Why Gym Memberships are a SCAM
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ธ.ค. 2022
- At the beginning of every year there’s a predictable surge of gym memberships, only for those same people to stop going all together after just a few weeks. But what if this New Year’s phenomenon wasn’t just about human weakness, but instead the result of a deliberately manipulative industry that capitalizes on failed goals?
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Script: Holly Maley
Editor: Reid Valaitis + Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand
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As a genuine, long-time gym rat and consistent “goer”; I thank all of the people who help subsidize my lifestyle by paying and not showing up.
solidarity lol
Blessings upon the members who auto pay and never are in my way of the equipment, I like my gym not busy
You’re talking to me! I paid for two years and never stepped in to the gym after I signed up-not once! 😂
And thats a beautiful illustration of the joys of socialism ❤
Which gym is this? My gym is always packed except between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm. At 7am and 5pm there literally are lines for the elliptical and treadmill. Most machines are in use and I’ve seen people have to step over one another in the stretching area. And my gym is quite large
Living in a van, a gym membership was my cheapest consistent shower 😂 didn’t touch the weights once
That's definitely a perk!!! (also what are the odds this is from one Levi to another who is currently also living in a vehicle lol)
Yep! I did try for a week, but after that, I was like, “I’ll just shower 🤷♂️”
Haha amazing!
yeah we see you ahah But I would do the same
HAHAHA! Probably the only time it’s worth it. Nicely done.
There are a lot of people who genuinely love going to the gym who are not “gym bros” or have unrealistic body or societal pressures. It’s just one way of getting in physical activity using various machines and tools that most people cannot afford or have space to keep in their homes. There is nothing wrong with the actual gym.
I love seeing the hot girls at the gym. even the fat ones are still sexy
Yeah, I get this. I'm the type of person who really thrives with having different activities have different spaces. It's hard for me to work out in the living room or bedroom but I don't have a room to put equipment in. I see being able to work out in the gym kinda similar to studying at a cafe. It also helps that I need specific kinds of workouts that are made a ton easier with equipment I have no room for even if I could work out in my living room. Even the most expensive Planet Fitness membership is cheaper than an extra room in your rent.
Still though I would argue that a person like me with those requirements is another specific set of people. If I could just go for a jog, I would and it's what I would recommend to other people who have the physical ability to do so.
@@Liz_ArdE yeah working out at home during the height of the pandemic was torture for me! I bought a spin bike, a bunch of weights and mats so I could do my aerobic workouts comfortably. And I hated every second of it! I was already a runner so I continued with it. I even started winter running in Toronto where I live. That was also torturous for me! I just started going back to the gym two months ago and I’m so happy. Now I have to sell all the equipment I have that’s taken up way too much space in my condo.
Stupid people think spending 4-5 hours a week in the gym is crazy and makes you a gym rat. Everybody should be exercising that much every week. TV just melted their tiny brains
Agree
Another story to add to your cancellations:
I deployed overseas with the Army National Guard in 2015 so I put my gym membership on hold for a year. While overseas I was in a severe, nearly fatal bus crash and was put into a post traumatic amnesia state for about 14 days, then in a wheel chair for another month. During this time, the gym tried to reactivate my membership, but did not contact me (I think they mailed a letter only). My credit card had been replaced while I was deployed and the number was changed. My phone number and email had not changed, but I got no contacts from the gym that way. The gym eventually forced the payment through somehow through my old credit card number that was no longer in service. My bank told me there was nothing they could do (I guess those contracts).
When I eventually got my mind back together and realized what was going on, I tried calling them to cancel and of course had to go through the whole "send us a letter" crap. They were in NC and I was in the hospital in MD with limited access to the information to get them and an inability to sign paperwork due to my right side being messed up from the injury. I called them and spoke with their membership department multiple times and they refused to admit wrongdoing on forcing payments through or trying to help someone with extenuating circumstances. The IRS gave my wife an extension on getting our taxes filed (I was working on them overseas when I got hurt). The IRS was more helpful and understanding than this freaking gym.
That sounds like a lawsuit man. Sorry that happened.
@@Mendrawza24 The issue is that they had a contract and I was still in the hospital hundreds of miles away. It would not have been worth it in the long run sadly.
