Cheap gyms deals discussion

jenniewb

shizzlebizzle wrote: »

Thinking of joining The Gym Group (Vauxhall)...

Sounds like some sort of horrible post apocalyptic fantasy film! I'd try absolutely everywhere else first.... What happens when you have a payment issue or want to leave?? Knowing you'd have this to face if you experienced any issues would be a great way to retain members I suppose!

shizzlebizzle

I've read a few more reviews now and it does seem the lack of actual staff can be an issue (plus dodgy lockers, lack of anti-bac wipes and hygiene, freelance PTs failing to show for classes / inductions, or accusing friends exercising together of holding their own training sessions!!) - nothing which would bother me too much, but I think as a complete newbie I will start elsewhere to build my confidence and get to know what I'm doing. Luckily I work at a uni which has just opened a new gym, so the discounted staff price (£35) is good, and I won't be locked in to a contract. But not sure how long I want to be stuck at work after / before hours!!

The Gym Group does seem ideal for me though as I reckon I'll use the mainstream cardio kit they have a lot of, I'm not too bothered about classes or having a PT. Also I keep weird hours, and might want to visit other London sites - it's pretty much the same price to get an 'any gym' membership as to join just Vauxhall.

jenniewb

shizzlebizzle wrote: »

I've read a few more reviews now and it does seem the lack of actual staff can be an issue (plus dodgy lockers, lack of anti-bac wipes and hygiene, freelance PTs failing to show for classes / inductions, or accusing friends exercising together of holding their own training sessions!!) - nothing which would bother me too much, but I think as a complete newbie I will start elsewhere to build my confidence and get to know what I'm doing. Luckily I work at a uni which has just opened a new gym, so the discounted staff price (£35) is good, and I won't be locked in to a contract. But not sure how long I want to be stuck at work after / before hours!!

The Gym Group does seem ideal for me though as I reckon I'll use the mainstream cardio kit they have a lot of, I'm not too bothered about classes or having a PT. Also I keep weird hours, and might want to visit other London sites - it's pretty much the same price to get an 'any gym' membership as to join just Vauxhall.

Just be very careful wont you; there is a GymGroup gym near me and very often on Twitter I hear of people getting their lockers broken into. The thieves attack the hinges rather than the padlock so there is little you can do to prevent it (being that you cannot bring your own locker!) Apparently it has happened very regularly since the gym opened a few years ago and the gym themselves don't seem willing to put any effort into doing anything to stop it happening.


I would strongly suggest only keeping basics in the gym but be aware that even these can get stolen, seems mad but some thieves will take anything some times out of spite (this seems to be what I've read on my twitter feed because stealing old Primark lounge-wear seems pretty low).


Hope it works out for you any how.

shizzlebizzle

Thanks - yep, I guess thieves just grab stuff and look at it later. As I'm new to gyms - would I be able to keep a small bag with me at the equipment, rather than use a locker? That may be my solution if locker theft is a problem. Seems there won't be staff around to stop me!

shwingbass

Payasugym seems like good option what with free £5 credit from MSE and more opportunities to add credit by recommending friends and leaving feedback.

I'm more interested in pool and spa but now realise that all day passes for my whole county are gym only and do not allow access to other facilities which you would get with a standard day pass. I don't think this is clear from info or FAQs.

Specifically - payasugym suggests they offer a 25% discount on the standard day pass of £15 at my local Bannatynes bringing it down to £11.50 but this is gym only so I'd rather pay the full fee and get pool, jacuzzi, steam and sauna thrown in.

jenniewb

shizzlebizzle wrote: »

Thanks - yep, I guess thieves just grab stuff and look at it later. As I'm new to gyms - would I be able to keep a small bag with me at the equipment, rather than use a locker? That may be my solution if locker theft is a problem. Seems there won't be staff around to stop me!

The only issue you'd want to watch out for in terms of keeping your bag with you is health and safety. And also bearing in mind that although thieves don't like to be seen when stealing, that wont stop them snatch and grabbing a bag if you don't have one eye ball fixed on it at all times. This could be a problem when resetting a machine or taking a swig of water...just too much to worry about IMO!

