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Pricey Cross-Training

While I’ve been forbidden from running, I got a 7-day trial membership to a 24-Hour Fitness near my house so I could ride the bike. The facilities were really nice; good equipment, a lap pool, spin room, basketball courts, variety of fitness classes; I really liked my short time there.

Costco sells memberships for 24-Hour Fitness clubs at $299.99 for a 2-year membership. That’s basically $12.50 per month. AMAZING deal. I was all set to sign up.

On the day my trial ran out, they asked me if I wanted to sign-up right then. I brought up the subject of the Costco membership and they told me that it wouldn’t work at that club. The reason was the club near me was a SUPER Sport club, as opposed to an ALL Sport club. The Costco price was only good at All Sport clubs.

Alright, I can understand that this club has more amenities than the All Sport level, so I could understand paying a little more. So I asked what the fees were. They told me it would be $37.99 a month, for access to only that club. I could pay $42.99 to have access to all 24-Hour Fitness clubs (although there are probably certain clubs that would be off-limits to that one too). These are month-to-month prices, no contract.

I then asked if there is any way they could do some kind of deal if I pay for a certain amount of time upfront, like the 2-year deal I was looking at. They told me I could pay for 2 or 3 years right then, either option would cost $699.

While the 3-year breakdown works out to be about $19 a month, I don’t want to pay $700 flat out right now to have the privilege of riding a stationary bike a couple times a week. I may as well go buy myself a real bike and then continue riding it beyond that 3 year limit.

I canceled my old gym membership because:
a) It wasn’t as convenient to slip out for a workout quickly when it took 15-20 minutes to drive there.
b) I was running on my own and doing yoga on my own, so it seemed kind of expensive for a chance to use weights (I wasn’t riding a bike then)

Do you guys have gym memberships? If not, what do you do for some cross-training?


Posted on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 5:04 pm in Training   |  RSS feed |   Respond   |   Trackback URL

26 Comments to “Pricey Cross-Training”

    
  1. onelittlejill
    November 4, 2009 at 7:27 pm

    I have a gym membership. I belong to an L.A Fitness…before I moved I could run to the gym, workout and run home. Now that I moved, it is 20 minutes away and completely out of my way but I still feel it is worth it because I need the pool to train. I looked around at other gyms, and mine is cleaner and offers more than any around. Fortunately, they are opening one closer to me, that is also on my way to work which makes me even happier I stuck it out.

    At the gym: treadmill on super cold days, spin classes, swimming and lifting

    At home: run outside, bike outside or bike trainer inside, shred DVD

    Btw…I pay $32 and month and would not even consider paying more. I am locked into the price I signed up with, and it is month to month.

    Reply
    • Jill Will Run
      November 5, 2009 at 9:27 am

      Spin class is one of the tempting reasons to join a gym, just because it sounds fun! But from my home I can: run outside, run on treadmill, do yoga, do Shred DVD, lift dumbbells, use resistance bands, stability ball… I really do have a lot of options here, the bike is the only thing missing! Well, and a pool but I’m not much of a swimmer.

      Reply
  2. RunningLaur
    November 4, 2009 at 7:52 pm

    I used to work at a few Gold’s Gyms and was amazed at the people who would pay $79 a month, plus all of the other fees. Then going to college, our student price was something like $25/semester. So now I’m really jaded and won’t join a gym at all – I’d need some great deal like $100 for the year, haha.

    Reply
  3. RunningLaur
    November 4, 2009 at 7:52 pm

    Although I will say that it can be worth taking a job at a gym just for the membership – guilty of that one too!

    Reply
    • Jill Will Run
      November 5, 2009 at 9:18 am

      They had a sign at the gym that said “Now hiring: trainers and membership coordinators”…. I briefly considered it! Very briefly though… I have too much that I’m already doing! :-)

      Reply
  4. cynthia
    November 4, 2009 at 8:51 pm

    I did belong to gold’s gym but found that I was only going when I had an appointment with my trainer, so then I asked if I could drop the membership and still train with him. turns out that I could. (I already pay him through the gym $40 a session for training.) So I have my DVDs, my Wii fit, my cycle on a trainer and then sessions with the trainer, and skipped the gym membership. They didn’t have a pool, so I have to go to the public pool anyway.

