Is a $10 Gym Membership Really Worth It?
There are many ways to start a workout, and as we have already noted , it is not always worth going into details. But does it matter which gym you go to? Gyms with squat racks and barbells give you plenty of opportunities to build strength, but it’s rare to find a gym at a very low price. Meanwhile, boutique fitness studios, CrossFit boxing and yoga studios tend to be ridiculously expensive. What are you really sacrificing by choosing something like Crunch or 24 Hour Fitness?
You won’t get fancy extras, but you probably don’t need them.
If you buy a gym membership without equipment, you can access the equipment during certain hours and nothing else. If that’s all you need, you’re good to go.
Fancy gyms and upgraded memberships to cheaper gyms will include more perks. These may include towels and laundry services, 24-hour access to the gym, access to multiple chain locations, the ability to bring a guest, admission to group classes, free personal trainer classes or a sauna. or use of the pool. Expensive gyms may also have fancier equipment. If there is anything specific that is important to you, be sure to ask about it before signing up for a membership.
But if the main reason you go to the gym is to lift weights or work out on a machine, you can do without the rest. It’s not the end of the world if you have to bring your own towel, or even if you have to shower at home because you’ve chosen a place so basic that it doesn’t have real changing rooms. I trained in a similar gym for years, and everything was fine with me. You can too.
Barbells aren’t everything
As someone who trains mostly with barbells, I understand the urge to ridicule a place that doesn’t have one. Longtime readers may recall that I put together an exercise program for our senior editor and nutrition department, Claire Lower , when she needed to get stronger in order to hunt elk with a bow. Her gym at the time was called Planet Fitness. Ugh, I thought. But she had already joined, so that’s what we had to work with.
What was available? Cardio machines, weight machines, rope machines, Smith machines (the ones that look like a squat rack, except with the barbell permanently attached) and a ton of dumbbells. Yes , I thought, we can work with this . This choice is pretty typical for cheap gyms; you can also find several weights, expanders and other items.
Here’s the good news: it’s okay. If your goal is to get stronger and/or healthier, you can do it with this equipment. You don’t need barbells. Now, if your goal is to compete in a sport like powerlifting, or if you want to use a barbell because you just think it looks cool, then yes, you need to find a gym that has it. . Otherwise, you can stay where you are.
Machines can make you stronger
Cheap gyms tend to have machines instead of barbells because it’s much easier for beginners to walk up to a machine and figure out how to use it without hurting themselves. It’s also easier for the gym staff to keep them clean: no need to chase plates and collars that end up strewn all over the room.
May these things be of benefit to you. You can understand cars just by looking at pictures of them, and if you’re really puzzled, you can watch them on YouTube. (If you’re interested, we’ve also put together how-to videos for the top 10 most common machines .) It’s perfectly fine and normal to do a workout using machines to the full without any free weights.
Smith machines in particular get a bad rap from people who don’t know how to use them properly. If you try to squat in Smith’s car as if it were a squat rack, you will feel extremely uncomfortable. But if you know that you need to put your feet in front of the bar and lean back on it, you will be able to kick with ease and efficiency. There is a similar trick with Smith’s bench press. You can read our guide to Smith machines here .
Don’t sleep on dumbbells
Another important feature of cheap gyms is that they tend to have a good selection of dumbbells. If you are very large and strong, you may find that the dumbbells are not heavy enough; they can reach a maximum of 75 or 100 pounds each. If you are a big person and have become very strong, you may outgrow the equipment your small gym has to offer. But if you are a beginner or just a small person, you may be happy with this choice for a long time.
There are many exercises you can do with dumbbells, and yes, there are dumbbell-only workout programs . In addition to the obvious presses, curls, and rows, you can also do dumbbell lunges, stair climbs, Romanian deadlifts, and more. Lifting a pair of dumbbells is generally more difficult than lifting a barbell of the same weight, so don’t let the numbers fool you.
Follow the pricing structure
Because cheap gyms are so cheap, they often generate income from places other than the $10 (or whatever) monthly fee. There may be additional membership levels or additional services that provide perks not found in the basic membership, so be prepared to resist reselling.
They may also try to lure you into a personal training contract. While paying for personal training is great, if you enjoy it, read the fine print in your contract and make sure you have reasonable cancellation options if it doesn’t work out.
And don’t forget about hidden fees. Some gyms charge an entry fee or an annual renewal fee. But if you appreciate everything and feel that your money is worth it, enjoy! Even a basic membership will give you a lot of work opportunities.