If you are considering trying out a gym that focuses on fitness classes look for these five things before committing to a facility.
- Coaching
A gym is a great place to learn new exercises, skills and drills. There should be plenty of certified coaches who can share their knowledge with you. Every training session you participate in, should be run by a certified coach. You should always be taught correct technique for all movements before starting a workout. The coach should continue to help out during the workout if you forget any movements or if fatigue prevents you from performing the movements safely. That way, you know at any time during a workout you are taken care of and you can focus on just working out and having a good time.
- Scaling Options
When you turn up to a class for the first time, chances are you will see a lot of high skill barbell and gymnastics movements like Snatches, Clean & Jerks, pull ups, ring muscle ups etc. Don’t be disheartened if you see other members doing a lot of exercises you cant do. The members performing these exercises have most likely been doing classes for a long time and have eventually developed the skill level necessary to do them. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to, with time. There will always be big differences in fitness and skill level among members. Therefore, you need to make sure the gym has an appropriate substitute exercise (scaling option), which caters for your level of fitness. If you are unsure about what scaling options are available for you it doesn’t hurt to ask the coach and they should easily explain it to you. If they cant you should probably visit more than one gym to check out how different places scale for you.
There are many scaling options to insure every member gets a good workout: It could be a subtle change like lifting a lighter weight during a workout or it could be bigger like doing a different exercise to the ones prescribed I.E. ring rows and push ups instead of muscle ups. It all depends on the individual.
- Cleanliness
You can always see how much the owner and the employees care about the place compared to how clean it is. It doesn’t matter if they stay late and clean it themselves or if the pay a company to do it. The main issue is, is the place clean when people walk through the door. Are the toilets/showers clean, are the lights working, are there toilet paper and hand towels in the dispensers at all times? Are all equipment and especially the floor clean or are there chalk and dust and dirt everywhere. It is easy to tell if it is generally dirty around the place or if it is just from the class before. Also when it comes to cleanliness are the coaches enforcing a policy of members helping with the cleaning of equipment after use? That will keep things tidy and it shows they care about making sure all members get a good experience no matter what class you join in.
- Community
The amount of enjoyment and support you get from working out with a big bunch of friends is incredible. When you do well they celebrate with you and when things are going against you they help and cheer for you. One thing is for certain you can always count on your friends. It’s a special bond you share with people you train with. You understand each other because you all go through the same struggles and you all go through the same successes and more often than not you do it together. You can always see the strength and size of a community by how much the gym is doing for its members. Is there good banter around the place or are people just complaining quietly to each other?
- Equipment
Is all the equipment clean and in good working order as most of the gear you will be using is most likely metal I.E. barbells, Kettle bells, Dumbbells and Pull up bars, it is important that there is no rust around at all. When it comes to barbells here are a couple of quick tips; Make sure the end sleeves on the barbell spins nicely as you can get hurt if they don’t spin well and check if the sleeves are creaking when you spin them as that could mean it needs to be cleaned out or fixed. All other equipment is pretty much just look at it when you pick it up and anything out of the ordinary should come to light straight away.
These are my 5 main tips to check out before joining a gym. And as always if you are interested in trying our facility or you know of someone who should give it a go don’t hesitate to bring them in for a chat or a trial session.
Christian
Wednesday 28/09/16
Strength: 5 x 3 Strict Press
Set 1-2 @ 70%
Set 3-4 @ 80%
Set 5 @ 90%
WOD: 3 Rounds For Time
14 CTB Pull ups
7 Power Snatch 60/40kg
400m Run
Accessory Work: 3 Sets for Quality
Max Handstand Walk or Handstand Hold (free/wall)
Max Hanging L-Sit