    Bottom line gyms are great, if you GO! Personally I would go more if my other 1/2 or a friend was a member with me.

    Reply
  5. Irish Cream
    November 4, 2009 at 9:31 pm

    Sadly, those prices sound like a dream to me! It is tough to find a decent gym for less than $80-$95/month in NYC, if you can believe it.

    If/when I ever have a home larger than a shoebox apartment, though, the first things I am going to buy will be some decent free weights, a treadmill and a road bike. Because honestly, that is pretty much all I ever used my gym for . . . and if I would have had the space to store that stuff, I could have saved a TON of money over the last 5 years. And, as I’m learning at school right now, you are MUCH better off using body weight, free weights, resistance bands, etc. for resistance training than any of the machines in a gym.

    In all honesty, if you are just going to use the gym to bike, I would probably say skip the gym membership and buy yourself a real bike. It will just be too hard to convince yourself to go to the gym “just to bike”, whereas having the bike right there in the garage or whatever will be convenient and simple. Plus, 3 years is a LONG time to be locked into something like that.

    Ha, it’s sad to say, but I tend to be a gym skeptic . . . especially with most of the national chains like 24-Hour Fitness. There’s a reason 80% of people who purchase gym memberships cancel within 6 months; it’s because gyms are designed to sell memberships and make money; not to retain customers and keep them happy, help them get results, etc. Okay, rant over :)

    Reply
    • Jill Will Run
      November 5, 2009 at 9:20 am

      Ouch… remind me to not move to New York!

      But you’re right, it probably would make more sense if I just bought a bike. I already have free weights, my yoga mat and a treadmill at home!

      Reply
  6. Lisa
    November 4, 2009 at 9:43 pm

    I am thinking about a gym membership myself. My husband did the Costco membership for 24-hour Fitness and it really is a good deal. Luckily, the one close to us is an All Sport Club. Honestly, in looking at it the only thing the Super and Ultra sports seem to offer that this one doesn’t have is towel service and beach volleyball. I’ll bring my own towel and if I want to play beach volleyball I will go to the beach.

    I do need to find something for cross training. In S.D. I had my Stroller Strides classes. I can easily work out with my body weight and resistance bands, but I find it hard to motivate myself. At the gym, I can have my kids in the day care and they’ll have fun. I also like the idea of yoga and Pilates classes. I never seem to do them at home. There is also the benefit of the swimming option at the gym. I still think I might want to do a triathlon someday and if so, I need to get serious about swimming. And, God forbid, if I get injured I need a place for alternative exercising.

    Reply
  7. Lo
    November 5, 2009 at 7:52 am

    Hey, Jill -
    I’ve had a gym membership for years and years. Right now I’m paying about $70 a month. Sounds crazy but totally worth it–I can go to any other chain locations during off hours or weekends. I can run there (it’s a mile from my house) in the morning or stop there after work. $70 a month is worth it to me in order to get that cross training action… although I wouldn’t mind spending less! Go for it if you think it’ll make you happy, especially when the weather gets cold!

    Reply
  8. Jimmy G
    November 5, 2009 at 8:35 am

    I have been a member at LVAC for about 3 years now, but I can understand how that location is not convenient for you. I enjoy being able to go to the gym when I want to but I also would not pay the price that 24 Hour Fitness charges. Maybe picking a mountain bike at Walmart would be a good option. While those bikes aren’t good for crazy riding I don’t see you doing enough to hurt one of those bikes.

