When deciding which types of gyms are going to fit your health and fitness goals, the first thing you should think about is what amount of help you are really looking for in achieving your goals. Not all types of gyms are right for everyone, from super private one-on-one personal training studios to gym memberships that are under $20, we will break down the differences between these different types of gyms and give you a guide to point you in the right direction for your own goals.
The Big Box Gym
These are the big-name brand gyms like 24 Hour Fitness, Gold’s Gym, Planet Fitness, LA Fitness, etc. Each gym is a little different, but the main theme is that you are paying to basically rent space and equipment from these gyms for a small monthly fee. Most of these gyms focus on having a lot of cardio and machine-based weight training equipment. The free weight section in these types of facilities can be a little variable. If you already know what you are doing when you’re working out and want access to different pieces of equipment, then a big box-style gym is for you.
Sometimes these types of gyms also offer group classes and personal training for additional fees. Some will include pools, saunas, showers, locker rooms, and basketball courts. Most of the time, it’s found that these gyms are selling as many memberships as possible to people who may or may not use them. Sometimes, these memberships can be difficult to cancel, requiring in-person cancellations or certified letters.
The 24-Hour Access Membership Gym
These types of gyms are for convenience-minded people. This type of gym is usually small, with minimal staff and mostly fixed-position machine equipment and cardio machines. Memberships to facilities like this normally include key card access so you can use the gym at any time on your own, even at 2 am if you want, which can be a big perk for some.
These gyms typically offer very little assistance from a trainer, though there may be some personal trainers who will do some private training out of them. The big brand in this space is Anytime Fitness. So, if you are a night owl who wants access to a facility where no one will bother you, this is the place to be.
The Private Personal Training Facility
This type of training is for those people who want a fully customized experience with the most individual attention possible. These facilities are usually owner-operated and are as personal as personal training can get. Often, this is an ‘ask and you shall receive’ kind of facility. You will only really interact with your trainer, and there may even be cubicle walls separating you from other trainers and clients in the gym.
Usually, this type of training can address specific injury concerns you might have, and your coach can get creative when working with and around your particular injuries or goals. This type of training is typically on the higher end as far as price goes, so you will be paying top dollar. If you want a truly private and customized experience, this is the gym you want to join.
CrossFit
This is a national affiliate program. CrossFit is a big brand that is really its own type of training. This is large group style training usually conducted in a warehouse space and involves a combination of bodyweight, plyometric, strength, and Olympic lifting. Normally, these workouts are not customized, though they will have modifiers for exercises so you can scale down when needed.
The typical workouts are normally you versus the clock, making the environment in CrossFit facilities fast-paced and competitive. The client-to-trainer ratio can climb as high as 15:1. This type of facility is middle of the road to low in terms of cost. If you are looking to get things moving fast, thrive in a competitive environment, and don’t need a whole lot of individual attention when learning and performing Olympic lifts and gymnastics-type moves, this is the type of gym for you.
Boot Camp/ Circuit Cardio
Popular fitness franchises like Orangetheory Fitness, Fit Body Boot Camp, and F45 follow these types of systems. The time duration and equipment may change but the thought process is the same. You will run a circuit of exercises designed to get your heart rate up. These workouts are timed, and everyone in the session does the same workout at the same time. You will rotate between stations, and this type of workout will get you sweating and train your heart. There is not much strength gain that happens during these types of workouts, and they have a very low amount of customization, if any.
For some of these gyms, the workouts will change regularly, keeping things interesting for the members. If you want to sweat and work your heart out with a large group and a coach motivating you, on a microphone with loud music blasting, this is the type of gym for you. The pricing of a facility like this is normally a little on the cheaper side because of the lack of customization and the larger group size. The coach-to-client ratio at these gyms usually is larger than 15:1 and reaches a 40:1 ratio.
Small Group Training Facility
This type of facility fits somewhere between private personal training/ physical therapy and group strength training. Normal client-to-trainer ratios are between 4:1 and 7:1, so you get a good blend of individual attention from the coach and interaction with other members at the gym. The big selling point of these types of gyms is the community and the variable level of customization. You build great relationships with other members at the gym because it’s not so big that you get lost in the group.
Plus, if you struggle with consistency and staying accountable to your training, the coaches will make sure to reach out to you if you have not been in the gym during the week. This type of facility can also address all your injury concerns in a proactive way. If you are coming in injured or have pain, coaches at these facilities can help you get back to pain-free training, instead of just limiting your workout. You also get a custom movement assessment that will allow a coach to build a warm-up routine just for you and give you exercises in your training that fit your goals and movement abilities.
Small Group Personal Training facilities are gyms for people looking to get strong, move more freely, and lose that unwanted extra weight within a supportive community. This type of training is priced between personal training and boot camp training. If you are looking to have a guided training experience with a variable level of customization and a supportive community to get strong with, this is the place for you.
Here is the breakdown of all of the types of gyms so that you can find the best one for your needs:
At Progressive Performance, we offer a broad spectrum of training options to fit your health and fitness goals, but the majority of our clients are part of our Small Group Personal Training community. Our coaching staff brings that personalized 1:1 training experience at a group training value.
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