New year, new gym membership

It’s coming…..the new year, the time when millions of good-intentioned folks decide to make a change. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, New Year’s resolutions are a good thing. If you struggle to believe that, it’s probably because of a history of failed resolutions. One item at the top of most everyone’s list is a body and health transformation, which is a good decision (probably the best decision you could choose to make).  However, the it usually involves joining a gym or fitness facility. And choosing the “right” place, unfortunately, can determine whether you succeed or fail.

THIS JANUARY, DON’T FALL PREY TO BIG BOX GYMS.

Consider YOUR Success

1. Choose a place near your daily habitual paths. Is it close to your home, your work, your children’s school, etc…? The further away, the more likely you find excuses not to go.
2. Figure out what YOU like to do. Free weights, machines, circuit training/boot camp, rowing, yoga, Crosfit, etc…It doesn’t matter if everyone else is doing it, or the latest fitness guru convinces you you’ll drop 20 lbs in a week, because if you don’t like it, you’ll find an excuse not to go.
3. If you have a choice between a big box gym or a small gym or studio choose the small gym or studio.  The big box gym is there to make money, the small gym or studio is there because they WANT TO HELP YOU!

*I would never say that employees and trainers at a big box gym don’t care about you or don’t want to help you.  Many care very deeply and are fully qualified, dedicated professionals.

 

So, it’s not the people at big box gyms, it’s their business model.

 

THEY COUNT ON YOU NOT SHOWING UP.

 

The Numbers

Big box gyms make much of their profit selling memberships to people they count on NEVER ATTENDING. That’s how they can make it so cheap, because two thirds of all the people paying monthly fees are actually not going (and just doing a huge favor for the 33% who do). That means  the staff, equipment, maintenance, and facilities need only be designed and maintained to accommodate 33% of the total number of paying customers.

“If you are not going to the gym, you are actually the gym’s best customer,” Planet Money’s Stacey Vanek Smith at NPR. Many big clubs make their money by recruiting as many members as possible, which ends up being far more than they can accommodate. So they’re banking on you slacking on your workout goals.

(how’s that for motivation?)

According to Smith, Planet Fitness has about 6500 members per gym but can only hold about 300 people at a time, max.

Services and Facilities

The standard layout for most large gyms is row after row of cardio machines, weight racks, and class schedules. It’s carefully designed to be a ‘do it yourself model’ because that is the most inexpensive model available to big gyms.

 

Small Studios take the Exact Opposite Approach.

 

Logistically, fiscally, and operationally, there is a significant difference between offering access to
equipment and providing individualized fitness training, nutritional guidance, and  personal support.  So it isn’t only the trainers and workouts that make them different, it’s the intense level of involvement that they have in their clients’ fitness journeys.

And doing intense workouts, total body transformations, accomplishing goals, and making changes to your lifestyle are all exceptionally emotional events. You are working out to become an entirely new person, and this makes it essential to have emotional support as you navigate these challenging periods of transition and transformation.

 

Furthermore, small gym and studio owners COUNT ON YOU SHOWING UP.

Not only do small training studios have fixed class sizes so there is not overcrowding, but they also expect you to be there.  They hold you accountable.  They see you as an extension of their families and will call you if you miss too many workouts in a row.

To be fair, some big box gyms are cheaper than small gyms or studios.  And some people prefer the anonymity of blending into a crowd, not being noticed, not having to talk to anyone, unplugging from the world, and powering through their workout.  If a big box gym is close to your home or work, has the equipment you prefer, and you are 100% confident you can hold yourself accountable, then by all means go for it and enroll with a big box gym.

If, however, you prefer the camaraderie, support, and accountability of a group and the members of your workout group, if you have tried gyms in the past and stopped going, maybe it’s time you tried a small gym or studio near your home or work.  They are counting on you to be there.  They expect you to be there.  And they will make certain that you succeed!

 

 Near the Palm Beach area and need a small studio? Check out Palm Beach Fit Body Boot Camp or North Palm Beach Fit Body Boot Camp. This year, you owe it to yourself to become the new person you want to be…and not in order to impress other people. You’re going to do it to remind yourself that yes, you can do whatever you put your mind to—you can become a better person.

This model is what defines our business and is the foundation of our Unstoppable Fitness Formula™.  We develop effective workouts that are updated daily and employ certified fitness professional that help clients avoid injury and maximize results all things that don’t exist at the do-it-yourself gyms.

Personal attention, accountability and motivation is standard practice at Fit Body Boot Camp and that’s what keeps our clients coming in, workout out, eating right, and getting results.