I just tell the story to my friends in the area and make sure to mention the name of the gym. Maybe word of mouth can eventually lose them enough money to make up for it
@@PostalDude97 It was 6-7 years ago so I’m not sure how much actual damage I can do
I had a gym do something similar. I had recently moved so cancelled my gym membership. But I also had a personal trainer subscription at the gym and didn’t know I had to cancel that too.
I lost my debit card and had to get a new one from my bank that came with a new number. So of course the payments to the gym stopped. One day I went to pay my rent and found that my bank balance was almost empty. Called my bank and found out that the gym collections department had contacted my bank and gotten my new debit card number, then took out all the back pay in one go. Neither the gym nor my bank notified me. When I contacted the gym they basically said I shit out of luck and I should have sent them a letter to cancel the subscription. Didn’t matter that they had now made it so I couldn’t pay my rent!
I ended up speaking with my bank and informed them that I did not authorize the payment regardless of what the gym contract said. And that what they did had put me in a financial hardship. They then gave me the money I needed to cover my rent and put a restriction on my account to not allow that gym to make any more charges.
The gym of course sent me to a third party collections, which hurt my credit score, but at that point I didn’t care
Sorry to hear this. A gym I was a member at literally did the same thing with my canceled credit card number. They forced it through as well. Gyms are shady and they use loopholes to milk $ from people
When I was homeless, the gym was the best place for me to go to get a shower, and just take my mind off of things until I was able to save enough money to get an apartment.
I'm glad you have somewhere safe to live in now ❤
I hear alot of vanlifers have PF subs so they have facilities when they need them.
I know I’m just a stranger but I am proud of you ! 😊
Glad that worked out for you. I would work armed security at some stores and homeless would go in the bathroom to just wash up and brush there teeth and management would tell me to go in there and throw them out of the bathroom no one was in. I would just tell them I removed them and let them finish in there. They always where thankful for me and they never fucked the bathroom up.
Same. Wasn’t homeless but was living in my car. Had a small storage area rented to keep my belongings. If the gym happened to be closed already (weekend hours) I would go to the storage’s bathroom and bathe in the sink the custodians would use for their cleaning chemicals.
As a former personal trainer who actually really cared about their clients and had the proper education, I can confirm that gyms are so shady and completely burned me out. I felt like a salesperson more than a trainer and had no work life balance because I would spend time texting my clients advice outside of work, unpaid. I’m no longer in the fitness industry lol
Memberships were so so shady
Super unfortunate we've got big businesses operating in this way but glad you aren't a part of that system any longer! Thank you for taking the time to share, Kristen
you need boundaries. Alot of gym goers tend to be very very needy and for some reason entirely clutch onto the trainers for everything in life. You will be surprised just how many text me for relationship advice and I can see how the more unscrupulous trainers end up sleeping with the trainees.
Same
@Kristen M great taste in music tbh
Hey I've got an ISSA cert and don't look the part but have busted my ass/been a try hard for years.
I would indeed also legitimately care and would like to be a good trainer/gain some clients. Preferably so aided that they wouldn't need me anymore but at the same time still somehow retain enough income not to go bankrupt.
If you wouldn't mind me emailing you, I'd appreciate it!
I feel like New Year’s resolutions are the biggest pile of the bs. I’ve never started huge life changing habits on the first of the year it is usually after a shocking realization or after waking up and just deciding to do better.
It's a good way to delay fixing your life, and then because you failed on January first, you'll just have to try next year.
Yeah if you're tying a lifestyle change to a calendar date you aren't going to commit. You can literally start any time you want.
yep. I didn't start lifting because it was my new years resolution. I started lifting becuz it hit to me that I was weak as hell
I was a member of golds gym in Edmonton and I actually went regularly. I took a couple months off only to realize they went out of business and I was still paying for a gym that no longer existed in my city. I had to call and fight them to cancel my membership for a gym that didn’t exist.
That's awful
I'm 63 years old, have had a membership at 24 hour fitness for the past 8 years, and feel like I completely get my money's worth out of it. I don't work out on the machines (booooring), but I spend on average 11 hours a week going to the various group fitness classes...body pump, body combat, pop pilates, yoga, zumba, and u-jam. These classes keep me much more motivated than if I tried to go it alone, but that's just what works for me. Frankly, I'm in the best shape I've ever been in and feel fit enough to go another 63 years!
