There’a actually more to choosing a gym than just looking at you far its from your home or workplace. Here we take a look at the various kinds/types of gyms and how to choose the appropriate one for your fitness needs.
We all know life in a metro can be tough, especially if its a city like Delhi or Mumbai. Its obvious then that most fitness enthusiasts decide to choose their gym based on how convenient its to reach there.
But is it the right thing to do? Most experts do have a difference of opinion though.
Choose As Per Your Fitness Goals
Experts suggest that you first decide what is it that you want to achieve:
- Do you want to bulk up?
- Do you want to lose weight
- Do you want to increase your stamina
- Do you want to increase your endurance for the marathon
- Do you want to prepare for a competition?
Once your goal is clear, pick a gym (based on the types mentioned below) to give you a better chance of achieving them.
What you choose will also depend (to some extent) on your personal tastes (of the ambiance). I’m sure you have walked into a gym and said – ‘Oh, this is just too crowded’ or ‘This one doesn’t have enough treadmills’ and so on.
Here are the more common types of gyms available to you.
The Upmarket Gym
You want a view of the sea, flat televisions on almost every equipment, top class interiors, free WiFi, valet parking, then enroll yourself at an upscale gym.
These offer innovative programmes & group fitness classes, and always keep the latest equipment.
What you pay is premium payment.
The No Frills Gym
This is the opposite of the first, you get just the basic equipment – no towels, no personal lockers, no great view. You are expected to get everything you need (besides the equipment) with you.
The positive is that they offer great discounts. However, learn to use the equipment correctly as there may not be sufficient trainers on the floor at any given time.
The Sports Club
These gyms are available in the premises of a sports club/gymkhana/association. The good thing is that in addition to gymming, you can go swimming, play badminton or squash, and other sports.
Most of the time, you will end up paying more than what you pay at a standard gym, but then you get the best of both the worlds.
Circuit Gym
These gyms usually offer group fitness exercises that involve a mix of cardio and strength training, usually done using body weight, resistance bands, & dumbbells. In certain places in Mumbai, especially the distant suburbs, you may have more of woman participants in such fitness classes, and exercising for the first time can get a bit awkward (if you’re a man). However, these are reasonably priced, and offer a fun environment to exercises.
Things to Checkout at the Gym
Planning to join a gym, do checkout these things:
- How easy is it to reach the gym, is their adequate parking facilities
- Tour the entire facility, including the showers and the locker rooms.
- Ask for a free trial period or guest pass so that you can checkout the facilities and a get a feel of the ambiance.
- Find out about the cancellation policies, especially if you’re going to pay for a year. In case you move to a different city, will they transfer the membership, if they have a branch in that city (what if they do not have)
The Le Meridien Hotel, located at the centre of Lutyens Delhi, has a surprisingly compact gym, and the operations has been outsourced to a private company. The entrance to the pool area is through the gym, so there’s always some distraction as people pass in and out the narrow walk through. So the gym really falls short of expectations and standards.
To Conclude
So there you go! These are some of the types of gyms that are available to you. Remember that half of your fitness battle is won if you pick the right gym, something that you’ll happily head to. And before you pay up for the membership, do ask for a one-day or one-week trial run to get a feel of the environment.
Leave a Reply