? Everything is very simple. You need to go to each one and decide, as they say, in comparison.

TRIAL TRAINING

I propose to go to each of the remaining ones in turn, and choose which hall suits the best. There are a number of factors that I advise you to pay attention to.

Comfort and atmosphere

Personally, I have always paid priority attention to this. How comfortable I am in the gym, is it clean in the gym and the locker room? I advise you to pay attention to the greasy and tightness of the simulators, in an amicable way all the shops should be clean. No oil or worse sweat on the machines and benches. It's a good policy to use towels in gyms, placing them between a sweaty body and a bench or machine. In some gyms, clean towels are issued at the entrance, but this is more likely to refer to too expensive gyms.

It is very convenient when all the shells rest in their places, and are not scattered throughout the hall. Here, by the way, I advise all visitors to the gym to remain primarily human and independently clean up the equipment after a workout.

It is important for girls that there is a hairdryer in the dressing room.

Gym equipment

Pay attention to the quality and quantity of simulators. There should be a lot of simulators and they should have different functionality. If you are just getting acquainted with the world of sports and beauty, then you will not always be able to understand what exactly this or that simulator trains. Nothing, you will figure it out with time. Today I advise you to pay attention to their number. There should be a lot of simulators, and all of them should be in good working order, function normally, not creak or growl. I think it's clear.

The number of weights should also be large: the dumbbells should be with a maximum difference of 2 kilograms, starting from 2 and ending with 40 kilograms, there should be a lot of pancakes. The hall should be equipped with parallel bars, horizontal bars, it is good if there are gym mats. It is important that mirrors are hung on the walls of the mirrors. Mirrors are needed not to admire beautiful yourself, but to see the technical correctness of the exercise.

Cardio equipment

In each room, I repeat - in each! There should be cardiovascular equipment. Every athlete who has decided to link his fate with the iron world is obliged to periodically devote time to jogging and rolling on cardiovascular equipment. Without this, bodybuilding will be incomplete. And you don't need to listen to those jocks who mistakenly say that running prevents them from gaining muscle mass.

In fact, running gives us very, very, very many benefits. I will not describe everything today, in the future I will release a separate article on the benefits of running in bodybuilding. Today I will say that running or pedaling at the beginning of a workout and at the end of a workout is a must for everyone! So please draw your attention to the presence of a cardio zone in the gym, cardiovascular equipment should be available and abundant.

We are primarily interested in treadmills and exercise bikes.

Professionalism of the coaching staff

I would like to draw your attention to one more important point - the professionalism of the coaches. How responsibly coaches are in performing their direct duties. Of course, if you do not pay for the services of a personal trainer, he is not obliged to run after you around the hall and wipe up the snot.

But when a beginner does not have the skills to carry iron, this fact will surely catch the eye of a professional. If the coach is currently not busy with anything, it is his sacred duty to come up and correct the beginner when performing some exercise. Also, one should not hesitate to approach the coach with a question, this is his job in the end and let him do it in good faith, and not sit on the sidelines reading a fashion magazine.

Music background

When the right music for training is playing in the gym, it is loud enough so that it is not quiet, and at the same time not so loud that it annoys visitors - then it is very pleasant to practice.

I advise you to pay attention to what kind of audio atmosphere prevails in the hall. Personally, it pisses me off when a pop radio or music channel is turned on in the audience. And if there is also no audio equipment in the hall, and a large room is sounded by two speakers on the TV, which squeak in square meters, and do not emit music ... You can, of course, choose good music on your own and save yourself with the help of headphones, but this is not very convenient ...

Hall size

This moment is also very significant. For a good workout, the gym should be roomy enough; the workout should not be crowded. This is especially true for the evening hours. You need to have a place not only to warm up, but also to walk around the hall between approaches. It seems to me that the larger the area of ​​the gym, the better!