Anonymous_15

'The Gym' which offers its customers £12.99 per months, no frills, no contract, no membership joining fee at specific times have scammed me of 4 months taking direct debits out of my account and denying me membership/access to the gym facilities.

I'd forgotten my PIN after having to remember many other PINs/passwords, so I tried on several occasions to renew it online/phone with the original credit cards details when I enrolled. This failed to generate a new password several times, so I asked when I could finally contact the onsite staff if they query why my gym membership had been cancelled even though my payments had gone through.

Against the information by customer services where they consistently told me my membership was still active with them, the gym staff could not ascertain why my membership had been cancelled and no access was allowed. Most of my communication with them (phone/emails/website enquiries) were ignored or given false information which meant I was forced to terminate my direct debits by informing the bank.

I would therefore wish to warn all gym users not to forget your PIN as it's very unlikely they will issue you a new one and will come up with endless excuses and blatant lies that you have gym usage showing on your account during that time when you couldn't get access, and refunds will not be issued. They're not cheap for no reason! :mad:

MerlinMags

I recently celebrated a major achievement: finally sticking to a steady regime of workouts three times a week, over two whole months. The great thing is I exercised at home and it didn't cost me a penny.

Sadly it has taken me 8 years to get round to this.

I used to exercise every lunchtime at a proper gym when I worked just 2 minutes away. After I left that job I was never able to get the motivation to exercise at home. Sometimes paying for a gym makes it easier to force yourself to go there often.

It has taken me 8 years of guilt and annoyance to finally get back into the habit. The secret seems to be watching violent action films (in 30 minute chunks) whilst exercising. Distraction helps immensely, and the high-octane nature of the film seems to work well too.

Anyone else had any breakthroughs with home-gym motivation?

jenniewb

MerlinMags wrote: »

I recently celebrated a major achievement: finally sticking to a steady regime of workouts three times a week, over two whole months. The great thing is I exercised at home and it didn't cost me a penny.

Sadly it has taken me 8 years to get round to this.

I used to exercise every lunchtime at a proper gym when I worked just 2 minutes away. After I left that job I was never able to get the motivation to exercise at home. Sometimes paying for a gym makes it easier to force yourself to go there often.

It has taken me 8 years of guilt and annoyance to finally get back into the habit. The secret seems to be watching violent action films (in 30 minute chunks) whilst exercising. Distraction helps immensely, and the high-octane nature of the film seems to work well too.

Anyone else had any breakthroughs with home-gym motivation?

Sounds like my idea of hell!


I found a few things that work for me:
Attending classes regularly and making friends with those who attend the class with you. If you have more than a gruelling challenging gym class to go to (to see friends or just to not go through it alone) it makes it feel more bearable and eventually you don't mind the gruelling side if your friends are the reason you turn up. But you need to persevere before you really build a decent friendship worthy of turning up for.


Find the classes with all the charismatic gym instructors, if the group is a bit anti-social the instructor can often make the difference.


Get one of those fit-bit type things. I used to have a heart rate monitor by Polar (the wearable technology before it was in-vogue) but be careful not to let it rule your life, there is more to life than burning calories.


Reward yourself....with really decent gym gear- so you want to go back to the gym and test it out.
Similarly treat the gym as a place to experiment with your sports-chic clothing. Feeling a million pounds/dollars/whatever will impact on your workout and you'll see an improvement. If you feel like your doing something productive you'll want to go back.


Get a gym-floor buddy. Many gyms operate a system where you can meet people like this, otherwise befriend someone else at the gym and see how things go in terms with prompting, tracking and spotting each other (gym terms).


Try to become more interested in how your body works. This worked best for me, there are so many ways to understand exercise, how amazing the human body is and how what you are doing is changing it. It gives you a sense of pride and raises your self esteem so you'll feel better about yourself and more likely to return.

alisont

I'm looking to return to the gym afternoon hardly going for 20 years:rotfl:

There's a new Pump gym opening in Stourbridge and the opening offer is no joining fee and £9.99 a month which seems so good. It doesn't open for a month but you can pay your £9.99 now then a other one after the first month.

By work I've got Pure gym and Xercise 4 less gym but I'd rather get nearer home as the Pump gyms half way between work and home.