How to Avoid the Crowd at the Gym
So you’ve found a new gym, and I dare say it’s beautiful . There is new equipment, immaculate changing rooms, and an actual space to stretch out without bumping into the elevator next to you. But of course there is always a catch.
Despite all these incentives to sign up, there is one thing that no gym membership seller admits to: the gym in question is a practical moshpita most of the time during the day. Instead of going from one squat rack to a bench, you silently line up for each piece of equipment and hop on top of it before others can pick up their bet. This is the state of many networked gyms in America; If you’re lucky, your gym may be the exception, but if your options are limited, you may have to endure the crowd. Below are our tips on how to avoid people in the gym because you deserve to be alone.
Go off-peak hours
If you want to avoid crowds as much as possible, you should avoid the hours before and after the normal 9-5 business hours. Typically, people just want to get their workouts more s, that is, they hit the gym directly from or from the office. Obviously, this also means that you have to stick to a relatively early or late training regimen. (I did both – for two years I was in the gym as early as 6 am. Now I start my workouts around 8 pm, which is, yes, late, but I can really train faster when I don’t. If you don’t sure what time in your gym can be the quietest, usually the hours when it opens and before it closes are good indicators, assuming that you do not belong to a 24-hour gym.
As for the weekend, again, it will depend. From experience, each of the four gyms I went to over the years was the busiest between 10 am and 1 pm. After that, the crowd was usually filtered out. If you’re ever in doubt, it doesn’t hurt to call the gym and ask about the crowd before you arrive. You may find that if you search your gym on the Internet using Google, it can predict “popular times” at your gym so you can plan your visit in the crowd.
Sign up for classes
If you want to ensure you get a workout and are ready to go through a small group session, just sign up for a group session. They can block an entire room, cardio equipment, or other equipment just for your class. Again, this is essentially a choice for a group of people, so if small talk isn’t for you, you might not like this option. If not, exercising is a great way to make sure you don’t get delayed by a row of full-time elliptical machines.
Go to lunch break
Usually, you may or may not be spending your lunch break at your table, browsing Reddit in between snacks. If you’re willing to give up even a fraction of that hour, you can use that time for a quick workout. The same rule applies here as above; you may find that your gym is empty during real business hours, which means lunchtime can be a good hour for empty squat racks. (In fact, from experience, the only people who go to the gym at this hour are usually a few of the gym goers with their trainers.)
Of course, there are a few things to consider. Given that you may only have an hour, this could include tightening up your routine, determining the distance from your office to the gym, and the time spent showering (assuming you do and absolutely need to). If you can do an adequate workout during lunch, then by all means.
Go on rainy days
If you live in a place with a lot of snow and rain, then there is one positive thing about winter: in bad weather, your gym can be the most empty. No one wants to go out in the cold when the road there requires protection from heavy rain. If you see bad weather on the horizon, consider this your own time to train without the fear of the guy grabbing a squat rack for an hour to bend.
Don’t walk at the beginning of the hour
My gym, like many others, is filled with coaches and their clients at any time of the day. A few months ago, a fairly obvious pattern emerged; most trainers would train for hours a day and start each session shortly before the hour (or in 15 minute increments). In other words, instead of having to come to the gym at 12:00 on Saturday, I arrived at 11:45 or 12:15, knowing that either just ahead of the coach at the front squat, or just as they had finished with it … … Use this tiny trick to your advantage. Again, this will depend on your gym and clients, but this has worked wonders for me in the past.
Before registering
Before a gym tempts you to sign up with its promotional offers, always check any reviews for that gym at places like Yelp. Pay attention to any mention of the crowd and users complaining about the need for equipment sharing (Equipment sharing happens! But this becomes an issue when multiple users mention long wait times). When you visit the gym for an excursion, be sure to come during peak hours so that you can better understand the crowds. And, as I’ve learned, always try to avoid gyms that have ongoing promotions to attract new members; this generally means that they will offer guests entry all year round, so your gym will never be empty when new people arrive every day.