Lifetime is really good! They offer a lot of free classes with the membership. Other gyms I have belonged to offer a fraction of free classes. And for casual and serious swimmers they have many pools and many swim activities, usually at an additional cost. Living in a place where I do not have local public pools, a gym with a pool is a big plus!
I too am a class junkie. I've been at the Y off and on for almost 10 years and being in a group gives me more motivation.
@@borkbork4124 lifetime is really nice in quality but two months’ membership there is the same price as a year at 24hr
People who just go to the gym for the equipment are more or less just renting equipment and you don't need a lot of it to cover your whole body. (Actually you need 0 equipment if you know what you're doing, but a chin up bar and a few other things are helpful)
The reason to be the member of a gym are access to personal trainers and classes and even then only if you're actually going.
Hell yeah! I work at a 24 hour fitness and I’d love to own my own gym one day. I do sales but I don’t see myself as selling snake oil you know what I mean I try to cater memberships accordingly like a prescription. I ask if they travel have family that would come in with them if they have been in a gym before and if they have any issues health wise. I try ease nerves and help people on their way to a healthy life. The gym changed my life and all I want is to hopefully give that to someone else.
I was a Planet Fitness subscriber, I sent the letter they demanded, then hired a lawyer who also sent a letter, then filled court proceedings judged in my favour when they failed respond and show. My credit union finally got fed up and took action which strangely was more effective a threat than my lawyer or the judge. Today I don't exercise. I bike, hike, practice archery, basically build challenges into my every day life. I'm a week short 66 and I owe it to this change in perspective and way of life.
Wooooah now that's a hassle. Sorry you had to go through all that! Glad you're still maintaining a healthy/active lifestyle without needing a gym membership to do so. Appreciate you sharing here, Muiren 💪
I think CA has a law where they can't demand a postal letter or a phone call. I walked in and said I was moving to an area that had no locations, and they pulled the plug without any hassles.
Biking and hiking are exercise.
@@randalalansmith9883 during the pandemic, the New York state attorney general took the parent companies of many chain gyms to court. The court ruled that gyms have to allow canceling a membership online if the person signed up online. I think if you signed up in person then you were out of luck. The only reason the case happened was because of the mass outrage from gyms preventing people from canceling their membership even though gyms were closed.
That is all excersise, and very good for you. You don't need to go to the gym to excersise ffs.
Ahh as an exercise physiologist with a BS in exercise science, it warms my heart to hear you explain that the fitness industry is completely unregulated and most people do not need supplements. Music to my ears.
He forgot to tell you the reason they don't need these things. It's because they are lazy as all hell and are going to quit anyway so why bother.
@@nathantemple5173Even very consistent and hard workers don't need them. A diet calculated for adequate macros and perfect timing in meals is enough.
I cancelled my Planet Fitness membership within the grace period of their contracts, and even though I never got an access tag (so I could not even physically go to the gym), I was still charged for a year. Now after all of that I still have lawyers calling me every 4 months demanding me to pay money owed to Planet Fitness. Absolute SCUM of the earth - they owe me money but they try to collect money of me
In America, you can demand creditors stop contacting you if you don't own the money. It goes back to the person who is trying to get your money to push any further.
@@bobjohnson1633 pretty sure Planet Sheetness is only in Americaaah. If it appears in Australia, we've failed as a country.
@@megasailwhoreanytime fitness is the equivalent of Planet fitness
i go lifting 3 times a week for the last 2 years. but i enjoy the process and built a habit. don't fear the gym brothers, gymbros are the nicest guys I've met
I guess as a “gym bro” I’d have to agree, most of us are willing to help you out with advice, form, a spot and so on.
It is funny how some people dont like to go on gyms where there are "gym bros". We mind our own business and we dont care about others. If something we are happy that some people start exercising and stick to it. (sorry for my bad english)
If you want a spot, you want a gymbro.
@@cheesecrackers3928 What would you say is the aspect that you find intimidating specifically?
