Why pay for gym membership?

Many people who sign up for monthly memberships do so because they fully expect to be going regularly. They also usually sign on when they're running an annual membership promo....so if they sign up for a monthly contract, they get a discount. That's how they tend to get sucked in.

So yes, logically if they know in advance that they're only going to attend a couple times in a month, then paying as they go would be better.

 

Things happen in all our lives, so paying for a membership and then failing to go at the gym, because things came up, it's normal. With that being said, I'm against paying for longer membership time, like half a year in advance. Half a year is a lot of time and it's like you're asking for that money to go to waste! When I went to the gym I used to pay on a monthly basis since I didn't risk loosing too much money if I failed to attend. And it's not like paying for a longer time saved me much cash, the discount was negligible.

 

I had a gym membership for $15 a whole year through my job. I never went once! I just got it because it was cheap and I wanted to go but I just was never motivated to. lol. I wish I had it now because my overweight self needs it.

 

I don't mind paying for a month long membership. The expense is usually not that excessive and I had better be able to commit to a month or I deserve to be out the money. If an injury takes me off track, so be it. Many private gym memberships are longer term and I will not use their facilities. I can manage a month but I wouldn't want to be locked in for a full year or more. Paying for a membership for me is an incentive to use the gym so paying as I go would probably equate to not going. My preference for outdoor activities also makes the gym a winter season place so a full year membership is not for me.

 

When my husband and I first got married, the first "subscription" we bought was our gym membership, and it was only $10 a month per person. For us, it was a pre-paid social thing as much as anything else. It got us out of our apartment, helped us meet people in our town, and gave us something to do when we were bored but couldn't afford a date... haha.

Ten years later, it is still part of our lives. We've moved three times and now we belong to the YMCA because we have 4 children and the Y is BY FAR the cheapest option.

My husband goes once a week - but I use the gym multiple times a week because there's free childcare. Some days I go in with coffee and a book and just sit in the lobby and log some me-time. Best investment I've ever made......

 

I haven't had a gym membership for over a year and I'm fine with that. I do all my workouts in the local park. In the past I would have periods where I would not fully optimize the use of the membership and get a bit annoyed with myself. For the moment at least I'm happy to not be tied down to any kind of contract.

 

A lot of people buy gym memberships because they believe they will be motivated to go daily or a certain time a week. The thing is, motivation is fickle and unreliable. Discipline is what you need, discipline is what keeps you going.

 

Where is it that one can pay as they go? I guess I would need to do a bit of research on this, because every time that I've joined a gym (about 5 times so far), I don't recall there being just a pay as you go option. I've always had to pay at least a couple of months in advance I think. Hell, I don't know, because I've only gone to one of them long enough to find out, and that was years ago.
Like someone here just wrote, it takes discipline to go to the gym. What I wouldn't give for a treadmill in my house!

 

For me, I would not be able to workout and exercise without a gym membership. Anytime I try and workout at home, I just get distracted and end up having a weak 5-10 minute workout. For me, I need the whole process of getting away from the distractions at home, and portioning an hour of my day just to working and exercising. When I'm in that mind-set, I'm more focused on the workout and thus use my time better at the gym.

For some people though, they might be able to workout just fine and a gym membership isn't worth it for them. But others (like me) need that process of getting away from home just to focus on working out.

 

I think getting a longer gym membership is rather a motivator for you to keep going to gym and to keep working out, because if you stop going after short amount you would feel like you are wasting your money. The pay as you go in my experience is really not a good idea if you really want to build up a regular routine for working out and improving your fitness, but perhaps it works better for some people,

 

Most gyms offer pay as you go memberships, so I don't see what the issue is here. A smart person would get a membership in advance if they know they're going to go often. Others will opt for the pay as you go option instead. It's as simple as that.

 

I purchased a $30 a month membership last year with the full intention of using the gym, I walked into a guard rail that really put me out of commission for months barely able to walk and could not use the membership at the gym. It was really a waste of money for me.

 

Free childcare at the gym sounds fantastic! Just getting some me-time with a book is probably just as beneficial to your health as working out.

 

Many places do offer pay as you go because of the bad reputation of gym contracts. Here in the UK some places have been reprimanded due to the restrictive clauses and got bad press by watchdog bodies.

I used to always get the free trial sessions and then try different gyms. People could also sell their gym memberships, but as people move around so much, it's not worth it unless you are training for something or go regularly for classes.

 

I think so.

I used to try to "look" like I was going to work out for fear that perhaps someone would otherwise say something. But I've discovered it truly does not matter. I've made friends with all the childcare staff (who love my kids so that is nice) and I'm completely honest now about where I'll be and what I'll be doing.

I always profusely thank them and emphasize just how much better my life is because of their love for my kids. It is a YMCA - which, to me, is just as much family/community oriented as it is "health/gym" oriented. I dare them to try to say what I'm doing isn't okay. Haha.

 

I go to a gym with the sole intention of building muscles and to get self-gratified, lol. I'm guilty of skipping gym sessions too. Seems to be a universal phenomenon. The health benefits of building up lean muscle motivate me though to go to gym regularly. I', however, don't go to gym in summer and hot days.

 

Unless you don't have the space for the weight equipment you need, there is no reason for a gym membership for most people. You can walk, run or bike outside for free, and those are the best exercises for most people. For those who need to swim or do extensive weight training for their sports activities, a gym membership makes sense.

 

Hey, I agree it is much better and cost efficient if you pay as you go. The only problem for me is the pay as you go gyms are not close to my house. Then I would have to go drive 30 minutes just to go these gyms and really would waste my time and probably excess money on gas. When you pay as you go do you month to month or day to day? I have never seen day to day memberships. Have you? If so can you please let me know what gyms participate in these types of memberships. Thanks!

 

I have an annual pay as you go gym pass which I can use at anytime throughout the year. That makes me feel better because I haven't gone to the gym since the beginning of April, and I'm not technically losing money in the process. I'll just have to make sure that I go extra hard during the rest of the year.