You just moved to a new town or are trying to look for a new place to get your fitness journey going.
What do you do first? Type “gyms near me” into Google and you will be given a cornucopia of results of gyms that are all within a 5 minute drive of you.
You see the personal training gym at the corner near your house, a 24 Hour Fitness, a CrossFit gym, and a local recreation center. The next question that enters your mind is “what do I choose?”
Now if you are in love with your current fitness routine and are seeing every result you want, go ahead and read any one of our other blog posts. If you are truly curious about what are some good things to consider when choosing a gym, let’s dive in!
What are my fitness goals?
This is something we talk about at length here because at the end of the day, your goals are the bedrock for your fitness journey. Without them, you are way more likely to give up which results in wasted time, money, and stress!
Ask yourself what you want to accomplish and what are you WILLING to do to get there.
You shouldn’t start a routine you know you will hate. Most of the people who hate their workout routine, do not continue doing it for longer than 60 days for the most part!
To take a deeper dive into goal setting, read our blog post (https://vegvisircrossfit.com/setting-goals-for-weight-loss-and-other-fitness-goals/) to get dialed in on your goals!
What do I enjoy doing that’s active?
As mentioned previously, you are gonna have to be excited by some aspect of the fitness routine you’re about to go do.
Do you enjoy seeing new sites every day? Well running or biking is definitely gonna be your friend,
Are you into lifting weights? Well CrossFit, Powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, and Body Building gyms would love to have you!
More into acrobatics? Arial yoga and calisthenics could totally be your jam!
If you don’t know, that’s okay! Just start with a mindset of trying things out and lock in as you get more confident in knowing the routines that excite you!
Do they offer coaching?
Here is a hard truth a lot of people don’t want to here. Our parents didn’t know everything about working out. This is true for a majority of the population and we need to acknowledge this.
Starting any fitness routine begins with a learning curve. The best thing we can do is invest in someone to teach us how to do what we want to do correctly. These people should be trained professionals and certified by independent bodies that are directly related to the routine you want to start.
If you think you don’t need a coach, next time you’re at a party ask everyone to squat. You would think it is a simple task, but you will see multiple interpretations as well as many people complaining about aches and pains. This is something that can be helped by finding a coach and seeking the info you need to start your journey safely.
Do I want to go it alone or be held accountable?
The most crucial point here is this. Even if you love the routine you have chosen, things will get in the way. It’s hard to stick to new routines because we are creatures of habit and our old routines sound so great once we start to change. Who keeps you accountable so you don’t go back?
Are you self motivated? Were you the kid who always did your homework without being asked? Then all you may need is some instruction on how to do what you want to do from an expert for the first month, then go off to the races. Keep yourself disciplined and have fun!
If you’re like the rest of us who require a network of people to keep us accountable, we may need to focus on finding group classes.
The reason being is that having multiple levels of accountability means that we are less likely to fall off the rails.
In our gym the owner, coaches, fellow athletes, and the athlete’s family are all a part of one unit with the goal of helping them reach their goals. If you have 3+ people keeping tabs on you and pushing you, you are far more likely to stick with your routine!
So ask yourself, what has worked in the past? Do I need help? If so, why not go ahead and look for gyms that offer group classes and personal training to find the accountability you need.
What gym is right for me?
Take a look at these questions that are in bold on this blog post and ask these questions to yourself. Answer them honestly and don’t think of it with a budget in mind just yet. You need to prioritize your health and pick the right investment for it, not the cheapest.
From there pick the places that fit your criteria and go check them out! If they care about your goals and are invested in your success, they should be a great fit for you.
If you wanna check us out because we fit your criteria? Go ahead and click the “Free Intro” button on the top right of your screen!