Gym dandy

Alexandra MacQueen easily lifts 40,000 to 50,000 pounds per week. She calls it her “completely average mid-40s female who loves weight-lifting” routine. Not even a torn knee ligament prevented this working mom from working out. Alexandra is dedicated—which is the attitude most of us started out the new year with. If only that would last. Statistics show that 75% of us who join a gym end up going a grand total of six times. If the average annual gym membership is roughly $500, that equates to $83 per work out.

If you want to do better (and waste a lot less money), try these strategies for getting good value out of your gym in 2011:

Location, location, location
Most of us are enticed into joining a new gym because of a low, advertised price. Don’t be. The most important factor when selecting a gym is its proximity to your home or office. Too many people pick a gym that requires too much travel. Even a 20-minute bus or car ride can make or break your motivation—particularly when you add in the realities of weekly schedule constraints and bad driving weather. Fitness professionals strongly recommend joining a gym no more than 10 minutes (walk or drive) from either your home or office.

Bells and whistles
Some facilities are bare bones, offering only an exercise room, while others have showers, towel service, trainers, juice bars and even spa facilities. But added perks cost extra, and these costs aren’t always charged on a per-usage basis. Facilities with extras will often charge higher monthly or yearly membership fees, even if you don’t use the services. So, be sure that you join a gym with services that you’ll actually use.

The fine print
According to a Consumers Report survey, 38% of people who cancelled a membership at a large gym franchise encountered some sort of problem when it came to payments. The usual issue was that the gym kept charging the monthly membership fees to a credit card or chequing account, even after the membership was cancelled. In some recently reported cases, members lost thousands of dollars. To keep that from happening to you, it pays to ask a lot of questions before you hand over your credit card.

Your first question, of course, should be about their cancellation policy. How much notice do you have to give to cancel? Does it have to be in writing? Some health clubs make it easy for you to cancel your membership if you move, while others require you to pay for the full contract term. Also find out whether you can transfer your membership to another person if it doesn’t work out. In either situation, find out what processing costs are involved, if any.

Finally, ask how contracts are handled: when does the club raise fees and what are your options if fees do rise? And who owns your contract? Some gyms sell their membership contracts to finance companies—and these companies are then responsible for collecting funds or processing refunds and cancellations. This third-party transfer could impact your ability to get a refund or cancel your membership before the contract expiry date.

Selecting a gym is a very personal decision and different people need different equipment, programs and services. To make sure you find the right fit for your lifestyle, start with the table below and on the next page. It contains an overview of the pros and cons of the three major categories of gyms.