Air to me, air

The hall should be well ventilated. In a normal room, it should not be stuffy, not cold. It is not bad when air conditioners are present, although this creates some danger - you should never work under the air conditioner on. A warmed-up body is very easy to catch cold. And we are not only talking about viral respirators, you can earn more serious diseases under the air conditioner, such as pneumonia or sinusitis. Even if he just stretches his neck, it will already be very unpleasant.

Hall lighting

This indicator will surely catch your eye if you come to training in the evening. It should not be dark in the gym, good uniform illumination of the gym, even if it is not the most important parameter, but still it will not be superfluous to pay attention to it.

SUMMING UP

Well, I hope the question "how to choose a gym" will never be typed on your keyboard again. After visiting all the gyms on the list, the choice should stop at one gym. The next step is to go and buy yourself a subscription.

If, after reading the article, there are at least some questions, I advise you to ask them in the comments. I will be happy to answer them. Well, that's all for me, I wish everyone a strong and beautiful figure by the summer!

P. S. There is no need to be afraid of healthy, menacing-looking men in the hall. Jocks are the kindest people, they will gladly help a beginner who asks for help or asks for advice. The main condition is to be polite and not try to appear cooler than you really are.

“Club cards with a 50% discount”, fitness “in installments and without overpayments”, “with a swimming pool and SPA” - why are fitness clubs luring their clients. In addition to the price, you should pay attention to when choosing a fitness center - says aerobics and dance instructor Ekaterina Strigina.

However, the question immediately arises - which club to choose, and what criteria should be taken into account in order not to regret the money spent on the subscription later?

First, define for yourself what you want to get? For some people, along with the gym, the club atmosphere is very important, so that between classes you can sit in the bar with a cup of coffee and chat. For others, the main value is the pool. For the third -. For example, many men are not interested in modern fitness at all, give them a "rocking chair". Such "real men" usually do without a trainer and do not tolerate women in the gym.

How much does a fitness club cost

We go online, look for clubs in our area, and start calling them. First of all, we are interested in the price.

As a rule, fitness clubs are divided into three categories: economy, business and premium. There is also such a format as "mini-clubs" and "wellness centers", but there are almost none outside of Moscow, so we will not consider them.

Club card cost in economy segment varies in the range from 5 to 25 thousand rubles per year, and if a club with a pool, then it can go up to 30 thousand rubles. Usually people with an average income of 30-50 thousand rubles per month are engaged in such clubs. The service there is unobtrusive, often employees and customers communicate on "you", which not everyone likes. The quality of training depends on the qualifications of the coaches.

Business segment designed for a wealthier audience. Subscriptions cost from 35 to 50 thousand rubles. in year. Customers are offered better service and additional bonuses, such as free towels, better workout equipment, a sauna, etc.

Fitness club card premium segment can cost from 55 to 90 thousand rubles per year. Here the client pays for the brand and comfort: for decorating the club with expensive materials, for being a member of the wealthy community, for the opportunity to train without pushing elbows with other visitors.

When choosing a club category, it is important to honestly assess your income level. Of course, any club card will be sold to you - this is not a problem. But in a club other than your "weight class" you will soon feel uncomfortable.

Pool and other benefits

However, the network clubs, especially the well-known ones, almost never report the price by phone. The most you can count on is to find out the price range. Managers masterfully avoid talking about specific numbers. Their task is to invite a potential client to the club for a presentation. Therefore, in order to receive primary information from them by phone, it is worthwhile to think over the questions that are significant for yourself in advance:

  • Does the club have a full swimming pool? As a rule, the presence of a pool does not significantly affect the price of a subscription, but you get the opportunity not only to swim every day, but also to visit. In ordinary pools, swimming sessions are limited, and there is no aqua aerobics at all.
  • Does the group program schedule include activities you would like to try, such as step aerobics, yoga or belly dancing?
  • How busy is the club during peak hours? It is not necessary to ask how many people are there per square meter - such information will say little to an ordinary person. It is better to ask the manager to tell in his own words if there are queues for the simulators during rush hour, if people bump their elbows in group sessions, etc. Be sure to inquire about the club's opening hours.
  • Does the club provide towels or do you need to bring them with you? In good clubs, towels are usually given to customers for free or for little money.
  • You can also ask if the club has a parking lot, a room for children, etc.

