How to find a gym - What to look for
This week, we’re talking about finding a gym. We covered location and finding some hidden gyms in your area, now we’re going to go over that to look for when you’re visiting your list of prospects.
Ok, so you have your list of nine or ten gyms that you think would make good candidates. You’ve looked at where they’re located and you think they make sense in terms of when and where you intend to work out. Now, schedule an afternoon for you to spend visiting these places. Try to go during the time you think you’ll be working out. So if you think you’re going to do morning workouts, go during the morning. This will give you an idea of what the gym will be like when you show up. If you don’t know exactly when you’ll workout, try to go during the early evening hours. Around 7 or 8pm is usually a gym’s busiest times and this will give you a good idea of how crowded a place is and if they have enough equipment.
For each gym you visit, you’ll put together a list of the features they offer. These visits shouldn’t take more than ten minutes or so, so this really shouldn’t take too much time out of your schedule. Write down the following for each of these gyms as you visit them. Remember, you’re just looking for surface impressions at this point. You’ll go into more depth once you’ve narrowed down your selection even further.
Machines - This does not include cardio machines. Does the gym have these at all? Some gyms don’t. Do they seem to have a good selection? Again, surface impressions only. You don’t need to go check for every single type of machine. Just do a quick survey of how many types they have. Below ten is a little small, ten to thirty is good. Thirty and above is really impressive.
Dumbbells - Does the gym have a good set of dumbbells? They should go all the way from 1lb weights to 100lbs. Ideally, there should be multiples of each of the lower weights since those are more frequently used. Also, the intervals at the lower weights should be 2.5 lbs. That means the scale should go 10lbs, 12.5lbs, 15lbs and so on.
Free weights - Do they even have them? Do you see a lot of benches? Are there decline, incline and flat bench press areas? How many of each? Ideally, a decently sized gym should have multiples of each.
Cardio area - How big is it? What types of machines do they have? Cardio machines come in multiple types, from treadmills and ellipticals to bikes and stair climbers. Do they seem to have enough of them? Are a lot of them out of order? Cardio machines are the things that most often break down. So they’re a good indicator of how well a gym takes care of its equipment. A gym where a good portion of the cardio machines are broken down is probably not well maintained.
Pool - Do they even have one? If so, how big? Is it clean? Does it seem crowded?
Sports courts - What do they have? Most gyms will at least have a racquetball court and a basketball court. Do they have anything else? If so, what kind and how many?
Locker rooms - Do they have them? Are they clean? Do they have showers?
Classes - Most gyms will offer various fitness classes. Take a look and see what they have. Aerobics, spinning, dance and even kick boxing have all been turned into a variety of gym class. See if they have a good schedule and mix of classes.
Personal trainers - Do they have them?
What other facilities do they have? Do they have a boxing ring? A lot of the older gyms will. Do they have a wall climbing area? Some of the newer gyms will have those. Tennis court? Any other facility they have, write it down on your list.
I know most of you are thinking, “why should I write all this? I have no intention of using these things, I’m just here for a simple workout” but the truth is that you never know what you’ll end up using. I started out going to the gym for a simple cardio workout. I thought the only thing I would ever use were the treadmills. However, as I learned more about my health I realized that variety is good. So I added to my routine. I started using weights, I tried out the elliptical and the stair climbers. I even went to a few jazzercise classes 
You never know what you’re going to end up doing. You might start out on the treadmill but find yourself two months later taking a kickboxing class and doing thirty minutes of weight training every morning. The key is to have a variety of options, because this will keep you interested and keep you coming to the gym. Worst case scenario is a gym that’s very specialized in one thing and finding yourself bored with that one thing. That’s when people typically quit and never come back.
So take your list of ten gyms and cut it down to two or three based on what you just saw. Any gym with poor maintenance should be removed immediately. Any gym that seemed dirty or overly crowded should also be eliminated. After that, keep the gyms with the good locations, good hours and good variety of things to do. Remember that locations and hours are key. So a gym that’s close to you might be better than a gym that’s far away but offers slightly more variety. However, don’t compromise too much on variety. Make sure that gym has enough options for you to try out various things, especially if you’re just starting out.
By the way, any gym that refuses to let you do this quick tour should be ruled right out. Gyms should be open and welcoming to newcomers. In fact, most gyms will walk you through a little tour of their facilities if you ask. They might give you a bit of a sales pitch along with the tour but just remain firm and tell them you’re just looking for now and will make your choice soon.
Tomorrow, we’re going to see how to go about selecting your gym from the two or three candidates you have left on your list. To do this, we’re actually going to go to a gym and do a practice workout, so bring your gym clothes!
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