What do you want from a gym?

1. Cleanliness (my current, well known, gym is so filthy all the time that I've written to the head office, as complaining to the staff has proved useless).

2. Non patronising staff who know what they're talking about and keep an eye on updating your program.

3. Have a limit on membership numbers - overcrowding, particularly in January, is incredibly frustrating and offputting to regular gym users.

4. Plenty of free weights.

5. Hairdryers with nozzles in the changing room and extra sockets so people can use hair straighteners.
 
I agree with most of cahir's suggestions.

1. Staff present (or coming and going) in the gym area all the time (my current gym doesn't have this and I'm amazed).

2. Plenty of machines of good quality - no rickety treadmills. As much space as possible. I hate feeling claustrophobic in a small and packed gym.

3. Proper air conditioning.

4. Decent/power showers not on a timer. Space in the changing areas with plenty of (lockable) lockers.

5. Proper sized swimming pool - definitely nothing shorter than 20 metres.

6. No kids in pool after 7

7. Regular classes in the evenings and/or mornings.

Good luck with it!!
Rebecca
 
one thing that annoys me about my gym is the music they would have the radio on with people chatting and i feel there is no motivation.
 
PINK said:
one thing that annoys me about my gym is the music they would have the radio on with people chatting and i feel there is no motivation.
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That's another thing I should have added - Not everyone likes dance music so please don't play it all the time. Maybe add in a bit of rock/alternative. One of my old gyms played the radio all the time and I preferred this to the rubbish in my current gym - Thank God for my Ipod (and occassionally the tvs).
 
1: Plenty of seating space in the changing rooms
2: Clean showers
3: A security guard in the parking area to keep an eye on the cars
4: Decent threadmills that dont wobble or "jerk" when you run
5: A few TV screens around the walls
6: A weighing scales left out for people to use
7: A water dispenser\tap
8: If it has a pool then mark each lane as "Fast", "Slow" etc, its annoying trying to swim free style when theres slower breast stroke swimmers ahead of you.
9: Proper secure entry barrier at main desk, in a previous GYM it was too open and easy for a few feckers to just walk into the changing rooms and steal stuff.
10: Would be nice to get a free lock as part of your memebership
 
Isn't the music picked because of beats per minute. In my old gym they would only play music with whatever the optimum beats per minute for working out was, which was fair enough because I definitely worked a bit harder and kept in time with the music. It did all tend to be dance music which I usually detest but can live with in a gym.

Anything is better than no music when you can hear all the huffing and puffing!!

Rebecca
 
Me too and don't forget benches to use with the free weights.

And if mats, ab rollers, weights etc get worn and tired looking they should be replaced.

Rebecca
 
When selecting a gym, ensure that there have regular classes, such as Spinning, Tai Bo, Circuit training etc.
You might not think you would use these, but attend and you will reap the benefits.

Would also recommend you invest in an iPod or some other MP3 player
 
Aside from the actual setup of the gym itself, if you are thinking of opening your own one thing I would strongly recommend is an open pricing policy (as Ben Dunne has for Westpoint) as this is one pet hate I have for a lot of gyms where the price is never openly displayed and seems to be down to how good your negotiating skills are!
 
I always use free weights for my upper body but there's not enough at my gym unfortunately. I only really use the weight machine things for my legs.

I find that I exercise better when I listen to music I like. The music played in my gym now is the same rubbish over and over again. When I'm on the treadmill I don't mind watching tv as it takes my mind off how many kms I've done.

I prefer the treadmills that are "taller". I was in a gym where the treadmill control area only came up to just above my waist and it just felt wrong - I almost prefer to be sort of enclosed by it.
 
A driver to collect me and drive me home again.
And a robot to do the exercises for me and then upload the cardiovascular benefits to me.

But seriously ..

My gym still advertises as having an on-site creche, despite the fact it closed down nearly a year ago. This gripe is not about creches - rather that you deliver what you offer.

I agree with the complaints about piped music. In this day and age with digital music players in vogue, kill the piped music and let people make their own choices. Ditto for TVs. What is the point in screening 'Judging Amy' with the sound turned down ? A soccer game is one thing, but a TV drama when you can't hear the dialogue and which has a duration longer than your overall workout or even the time spent at the station near the TV ?
 
TarfHead said:
What is the point in screening 'Judging Amy' with the sound turned down ? A soccer game is one thing, but a TV drama when you can't hear the dialogue and which has a duration longer than your overall workout or even the time spent at the station near the TV ?
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My GYM has headphone sockets on all the cardio machines to you can tune into the sound from the TVs on the wall. There are 6 TVs and you can select whichever station you want to hear from a small dial on the machines. Pretty handy that.
 
I also don't like the fee structure of most gyms. If you only want to go once a week or so, it's not good value for money. There should be more pay as you go facilities. It also annoys me when you're paying plenty as is and then you're getting charged extra on top if you want to take a special class like Pilates or Yoga, etc.
 
What about including a drop in creche on the premesis? Most gyms don't have one and this cuts out a large potential customer base who could use the gym at off peak times.
Clean air and ventillation would be high on my agenda also.
 
Would a creche not be terribly expensive to run (qualified childcare providers and public liability insurance for example) and therefore serve to increase the price charged to the consumer?
 
CCOVICH said:
Would a creche not be terribly expensive to run (qualified childcare providers and public liability insurance for example) and therefore serve to increase the price charged to the consumer?
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As far as I am aware the one in my gym, that closed down, suffered as it's only access point was from within the gym. If it had other access it would have attracted other customers.

I know of a similar facility in South County Dublin that has it's own front door beside the gym and is still in business. The charge is, IIRC, €7 for 90 minutes per child.
 
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