Do not hesitate to ask the manager, otherwise he will start asking questions himself and may, as the saying goes, "start to speak his teeth" - as a result, you will receive a completely different product that you want. Don't forget, fitness club employees are specially trained in sales techniques. According to my observations, most often the presentation is imposed by clubs that do not sell well. Therefore, they simply have neither money nor time for good service.

Cadres are everything!

A very important point is the qualifications of the instructors. There is hardly a single manager who will speak badly about the staff of his club, so it is worth looking for information yourself.

First, look at the club's website to see if there is information about the instructors. If the “Team” section is missing, then, most likely, the company has a large turnover of staff. Perhaps this is not so important for the gym, but for the club, in my opinion, the question is essential. A fitness club is a place of relaxation where we spend a lot of time, communicate with friends, where employees know customers by name and do not quit every month.

To the fitness club with a visit

Analyze the collected information and, having chosen two or three clubs you like (not worth it anymore, otherwise it is difficult to choose), go on exploration. The presentation does not oblige you to anything - you do not need to buy a club card just because you came. And even more so to feel guilty before the manager for the time spent: explaining and showing is his job.

I would suggest taking a guest visit. In clubs with good service, guest visits are free. However, sometimes they take money for it - usually 400-2000 rubles, this is normal. As a rule, they do not give visits to small home clubs aimed at residents of neighboring houses. In any case, it is worth asking for a guest visit, and in 99% of cases it will be given without problems.

So what should you look for when visiting?

Atmosphere

First of all, feel the atmosphere, do you like it or not? You will come to this place and to these people 3-6 times a week for one and a half to three hours. 200 - 800 hours run in a year - that's why the atmosphere is so important. In my memory, there was a case when, succumbing to the excitement, a modest girl bought, or rather, issued a credit card to the capital's club, which positioned itself as an elite one. And the girl worked as an assistant accountant and lived with her mother. Not only was she in for an unpleasant surprise when the contract was signed - it turned out that the interest on payments would be 2 times higher than she had expected. But later, she repeatedly complained about dirty showers and said that she was disappointed with the club and, above all, with the attitude of the staff.

So look at the employees - how do they look, are they friendly, or do they walk around with a disgruntled face? What does the room look like - is it clean, light? And if an inner voice says that this club is not for you, do not resist! Of course, the managers will push you to buy the season ticket immediately. Their favorite phrase: "What is stopping you from buying right now?" Have your answer ready, for example: "I never buy anything on the first visit, this is my principle."

Qualification of instructors

Be sure to ask what instructors work in the club. A definite plus is that they have medical and / or sports education. If it's not there, it doesn't matter. But the availability of certificates of fitness academies and work experience is a prerequisite. In Russia, the certificates of the Association of Fitness Professionals, the School Barbara Medvedeva, Pedagogical College of Fitness, Academy of Fitness, Academy of Wellness, FPA Training Center, Federation of Fitness-Aerobics of Russia. Less well-known schools also train coaches. The main thing is that they work legally. You can and should ask the club manager about the origin of the instructor's certificate.

Certificates are not just a formality. Now almost anyone can become a fitness instructor. Therefore, unskilled people often come to the gym to work, driven only by the desire to earn money. At best, their lack of professionalism will lead to a spoiled mood.

Personal trainers

A separate story is the services of a personal trainer. Visitors to the clubs told me that they are tired of paying for "workouts", when the coach's job is to stand next to each other during exercise on a treadmill, bring and take dumbbells, or just work out in pairs. Agree, it's easier to meet someone in the same club and go to study together.