Instead of tying yourself to a long term contract why not consider a pay as you gym membership? Here I look at some of the benefits to this growing option to gym joining a gym.
When I was employed as a fitness trainer by a well known gym chain in London the managers would get more excited about Christmas than a kid waiting for Santa because they knew subscriptions were about to go through the roof as folk set themselves the task of getting fit for their New Year resolution.
The regular guys and girls who worked out at the gyms would eye the new members with a knowing look that said “seen it all last year” as myself and the other personal trainers gave them their inductions.
Sure enough, by February we were back to normal and the part time trainers drafted in to cope with the influx of new members were let go again and the owners of the gym chain would count up the annual windfall.
A pay as you gym membership can help you avoid the trap of going for a year long membership in the belief you are actually saving money when clearly, unless you attend regularly you aren’t. They are also ideal for you to test the waters and make sure it is what you want before spending your hard earned cash.
Here’s my tips for selecting a gym to join.
Shop around and see what’s available in your area. As gyms became popular, competition grew so there are plenty of deals to be had if you look around. Some of the deals you can usually find include:
- free weekly membership trial
- pay as you gym membership
- free membership for your partner
- free induction (almost standard practice now but check)
You need to choose carefully though and personally I always recommend the pay as you gym over other types of membership for the first year. A free weekly trial is offered because the gym knows you are unlikely to lose your unthusiasm for at least a month while the free membership for a partner is offered because rarely will it be used more than a few times. Quite often the free trial offer will have a lock in as well so read the small print.
A pay as you gym means you only ever pay for the session you are there and also, you are not tied to one particular gym. It is this that is making them so popular and more and more gyms are realising this and offering it as an option. They are becoming so popular that there are several syndication services springing up such Pay As U Gym in (www.payasugym.com) London.
They negotiate group pay as you gym discounts with hundreds of gyms in the London area. Members then purchase a pass which gets them 1 session in any of the participating gyms. Because they can put a lot of business to the gyms, discounts can be as much as 60% and it is proving a very popular option to contract memberships.
Summary
Don’t fall for the hard sell. There is a reason the gyms offer more discount for the longer term contracts. They know a good percentage will simply not use their facilities. Use a pay as you gym membership while you get into shape and then later, once you are sure you are fully committed to the gym you can always sign up for a contract.