@@cheesecrackers3928 i feel in a sense you're dehumanizing them as large, animal like, things to fear. The best way to overcome an anxiety like that is through exposure. We often forget every single large man in the gym was once small, we should teach people to push through their anxieties rather than be controlled by them :)
My tip for anyone who has this fear is find a big guy using a machine, and simply ask how many sets they have left if all the machines are full. Its common enough question, won't initiate much further conversation, and can help take a baby step toward overcoming your phobias. Afterward you can take the machine and move forward with the workout.
This is why I love my gym. Im super restricted on options due to my disability. When the super pricey gym here found out I was being discriminated against, they got me a MASSIVE discount (which I know is not their MO). And when blood clots killed my lung, they suspended my membership- the new GM doesn’t allow the discount I have on my account so they didn’t want me to cancel and lose that. So it’s been suspended, with zero fees, for 2 years. They even let me come in once and do a class for free just to see if I was ready to return. There was zero judgement or pressure when I wasn’t ready to do it.
They might be pricey but they actually give a fuck and that makes them worth it.
That’s some amazing customer service.
That’s how it usually is in my experience, you really do get what you pay for when it comes to gyms.
Wow! Just wow! I'm *so* happy that you've had these people in your life, that's awesome and I hope you're doing better. I wish more businesses were like this!
Suspended your membership? Poor wording there.
Sorry for your troubles but glade you found your own space and got accommodation.
"It is more important to build an active lifestyle that you can sustain than to buy into what everyone else is doing." This is ON POINT!!
I lost 50lbs with a membership at a small women’s gym, it was great because lots of women would sign up and just never go (weights were always available) and I got a lot done. The classes were the most popular and they were pretty great. I switched to another gym when I got a new job, and it was so crowded I couldn’t get anything done and I had to quit. Now I do workout videos at home and that’s what I recommend if you have the space and you have a bottom floor (no one complains about you jumping around). Doing a workout went from taking a couple hours (driving there, finding parking, finding a locker, changing, waiting for a machine and then reverse…) to now I’m done in 30min and I didn’t even have to shave my legs.
I'm trying to transition to home workouts
@@jaleesa00 it's much easier if you have the equipment at home. The investment might be a little over 1k depending on what training discipline/style you currently use
I couldn't stay consistent while exercising at home so I thought of joining the gym this year. But I had the same exact problems as u😂 so imma just stick to the home workouts somehow
@@CybertroninfiniteOfficial what a load of crap, Exercise is FREE. The most expensive thing I bought was a manduka yoga mat and when I do workout videos that are full body exercises, I have never been more challenged. I got a few other things for free from people, ask around and I guarantee some old man has some dumbbells in storage that he bought and then barely used.
@@estycki that works for you and some other people, but everyone has different individual goals. I do weightlifting and boxing, so I do need the equipment to maximizing enjoyment and progressive gains
As someone who lost 130 pounds and beat cancer twice ( no thanks to chemo!) the gym really helped me focus on myself and set clear goals. I still go 3 times a week. However, even though I’ve had a great experience, the hoops you have to jump through to cancel is ridiculous.
So glad it's working for you! 🙏🏻🙏🏻
You could done walking, it's the best for obese people. Also fasting is great too. Both of these are free
@@ateiidinmoldova Yup. I did that too. I learned I really enjoy high-intensity workouts.
@@ateiidinmoldova walking, swimming, eating low calorie high volume meals, eating satiating foods, and resistance training (more muscle mass means a higher metabolism and less pounds you’ll have to cut) are great for weightloss. Anything that helps you maintain your deficit will work tho
@@keithwalker3989 how often would you do high intensity and for how long.
Be been a gym rat for years. Started when I was 14. It took me well into adulthood that not everyone was like me and that many gym goers need help and are very susceptible to gym industry scams like making you feel bad and hoping you don’t show up while taking your money. Over the years I’ve noticed that most, not all, trainers have a disdain for any member who doesn’t hire them. And the members who know what they’re doing and may be less likely to hire a trainer, the trainers and by extension the gym actually loathes them because they don’t bring in any other money than their membership payments. My gym used to push training packages so much, they would purposely hide certain equipment from the gym floor and claim it was “speciality equipment” that was only accessible if you signed up for training sessions. Real grimy shit. I’ve learned to pretty much dislike most trainers because they’re dicks and only look at members as potential dollar signs or nothing at all.