    Reply
    • Jill Will Run
      November 5, 2009 at 9:25 am

      I was a member of LVAC for 3 years, I canceled last year because it wasn’t convenient and I was working out a lot more on my own than at the gym. I think you’re probably right, I’m not looking to be a competitive biker… just something to cross-train and spin out my legs, keep them looser! :-)

      Reply
      • onelittlejill
        November 5, 2009 at 4:39 pm

        If you were to purchase a cheaper bike (walmart, target etc…nothing fancy) and get a bike trainer (@ $100-125 at a Dicks or Sports Authority) you could work out on a bike inside or outside. It is kinda like a DIY spin class…not the same but close enough.

        Reply
  9. Marci
    November 5, 2009 at 9:58 am

    I’m not a fan of gyms, but that’s mainly because I don’t utilize them to their full potential. If I was into the classes and doing a variety of weights, it all makes sense… but I’m not. It’s all such a huge money-making scheme for the franchises, because most people who sign up never use it.

    For cross-training, I ride my bike (usually on my trainer) or swim at Desert Breeze. For weights, I use dumbbells and resistance bands (that is, when I actually get around to using weights ;) )

    Reply
  10. Rachel
    November 5, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    I belong to Anytime and spend about $35 a month prior to my insurance benefit. However…I can’t wait until the membership is up and I can just invest in equipment on my own.

    Reply
    • Jill Will Run
      November 6, 2009 at 3:35 pm

      They’re opening an Anytime Fitness near me, and there is a Snap Fitness really close. So far they REALLY don’t seem worth the $35 price range when the 24-hour has more amenities for the same price…. if I was going to actually pay that.

      Reply
  11. Lindsay
    November 6, 2009 at 9:38 am

    Boo to the “deal”! Is there an “all” sport club in your area or just the super? I used to be a gym member but am not currently. Traveling so much makes it a little pointless to pay for, and thankfully I haven’t really needed to xt. Though, now in post-marathon mode it’d be nice. Would you become a regular gym mouse or is this just temp? The month-to-month might be cheaper if you were only planning on going for another month or two. Depending on how much you’ll use the gym, a smaller (cheaper) gym might still be sufficient? I know I need to get back in there myself, and am hoping to join the YMCA (probably) when I am home again for good.

    Reply
  12. aron
    November 6, 2009 at 3:21 pm

    i cancelled my gym membership a while ago because i was NEVER using it, i had some free weights at home and a treadmill. then i got a spin bike for a really good price, and now my husband and i added some more weight equipment for a home gym! its the best :)

    Reply
  13. Aka Alice
    November 8, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    I’m a couple of days late here, but I just wanted to add that THIS is exactly the reason I quit 24 hour fitness. I had a membership, then they opened a fitness center nearer to where I lived, but there was alway an upgrade fee to use it, which I paid (this is back when it raised my fee from $6.00 to $12.00 a month. This was after I paid an initiation fee and was told that my fees would never go up (part of the sales pitch)

    Then we moved, and again I wanted to use the fitness center nearest my house, but to do that they wanted ANOTHER upgrade fee (which I again paid, even though I was pretty irritated about it).

    Thing was, I was so irritated about paying the upgrade fee, that I stopped going, so…I finally just quit.

    In other words, I don’t believe that even the “super-duper-ultra-sports-club” will be the last upgrade fee you would ever be asked to pay.

    Now I have a treadmill and various weights and resistance bands and when I cross train I do so at home. I’d like to add a spin bike to the collection though too.

    Reply
  14. tgorourke
    November 8, 2009 at 5:35 pm

    I’ve got a gym membership but it’s with a no-frills gym called Planet Fitness. I think they’ve basically been buying up a lot of the World Gyms around here and buying up their equipment. They don’t have pools and classes, but all I really want it for is the occasional treadmill run when I can’t make track practice, and to ride the bike, or use the weights. It’s only $10 per month, which is great for me. Plus, their hours are great – mine opens at 4:30 and stays open until 10 p.m. most nights during the week, and then it’s 7 to 7 on weekends. Much better than most other gyms around here.

    That did sound like a lot of money the way they put it with what you needed to pay to sign up. Have you talked to Chris about his experiences with anytime fitness?

    Reply
    

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