What's The Best Gym Near Me?

Finding a fitness center that suits your needs can definitely impact your overall fitness journey. Here are some tips to help you find a good gym near you.

First you want to define what your goals are. Determining what you want to achieve for example, are you trying to lose weight, build, muscle, improve, cardio, or flexibility.
Also, what amenities or services do you find important? Are you looking for personal training staff or group classes? Are you looking for a swimming pool or basketball courts?  Free weights or cardio machines? Not all gyms are the same just like not all fitness journeys are the same. What makes a good gym?

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Location, location, location! Find a gym that’s conveniently located to where you live or work. A fitness center close to your house or job is going to increase the likelihood of you actually utilizing it. How far are you willing to travel in one direction just to go work out?Visit the gym prior and take a tour.  Go in person and take a look at how clean the gym is the condition of the equipment and the overall atmosphere of the fitness center. Pay attention to things like their hours of operation to make sure that they align with your schedule. It doesn’t make much sense to sign up for a gym that’s going to be closed, when you plan to work out  Check out the equipment in the Gym. Make sure that the gym has the equipment you want/need for the type of workouts you are trying to do.  Are you more interested in free weights, machines, or plyometrics/resistance tools like bands, kettlebells, platforms for box jumps etc… it’s one thing to be limited when you are on vacation and go to a hotel gym, which may only have a few pieces of equipment but if you’re going to sign up and pay for a fitness center, make sure it has what you want and need.Gym staff that’s both competent and qualified.   Ask about the staff, their certifications and qualifications. What kind of trainers do they have on call. A staff that’s both knowledgeable and well-trained can provide guidance and support and help you exceeded your fitness goals.

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Cleanliness, hygiene, and maintenance. A gym that is clean and in good operating condition is essential for a safe and healthy workout environment. If the equipment is not well-maintained, what’s the point if it’s not safe to use. Also, if the equipment is not clean, you run the possible risk of getting sick or developing a rash or skin condition.

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Financial considerations, membership contracts and costs.Understand the different tiers of membership options, including prices, hidden fees, and length of contract. Some gyms may have cancellation fees, sign-up fees, or other unknown costs, which may exceed someone’s budget.  There also may be a specific requirement for the length of the contract terms.  Make sure you fully understand these before you actually sign up.

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Parking and accessibility.  Make sure before you sign up that there won’t be any issues with parking or otherwise getting to the gym. In some cities, there may be limited street parking or you may have to pay additionally to park in a garage or parking lot.  Is there public transportation readily available? Is the gym handicap accessible? These are things you want to know before you go as they may cost more money than anticipated.Do they offer a trial? Sometimes you may walk into a gym during all hours and think to yourself what a great place but then, when you start going, it may be overly crowded, loud or just not right for you. Take advantage of any trial periods that a gym may offer to see whether or not it’s actually a good fit. Remember all that glitters is not gold so the only way to see if a gym is going to be right for you to actually try it out for yourself.Understanding the Gym’s culture and community is extremely important as well. Some places may be more social, while others may be more focused on “professional fitness”. If you’re looking for a laid-back atmosphere, you may not want to go to a gym that is home to professional and amateur bodybuilders that are therefore a different type of workout than what you may be trying to accomplish.

Check out reviews, and recommendations. Read the online reviews from places like Google, yelp, Facebook, nextdoor.com, etc… Ask family and friends where they go and determine if that gym is a good fit from firsthand accounts of the people that go there.

Recently Good Housekeeping created a poll and came up with their list of Top Gym memberships based on some specific categories. Here are their top picks from their website:

• Best Overall Gym Membership: LA Fitness
• Best Value Gym Membership: Planet Fitness
• Best Gym Membership for Beginners: Crunch
• Best Gym Membership for Travelers: Anytime Fitness
• Best Luxury Gym Membership: Equinox
• Best Gym Membership for Variety: Life Time Fitness
• Best Gym Membership for Lifting: Gold's Gym
• Best Boutique Membership: Orangetheory Fitness

Sports Illustrated had a similar poll on Best Gyms and rated Orangetheory as the best overall gym, however these polls should be taken with some skepticism due to the fact that people all have different needs and goals which may make one gym perfect for one person yet a nightmare for another.For those who are serious about making a positive lifestyle change and improvement to their overall health and quality of life, there are medical interventions which may be of interest. Exercise and diet are of paramount importance in improving and maintaining health but also understanding hormonal balance is another key factor. As men and women age, their body begins to change. Men begins to lose testosterone, and as women enter perimenopause and menopause their hormones fluctuate. For both men and women, the sub, optimized, hormone levels can cause, decreased muscle, unwanted, fat, decreased motivation, and fatigue. When making a conscientious effort to improve one’s overall health, hormone replacement, therapy may be an excellent option to increase the results and improve overall health for someone trying to make positive overall lifestyle changes. Whether TRT for men or Hormone Replacement therapy for women, getting an understanding of one’s health should be taken into consideration before starting any exercise regimen.

Testosterone replacement therapy, or HRT, for both men and women can potentially improve gym performance in individuals. Here’s how.

Testosterone is a hormone that promotes muscle growth. Higher optimized testosterone levels can lead to increase muscle protein synthesis which allows for greater muscle gains, when combined with strength and resistance training.

Low testosterone has been shown to lead to fatigue and decrease motivation. TRT may help increase energy and motivation, making it easier to continue and stick with a fitness regimen.

Faster increased recovery. Optimize, hormones, and testosterone can help in repairing and regenerating muscle tissue potentially lowering, and reducing recovery time in between workouts and minimizing the risks of overtraining.

Reduction of unwanted fat. Testosterone can help lower body fat levels by improving one’s metabolic rate and helping to burn fat, leading to a leaner physique.

It’s important to state that testosterone replacement therapy and bio identical hormone replacement. Therapy is prescribed for individuals with clinically low, testosterone levels or hypogonadism, which needs to be diagnosed by a licensed healthcare provider. Using it without medical need can have potential adverse side effects and risks so it’s important to consult with the doctor before considering such treatments. Also the effectiveness of TRT convey from one person to the neck so it’s equally important to monitor your protocol.  For those who are under the care of a licensed physician who is experienced in HRT, the overall improvements in health and wellness can be life changing.

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