I used to work at a crunch fitness and we had these things called "kickoffs" for people who first signed up. They were essentially just to pressure people into doing personal training. I got fired because I wouldn't make people do the kickoff if they didn't want to.
If you really want to go to a gym but not a “gym,” go to a rec center! They’re great for your local community, aren’t predatory, and it’s a great way to make new friends.
Predatory💀💀😂😂😂yeeeaaaahhhg buddy weak ass mindset
I just this at my local community center. It was just $50/yr as a resident of my city so it works out to $4/m
The equipment is limited but as a beginner it's fine.
@@Adriana_Madigan Exactly! I tell people this all the time that I think Planet Fitness is the best deal they can find. Our rec is now over $100 for the year, but there are zero yearly fees and no cancellation, good to go the entire year!
I’m just gonna say. I’m a gym user, but going out and actually playing games, biking, and hiking is when I feel healthiest, because they’re the real health boosters.
I gym for strength and as an activity baseline
Yeah, very often it isn't an all or nothing mentality! A balance of different physical activities is usually key for most people's fluctuating lifestyles 💪
@@FutureProofTV you're built like a cancer patient
Yeah reallt depends on goals I love boxing and mountain biking but it's second to building my dream physique (call it brainwashed but I do think there are tangible benefits to having a great body like the halo effect)
Yes, for some it's as simple as a walk outdoors. The scenery really helps...plus if you have a dog they can go hiking, jogging, walking, swimming and not cry at home while you're in a gym. Be plus for me lol :)
As someone who lost 70lbs but also enjoys going to the gym regularly… WATCH WHAT YOU EAT. The gym is not going to help you lose weight. If anything it helps you gain weight. Healthier choices makes the weight fly off if that’s your goal. :) the gym is just an added therapy session for me 😂
Yes, the gym helps you stay flexible and move easily (move it or lose it), keeps the lymph and blood flowing, and can help with stress, sadness, depression. Food is a separate issue.
Seriously! I’m an avid gym goer and for years the weight steadily increased. It wasn’t until I changed my eating habits that the excess weight came off and stayed off.
Totally agree! Exercise alone will not help to lose weight. I struggled for years trying to lose weight with minimal success until I changed my eating habits and it worked "like a charm."
The gym helps lose weight a lot of people just don't know what they're doing
I run and don't lift if I would go to gym I go from 78kg to 88 instantly. Exit gym and walk into grocery store double bill 😂
Man, that’s why I am glad I have a home gym. Did the whole commercial gym membership thing and I never really liked it. The gyms I always felt connected to were the small ones my friends owned or were the managers of. Home gym is the way to go for me
Built my own gym, have everything, even a sauna, perfectly happy that way. No dealing with all the BS or having to leave my house to go somewhere.
As an "old guy with physical issues" I support gyms like Planet fitness! I do NOT join for any unrealistic goals but rather to use their equipment like treadmills to help me keep my "issues" at bay! I walk with a cane now BUT at PF I can walk on the treadmill, watch tv, and work out safely! In canada in winter, the outdoors is not always an option! Thank gawd PF exists!
If you are in the USA and qualify for Medicare, you probably qualify for Silver Sneakers. That means free gym memberships at many different gyms. I really enjoyed my experience at the gym, but be sure to use hand sanitizer between every piece of equipment that you have to touch! After picking up a nasty virus, I have gone back to using my home equipment.
@@someguy2135 PF it fine.. I don't get the hate.
"outdoors isn't an option" because of poor prioritization of municipal resources in many areas. We had some ice/snow yesterday and every road I drove was black and free of ice and snow. The sidewalks were never touched with a Salter or plow. People walking on the greenspace, shuffling to bus stops. Prioritize walkable areas and outdoor fitness is just as easy in the winter
@@jarretgosbee7717 typical airhead American …. Try doing this in Canada when the average temp is -49 degrees F
When your skin freezes in under 30 seconds…
Sometimes it’s Better not to comment and show how naive you are.
