Preface: When I sat down to write this article I wanted it to be a quick list/guide to picking out a gym. I didn’t expect it to morph into something this large. For that, I am going to break this into a three part series. There are 5 major items I think you should look at when choosing a gym. I’m sure I have more than that, but for now, these are the ones most important to me. I am going to break them into three parts. Items 1 and 2 will go over components you can look at OUTSIDE the gym. Parts 3 and 4 are components you will likely need to evaluate INSIDE the gym. And part 5 is a culmination of them all. So here we go part 1 of 3 on how to choose the right gym.

I talked to a lot of people about fitness. Many of them know I own a gym and want my input on some topic they’ve read about, or what they should eat, or how they should train, etc. Many of those conversations happen with friends or family who will never become customers of mine. They just want information and I give it to them.

One topic that occasionally comes up is how to choose a gym. Now this is a topic I really nerd out on. I probably go too far down the rabbit hole for most of them. But the truth is, my number one job anymore is to create a great gym for my customers. One that will evolve and always improve with the times.

I also nerd out on this because I spend countless hours thinking about all the things our gym could do better. We do a lot of things really well, but we can always improve.

So, I thought maybe I’ll just write a quick (hopefully) list of what I believe you should look for when choosing a gym. These may or may not be in order of importance.

Location: Studies show that one of the biggest roadblocks people experience when getting to the gym is its proximity to the attendee’s house, work, commute. If you want to be successful getting to the gym, it has to be in a good location that is either to or from work, close to work or close to home. If it’s inconvenient to get to, you’re not going to go.

Website/Social Media: I am floored by how many gyms can gain new clients and survive with such bad (or non-existent) web presence. I guess it’s just because we work so hard at it. The first thing I do when a friend or relative asks me about a gym is go to their website and look them up on social media. I can tell right there if it’s a legitimate business or if they’re still treating their gym like a hobby.

Website:

Do they have a clear and concise way to sign up or get started? This could be a sign up now button where you might be able to purchase a program right there or a form to fill out to be contacted for an appointment. We have the latter because we sit down with each individual first to help them make the best decision for their fitness, even if it’s not with us.

Do they have pages like schedule, success stories or testimonials, a page discussing their services and offerings, a coach page introducing their staff? Do they have an up-to-date blog with articles like this one?

Do they have reviews available for you to read?

Social:

When is the last time they posted on social media? Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…look at the channels you are most connected to. Are they consistent or are they spotty?

Are their posts well rounded with a majority spotlighting members, training techniques or movement overviews, nutrition tips, and upcoming events? Or are they pics and videos of the coaches training?

In part 2 we will discuss the next two markers I feel you should evaluate when looking for a gym. Coaching and Cleanliness.

See ya next time, Coach Josh