Do you go to GYM?
 

I am thinking about joining Bally Total Fitness. ANyone goes there? What is your experience?

gym is considered a 4 letter word in my house! haha! j/k! :D :p

Michiko. try joining the ymca... they have the same equipment, and classes for half the price!

Thats a bad bad word lol..I should be don't..i do walk in the summer and do alot of outside yard work does that count lol

The Bally's in the Chicago area are all "see and be seen". People go for show instead of actually working out. Smaller, non-chain/franchise gyms are much better and much cheaper in my opinion. And as Mone't said, the YMCA or YWCA is just as good :)

I wish I had a "real" gym by me, or at least a YMCA in my county...but we don't. Only thing close is a Curves> i tried that, but it wasn't for me!

I was a member of Bally's in New Jersey, but now I am a member of Atlantis Fitness.

I started going to the gym since Monday.... pretty good hubby & Iwake up @ 4:30 am and are at the gym by 5 am and leave by 5:45..... latest 6am..... we are the ONLY ones there the whole time so it is pretty good since I don't have to fight anyone for the treadmill..... oh and I changed my eating habits also...

I've been to Balley's before and they're nice.

If I were you, I'd look at some different gyms in your area. And see which you feel most comfortable with. Check them out at a time of the day that you'd actually work out (how busy are they, what is the crowd). If you're looking at getting some personal training, talk to trainers at different gyms. Also consider distance; the closer it is to your home, or work, the better the chances that you'll go.

I went to Bally's for awhile and hated it. The one I went to was a meat market. I know go to a smaller, privately own gym that is family orientated. Plus it was cheaper and the owners are way more knowledgeable and exprienced than the people (mainly late teens) who worked at the Bally's I went to.

i've been a member of bally total fitness for almost 10yrs now and have been going regularly, about 4/week. my initial reason to join a gym was to gain a little more muscle mass (i was skinnnnny!) and maintain an overall healthy lifestyle. i think BTF is serving it's purpose for those goals of mine. i signed up for a 3yr contract and since that has expired, i'm now in renewals, paying about $15/month and am able to go to any BTF, anywhere.

each location offers different ammenities. the one i go to just has the bare minimum for my workouts: weight machines, free weights, cardio equipment, etc. they also offer classes such as yoga, kickboxing, step, etc but rarely do i go to any of those. i haven't had a personal trainer there, but friends of mine have and they seem to like how that's working out. there are other BTF locations outside of the city that have saunas, walking tracks, pools, etc but i don't feel the need to travel to the suburbs just to use those facilities.

i agree with amspoelstra in that chosing a gym is something you need to figure out for yourself. visit different gyms in your area. when checking out gyms, i went to about 5 other ones and decided that BTF was the best fit for me according to my needs/goals, lifestyle, and $.

OMG.... More power to you. The only exercise I want to being doing at that hour is REM sleep.

i really need to go to the gym,, im looking like a lard a__.
i started doing hand weights last night for my arms, tonite im going to do
situps, i hope i can look good for the summer in my bikini...

And that's about the time I get my best REM, too!! LOL

I've always been intimidated by gyms. (I was raised by a Southern Mom who didn't think that girls should ever sweat-we prespire-much less be involved in sports or anything athletic.) My hubby has bought me a couple of memberships over the years, but I never followed through because I feel silly.

I've recently been going to physical therapy for my neck, though, and while I haven't been on any of the 'big kids' equipment, they have it all at the place where I'm going so I'm hoping it will make me comfortable enough to find a gym.

Has anybody ever had a personal trainer come to their home? I'm wondering if I would be more comfortable until I learned more and got more fit? Or would I be just as intimidated? :questione

I have a membership at Bally's but only usually go once or twice a week to take this kids swimming. Well yesterday I saw this thread and when I woke up this morning I decided that I had all this pent up anger that I went to a kick boxing class. I feel better this morning, and I don't want to go off topic here, but I feel in better spirits and more prepared about what is to come.

Bally's has it's "good clubs" and "bad clubs". I have been to a few that smell like stinky feet and too much chlorine and others that are very up scale. I would check out your local Bally's first and ask for a trial membership before you join so you can see the atmosphere first. JMO.

exactly! that's another benefit of exercising regularly and having an overall, healthy lifestyle. going to the gym can relieve so much stress especially after a difficult/draining day. no matter how beat up and tired i feel after work, running a few miles makes me feel better and actually LESS tired. not only does exercising help you physically, it can do heaps for you emotionally as well. :thumbup:

The place I used to go is called "Healthworks". It is only in Boston area, and it was a best women's gym in the US (in the sports magazine). It was very very nice and I loved it but then I changed my work, so it became kinda far. I also wanted to take some time off until I get a driver license. Then when I was about to restart the membership, they increased the price. It was expensive to start with and my bf was paying it for me, but I started feeling bad. It is 1.5 time or more expensive than Bally's. So I cancelled the membership and have been thinking about joining Bally's. There are two of them fairly close to my house. And the great thing is that some colleagues are members of Bally, so I was hoping that we could go together sometimes.

I am gonna think about it a little bit more.

The 24 hour fitness centers are really popular here in kansas city. They do not have the see and be seen environment of Golds or Balley.

I go to Curves and I love it! 32 pounds so far!!!!

some health insurance plans will cover part of your gym membership if you go a certain amount of times/year. definitely check into that since i know ballys accepts some insurances.

a gym is what you make of it. if you go with the goal of trying to be fit and healthy, you'll get there with dedication and hard work. if others go to the gym in attempts to look cutesy, well then those people are just wasting money, but it's no skin off your back. ;)

i go to crunch which is a subsidiary of bally's and really like it. yes it has a bit of a see and be seen feel to it. but i'm rather oblivious to it. i'm there to work out, and then i wash up and go home. the classes are great, the instructor and trainers are motivating, the equipment is top notch.

i like the fact that some of the equipment is flexible to people of various sizes, not just the average caucasian male and female. for instance, the typical weight machine that exercises your pecs (the butterfly machine) isn't suitable for petite females. even at the "best setting", i still need a booster seat to use it comfortably and be in the right posture.

another thing i like about my gym is the amenities and cleanliness. the cleanliness is definitely what sold me on the place. there is a locker room attendent at all times either sweeping and mopping the floors or washing down the showers and picking up hair from the drains. there's always soap, shampoo, and conditioner in the dispensers. and there are attendents who walk around the facilities and wipe down the equipments should a member forget. there are fresh towels for member use should you forget your own. i've been to other gyms before where i don't even want to go into the locker rooms because they are just so gross.

my only complaint about my gym is that it's pricy. but i also think the price keeps it maintained as well as it is without it being impacted with people all hours of the day.

i would recommend that you visit various gyms in your area and decide what's best for you. good luck! once you get into the routine of exercise, it can be addicting!!

I used to go to Bally's and I really liked it but it was just too far from my house and too crowded. My local Bally's is sooooo stinkin' packed. I suggest you go "check it out" during its peak hours or at least during the time frame that you think you want to go work out because they will probobly make you sign up for a year and you might find that if you have to got between 5 pm-8pm you will really not enjoy it and wish you didnt join. I had to wait my turn just to get on a machine and I am not a patient person and waiting for a machine to open up just killed my desire to work out. Now this was back when I worked 8-5. If you can go during the day its awesome :thumbup:

Bowflex
 

I have a Bowflex Ultimate 2 gym at home in my garage that I work out on 3 times a week. We bought it about 3 months ago, and so far I love it! We live out in the country, so it's easier to have one at the house rather than drive to town just to go to the gym.