@jarretgosbee7717 I agree that salting walkways needs to be prioritied, though that doesn’t necessarily make outdoor exercise an option for everyone. As a semi-mobile crutch user, I can’t exercise outside safely because it’s just not realistic to make it safe for people in my situation. The floors are too hard to safely fall on, they’re not necessarily perfectly flat and even, things like a loose leaf or a stone or rain are all it takes to make it extremely likely I’m going to eat dirt. I’ve done gym programs with a medical physio and am hoping to get prescribed a gym membership in the new year. That said, before Christmas I was in my local town center and tried taking every possible route to the health food shop for vegan marshmallows to make Christmas hot chocolate, and eventually had to give up and go home because I couldn’t find a way to walk the 50 yards across the town square that wasn’t icy. That’s just a freaking stupid problem to have, there’s no reason not to salt that street, you can even drive a lorry over the square in the evenings. So you’re definitely not wrong on that point, including here in the U.K.
I love my gym membership. I'm getting way more than I pay for because I actually go. It's not the gym's fault if you don't utilize your membership.
Agreed!
It’s your own damn fault if you sign up for a gym membership and actually end up not truly using it; NOT the gym’s!
I’ve been a member at Anytime Fitness since October of last year and been making use of their group training, and the trainers (started off with one, and then we did a swap with another Anytime in the area) and everyone that I’ve met through doing it 5 days a week now have been nothing but supportive, and that right there has kept my motivation up and make me look forward to going there.
So all in all, if you sign up for a gym membership, you ABSOLUTELY should go into it with a plan for what you’re going to do now and into the future, otherwise you’re going to hate yourself and end up having yet another subscription go unused.
Careful, you're not allowed to blame people for their own stupid choices anymore.
I actually feel like I'm getting great value out of my gym membership. I belong to a local YMCA and I feel like it's been a real game-changer for me. I'd argue the problem with people isn't so much the gyms itself, although getting out of contracts can be tricky at times but I think it's just a lack of follow-through on their commitments. I was getting close to 300 pounds (topped out at around 290) and decided I had to make some serious changes. So I joined the Y and decided to start working out all the time. And I'm down to the low 250s as I actually have kept up with my commitment and I ran some 5K races last year for the first time in like forever. I basically went from being a couch potato to a gym rat. It's the only place I can swim as I don't have a pool, running it's tough to do it outside in the winter due to the short days, and I live in a small apartment where I don't have room for a weight set. Also, I feel like I don't want my money to go to waste so initially that also helped motivate me to go to the gym.
The Y is great. I joined 2 years ago and got to use their various locations' showers and saunas (after runs) when I do road trips. Making the commitment to follow meticulously crafted monthly/yearly plans (but used as flexible guides) is rewarding. Two things I was surprised by include deep sauna conversations with strangers and varying Y membership costs (some locations were 120/mo); fortunately mine is 25/mo with a one-time joiner's fee ($50). Without a commitment to follow I quit the membership and sign up again another time when I want to & there's a seasonal promo ($0-5 joiners fee if you join this week).
Last year I thought I applied to be a personal trainer at la fitness and it instead turned out to be personal trainer salesman position. I went through the training and quit after two weeks because they literally teach you how to guilt someone into buying a personal training plan. Also when you first sign up for a membership you are given a “free” consultation. I was asked to cold call members and tell them there was a hold on their account and that they needed to come in. The “hold” was literally to tell them they haven’t used their free consultation and essentially try to sell them a training plan. That whole experience ruined wanting to work in the fitness industry, I’m still passionate myself but that’s when I realized how corporate everything is.
Thanks SO much for this comment! There's a surprising lack of information or insight into this world so that's really helpful to hear.
That's awful! Sorry you had to go through such a crummy job experience there, unfortunate how it's the norm and the places who actually care about their clients are the exception :/ thank you for sharing!!
@@FutureProofTV Gym is for the rich, everyone wants to feel rich so they go to the gym, I run on my local stadium its free. I also learned English off TH-cam videos and free movie websites with subtitles. Courses, gyms are for lazy people.
I currently work at LA F as a personal trainer in ON, been doing that for over 1 year now. I only do personal training and do absolutely zero sales. I think there are two "tiers" of PTs here: 1) dedicated certified PTs who only do personal training (and not giving the "free" consultations either), and 2) sales/PT who do sales, give initial free consultations and are paid on commission. Unfortunately the dedicated PTs like myself only gets paid the minimal hourly wage... i.e. $7.5 per 25 minute session, while the clients pay $60+ per 25 minute PT session!!!
