I don’t have the cheapest gym membership out there. I’m a personal finance blogger that pays $70 a month for a gym membership. With so many gym membership deals out there, you would figure that someone paying a lot of money for their gym is a fool.
I’m so foolish for not getting a better gym membership price, right? Aren’t you supposed to eliminate your monthly subscriptions?
My gym membership adds a lot of value to my life. I not only have access to weights and cardio equipment. I’m also able to attend all sorts of different combat sports classes. After working out for many years at a wide variety of gyms, this one is the perfect fit for me.
This article isn’t about me. This is going to be different from my other pieces on how the stock market works or other financial topics.
Keep on reading if you want to learn how-to save money on gym memberships:
Gym membership fees can be avoided altogether.
First and foremost I need to throw this out there, why spend money on a gym membership if you don’t have to? I worked out at home for as long as I could. I eventually wanted to start swimming, ran out of weights, found motivated gym buddies to train with, and my family got sick of me making so much noise.
I recommend that you train at home for a few weeks of serious training. Don’t think that you’ll become serious about your physical fitness just because you start paying $70 a month for a gym membership. First you need to prove to yourself that you’re taking your personal fitness seriously. Once you have a decent workout regimen in place and fitness has become apart of your lifestyle, then you can start looking around for a gym membership.
Pursue a free gym membership.
If you take an honest look around you, I’m sure that you can find access to a gym for free. This is not the same thing as avoiding gym fees. I’m also not suggesting you go to the same gym every week asking for a “free week pass” with a different alias. This will work only for so long before you get banned from every gym within driving distance. Then you’re really going to have to find a way to workout for free. That’s when fitness impacts your finances.
How can I obtain a gym membership for cheap or free?
You can start off by checking if your current job or school offers a gym to use.
A work gym.
In order to promote health and all of that other good stuff, most workplaces are either setting up an in-house gym or offering free/discounted gym memberships. I personally have access to a $12 a month gym from my work. My friend just became a Fire Fighter and he’s able to train while on shift. I recommend that you go to the Human Resources department to ask about gym membership options. I guarantee you that your workplace will offer you a better deal than you could find on your own.
The school gym.
Every college has some sort of semblance of a gym. At my old school the gym was nothing fancy at all. The gym did have the basics. If you’re just getting into working out, all you need is the basics. Fortunately, many colleges these days have state of the art gyms that you can either join for free or pay a small fee per semester. You don’t need to use your student credit card to pay for an overpriced gym membership.
Why pay high gym membership fees if you don’t have to?
However, before you sign up for a gym membership, you need to look into a few things.
Will you actually go to the gym?
It’s nice that you have bought a fancy new pair of running shoes and all of the other gym attire. Will you actually go to the gym? How many excuses do you have lined up? Do you realistically have the time in your schedule to fit in a training session? Are you willing to work out before work in the morning? Are you willing to work out late at night? A realistic assessment needs to be done before you hand over your hard earned money to a gym.
Consider pay per use.
There’s the popular a-la-carte method. Instead of signing up for a subscription, why not try paying per use? Instead of paying the $40-50 per month for a gym membership, pay the daily fee every time that you go to the gym.
If I go the gym regularly this is a stupid idea, isn’t it? Yes it is. Unfortunately, most people will only go 3 times a week for the first few weeks. If you find yourself hitting the gym on a consistent basis after a month then please by all means sign up.
Do you even need a gym membership?
Many of us are conscious about the fact that we need to improve our personal fitness but we don’t know where to start. Working out at a gym is not for everyone. If you love blasting music (or podcasts) on your music player then the gym will be fun for you. If you appreciate team work and group effort then you definitely need to look into sports.
I have friends that absolutely loathe working out at a gym but can’t get enough of soccer or hockey or swimming or golf. If you want to get serious about your personal fitness in 201o, look beyond a gym. Pick up skiing, play football in the park, join the school basketball team, walk to work, or go old school and clean up your diet.
Hopefully this article will help you decide on whether a gym membership and the gym membership fees that come along with it are worth it for you.
Here are some things you’ll typically find in an all-purpose fitness gym Machine equipment consisting of adjustable weights. A weight room to train with weight equipment such as dumbbells and kettle bells Cardio equipment and various commercial gym equipment like treadmills and stationary bicycles, two workouts in one The seat quickly folds up and out of the way to switch between a seated to a standing position.