Is 24-Hour Fitness Worth the Price?

I received a free seven day pass to 24-Hour Fitness and decided to try it out this morning.  I went in and the receptionist told me that there was no one available to assist me.  I asked her what time someone was scheduled to come in and she said 8:00.  It was 8:30.  So she told me to just go ahead and work out.  When I was finished at 9:45, there was still no one there to talk to me about the gym.

I did some spinning and a few miles on the treadmill.  I went upstairs and tried out a few of the weight lifting machines.  However, because I wasn't familiar with them I felt very awkward. 

So here is my dilemma.  I have a treadmill, free weights and a power house (similar to a Nautilus) at home.  To date I have lost 57 pounds working out everyday.  I run at least 3 miles everyday on the treadmill and do weight training twice a week.  The only real benefit I see to joining would be the fitness classes.  Perhaps spinning or aerobics. 

Are you a member?  If so, is there any compelling reasons to give up my home gym for the real thing?  I would be interested in all responses.  Thanks!

The only advantage I see is the variety of equipment and classes. If you tend to get bored with your home workouts (like I did) then a gym might be a good change of pace. Also, have you tried doing workout videos at home? Those always helped me change it up a bit too.

I wouldn't waste the money.

I would love to have gym equiptment in my home, and as long as you stick to the exercises you've been doing, you should be fine.

There are also classes available that may be near you, like maybe at the YMCA?

Workout videos are also lots of fun.. Taebo is my favorite!

I joined because I got a 3 year membership for $599 and a second person for $399.  My coworker and I splite the cost for $498 each.  After the 3rd year it's $49 per year to renew.  For the hot tub and the showers alone it's worth it, plus if I'm traveling there's frequently a facility nearby.  The deal I got was unusual and it took a bit of wrangling with the membership guy (as in I was ready to walk out because the initial offer wasn't worth it to me).  I can also go to the classes if I want to.

I really liked it. Although mine has expired and I can't afford to renew it, for me it was great because I often worked out when a lot of places were closed. Not to mention I could do laps in the pool. I have a dog now so I feel ok walking on my own at night because I know if anything happened he'd run and get help (we've tested it. If we act like we faint he finds somebody! Its awesome!). Its really fun having all the machines available too.

It is a personal preference though. I don't regret having gotten it for a second.

not worth it unless you need other people around for motivation.

I workout at home and totally appreciate the fact that:

1. I don't have to "get ready" to be presentable in front of others... Weekend mornings I can go down the stairs and workout and THEN shower, etc.
2. I don't have to wait to use the equipment I need, like I hear others complain about this time of year.
3. I can climb the stairs and have my post workout shake.
4. I don't have to waste time driving there and back.

I agree with others that have said to get some DVDs.  I would also recommend getting a good lifting program to use your free weights with.  Something like The New Rules of Lifting for Women (book & also there is a group on this website) or other pre-written program.   It is hard to know which exercises to do to keep it all balanced... front/back, etc.

If you're only interested in fitness classes, why not look somewhere else? There are several locations in my area...the community college put on by the county, The Community House with many types of classes, The city center which also has a pool. Any place that would send you those enrichment class catalogs, probably also has fitness classes.

If you're looking at gyms, why not go to a YMCA? Their hours are different of course; Mine closes at like 5 on the weekends which I thought was odd. There's also smaller gyms that maybe just have one or two instructors...take a look in your newspaper, I see the ads in the womens interest section.

Maybe you could do a trial and see if you like it.

i think the best thing about my gym is I look forward to it because of the people and getting out of the house. Plus with all of the classes, the pool, the hot tub the saunas, etc its hard to get bored! but i go to the YMCA so its cheaper than most gyms and they're runnin a special right now. First 6 months for 20 bucks a month. then it goes up to 33. still pretty cheap but its not a 24 hour gym. thats my 2 cents. :)

I wouldn't join a gym where there weren't people on time to help me out. Will classes even run on time? Or do they really care that little about their clients?

Besides, sounds like you have the right stuff at your place anyway. I like gyms because they motivate me by making me compete and feel bad in front of other people if I do poorly. But you if don't need that, I don't see any reason to have to leave your home for an unattentive gym.

If you really want to join a gym, join one with employees who actually care.

If you are only interested in fitness classes, check out your local community college! Mine offers PE classes like pilates, yoga, cardio kickboxing, weight training, etc., and the cost is only around $30 for a whole semester.

Edit: I just read the other responses, so -- what trendstudent said!

If you have all that equipment at home I would say it might not be worth it. But there is a deal through Costco right now where you pay for 2 years of membership for $299 and you can go to any club except super and ultra clubs. That comes to about $12.50 a month - a really good deal even if you were just going for group classes. I like the yoga and pilates ones.

Original Post by anner2:

If you have all that equipment at home I would say it might not be worth it. But there is a deal through Costco right now where you pay for 2 years of membership for $299 and you can go to any club except super and ultra clubs. That comes to about $12.50 a month - a really good deal even if you were just going for group classes. I like the yoga and pilates ones.

Still try for the deal I got if you can afford it.  The $49/year renewal fee makes it very worthwhile.