For a long time, large scale chain gyms ruled the roost and everybody knew the names “Fitness First, Goodlife, Jetts etc” and whilst those facilities are still very popular today, there is a recent rise in small boutiques and with good reason. The Perth fitness scene has exploded within the last 10 years and as a professional within the industry, I have loved seeing the evolution of training style and effort people are willing to put into their routine. What I’d like to touch on with this post is the WHY behind this movement and how you can equip yourself today with the best chance of success tomorrow.
What does it come down to?
To me, it’s a sense of belonging and community that a small boutique facility can offer that sets them apart. You can be a member of their family and not just a member on their data base. You can have watchful eyes and friendly faces surrounding you throughout your session and you can have members who actually want to encourage you and watch you do your best each and every session. Compare this to a large scale gym that might not even know your name, might have everyone around you with their headphones in and probably doesn’t have staff available to help you out when you need. Sure, the price is less, the equipment is more varied and the floor space is larger, but how much satisfaction can you achieve by going about your journey in isolation?
Let me throw out my top 5 things to look for when joining a gym and ensuring you actually remain a member who is getting results:
1) The staff greet you with a smile and offer a hand at no extra charge.
Often, to get assistance or even a program from the gym you have just joined, you will be required to hire a trainer at additional costs. If you don’t, the staff will either hassle you about doing so or they will ignore you, no matter how much help it looks like you need. Compare this to a boutique facility which usually includes supervision and programming at a fraction of the cost of a 1 on 1 session.
2) There are small group classes available to complete your sessions.
Specialised classes where you can book in and get all the help you need with your workouts, ensuring you can get the most out of them and remain on track. Often larger gyms only offer group fitness classes and there is no help for you in the weights room.
3) The gym does something social with its members.
This can be anything from an organised weekend boot camp style session, a lunch after a morning class or a night out somewhere on the weekend. Gathering that family atmosphere and taking it outside of the gym walls allows for greater bonds to occur and for you to get to know your fellow gym mates outside of their sweaty workout gear.
4) Your screening results are used to create your programs, and you are held accountable with future assessments.
Funnily enough, whilst results are at the forefront of any gym members mind, unless you have hired a PT to look after you; you won’t get any extra help along the way. Compare this to a gym where you are paying for this service within your membership package and you will soon find yourself loving your testing days and enjoying the thought of a new, more progressive program.
5) No matter who it is, somebody will hold you accountable.
Any boutique gym will be filled with people who end up really getting to know you. These people will ask you when you are coming to training next, how your weekend was, basically anything that a friend would say. The staff and members become your friends and look forward to seeing you, so you have no excuse to skip a session and you will always feel motivated upon your return from holiday etc.
With this in mind, you need to make the choice that suits you best. What you can afford and who is going to take the best care of you. As somebody who has been a member of a number of different gyms, it wasn’t until I started working at Athletic Institute that I realised just what a gym can be. Choose wisely and aim to spend that little bit more per week in order to achieve the things you have always wanted.