Reasons To Drop Your Gym Membership

Do you like the idea of going to the gym? Some people do, and some people don’t. Of course, here at Granite Fitness, we always encourage you to go your own way, although a program like the Granite Fitness Solution can act as a stand-alone non-gym solution or complement a gym workout perfectly as well.

As a person who may be new to fitness and weight loss, you might feel conflicted about this issue. Some of us have even tried out going to the gym to see if it suits us or not. It usually does not take too long to understand how the gym works, and whether it is ideal for us as a person. Today I’m going on a slightly different trajectory and suggest that a combination of the following factors might mean that the gym might not be the best environment for your weight loss or fitness goals. Here goes:

Cost:

This one is the most compelling reason to ditch the gym membership. Depending on where you are and the arrangement you make, you might be spending too much on the gym. This is especially so if you have signed up to one of those fancy gyms that would cost up to thousands of dollars each year.

Hidden Fees And “Weird” Contracts:

Unfortunately, this is standard practice in the industry, although no one is sure how this practice came about in the first place. Many gyms have contracts that include a lot of clauses and fine print to it. And those were intentionally designed to keep you in the system! And don’t forget the hidden fees too. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Users With Attitude:

This might or might not affect you. There are dozens of gym stereotypes which peeve people. From the attention seeker to the sweaty man who does not clean up after himself, these people make going to the gym a nightmare. Worst of all, in my opinion, are the judgmental know-it-alls. When I first started going to the gym I was weak and skinny, and definitely didn’t appreciate the judgmental stares from the beefcakes. Then there are others… like the perverts for example. I think you get my point.

Employees With Attitude:

If you have gripes about inconsiderate gym users, what about the staff? The reality is that there are two kinds of gyms – the kind that only hires professionals and the type that doesn’t. The former group would include typical gym rats who might have an air of superiority about them, and the latter might only be doing it for a minimum wage payout. Of course they would be sourpusses, which might ruin your mood when exercising. Ugh.

No Sense Of Communalism:

Like it or not, the gym is a shared space, where everyone’s roughly common goals mean that in theory, everyone should be encouraging one another to progress. Although the onus is not on people directly encouraging one another, the expectation is that they would at least make the environment conducive to fitness. Weird people, both users and staff alike, might ruin the whole atmosphere.

Not Enough Available Equipment:

A pet peeve of most people is the lack of accessibility of desired equipment. If there are only 3 sets of 5 kg dumbbells, but they are always taken up when you go to the gym, it will obviously be a problem. When this happens too many times, it will undoubtedly get on your nerves. Although this seldom happens to me, I sometimes bring resistance bands to the gym to ensure that on the off-chance that all the available ones are being used, I have something to work with apart from dumbbells.

You Only Use Some Equipment:

This is more relevant to strength training than it is to cardio. Some people like using dumbbells, some like barbells, some like resistance bands, some might prefer kettlebells, while others will stick to machines religiously. If you notice that you are only using two or three sets of dumbbells for your workout and not using anything else, then its pointless paying for a gym membership just to use them, right? The way I deal with it is to use a mixture of everything, but that’s just me.

Claustrophobia:

Like it or not, the gym is an area that has to accommodate many people and give them the space to work out together. There is finite room to manoeuvre, which makes it crucial to arrange all the equipment in a way to maximise the amount of space. If you are on the claustrophobic end of the spectrum, this will not sit well with you. Just stating the facts plainly here!

Hygiene Freak:

Be honest – are you a hygiene freak? If you are really paranoid and OCD, then the gym might not be the best place for you. Even though it is standard policy to clean all the equipment after use, not everyone does this, and you have to realise it as a fact. Dirty equipment full of germs can be such a turn-off, and that is a reality in many gyms.

You Simply Hate It:

It might be true that none of the points above get under your skin, but for whatever reason you simply don’t feel at home at the gym. That’s okay! It does not make you a bad person, or a lazy couch potato. You are simply being more aware of what can motivate you, and simply responding to it. Nothing wrong with that at all. After all, our creator built all of us differently, right?