@@austinfreyrikrw6651 yea it wasn’t till later that I found out that they were two separate position. When I quit on the spot they asked me if I would rather just switch over to personal training but after everything I saw I was over it
It seems like there was a lot of targeted points to the big chain gyms. It's worth highlighting local and small gyms. I've been lifting for over a decade now and my favorite places have always been local rec centers. They usually have competitive rates, well equipped gyms, pools, and not a lot of cooperate oversight.
Totally agree, we should have included small local gyms in the bit where we mention alternatives. Always proud to support local here 🤝
the YMCA at Coney Island here in Brooklyn New York is an astounding $57 a month, which is VERY expensive. the gym also does not have warm nor cold showers. its showers are always boiling hot. harbor fitness amongst many others is about $30 a month with 24 hour service whereas the Y closes at 5 PM on weekends, yes 5 PM. that's crazy for a city like New York where people are always up and about 24 hours of the day.
I'm a personal trainer at an Anytime Fitness and my branch actually has a great owner who is despised by corporate because he refuses to charge people maintenance fees, cancelation fees, and all kinds of sketchy fees for late payments etc.
I can confirm, there are many locations who will lock you in and charge you absurd prices to get out of a contract, but thankfully integrity is still at play at some gyms.
As someone who goes to the gym as well having previously worked in the "health and fitness" industry which has nothing to do with neither health or fitness but instead it's all about selling you the latest BS trends and memberships. I can honestly say that this video is on point!
My advice for those who want to improve is to find an activity that you enjoy and go for it as feeling that you have to do something that you don't enjoy is a guaranteed route to failure.
Another tip (bonus) is that results take time so be patient, be realistic with your goals and DO NOT get caught up with what others are doing, just do you!
Literally the only physical activity I've ever enjoyed is team sports and, unfortunately, there are no adult leagues for anything in my area so I'm stuck suffering through any other kind of workout just because I've gotten disgusted with how fat I've gotten recently
I’m a trainer at a family owned gym. I treat all my patrons like family and inspire them to reach their personal goals. The owner has never instructed me otherwise. We care about our patrons and develop relationships with them. My advice to people looking for a new gym is to join a local mom and pop gym that can help you achieve your goals best. 💪🏿
Being too embarrassed to set up or continue with personal training sessions is exactly my experience at several gyms after I joined, in at least 4 different countries. One gym salesperson completely humiliated me and brought me to tears using high-pressured sales tactics similar to timeshare sales--thankfully, I came to my senses and didn't join that gym.
Just watch youtube videos and workout
@@whiteboyangel4838 That happened before TH-cam existed.
same thing with physical therapy TBH... i'm sure it's needed for some folks. but a lot of us just get sent there to play with those resistance bands while the therapist talks about what they're having for lunch with the other. So I use YT for free and it's been more helpful@@whiteboyangel4838
Omg me too!! I'm literally writing this as I'm supposed to CURRENTLY be at my "personal trainer" appointment. My last appointment at a different gym was the girl telling me how weak and tiny I am. It was horrible. I'm not doing that again
As a certified gym rat, I've had my fair share of shady gyms, but it usually involved trying to cancel memberships and the gym making it as difficult as possible.
I currently go to a slightly pricier gym but I love it and wouldn't trade it. They offer a lot and those who take advantage of it make the most of their membership cost. It really becomes worth it if you can make going a habit, but spending monthly memberships on literally anything you don't use is a waste.
This is the reason I pay cash. I go to Martial art gym though.
I was fat as a kid. When I was 19, I began working out. By the time I turned 22, I was a N.A.S.M certified personal trainer, and shortly after being certified, I joined the Army. I was a trainer for many years, until one Planet Fitness experience. Once they began giving away free BAGELS and PIZZA at the front desk. I knew it was over for me. They also told me that, because I was bodybuilding, I was “too intimidating”, and was not allowed to workout at the gym…excuse me, WHAT?!? They told me some old woman complained about me working out near her, and she felt “scared”. 😂 What a load of crap. This was when they still had “lunk alarms”.
I quit training, even though I got into it to HELP PEOPLE get fit and live healthier lives. I took college courses in nutrition, kinesiology, exercise science, and more. I want to start training people again, but the gyms now are even worse. Building up clients without the backing of a professional gym or company is extremely difficult. Even doing it within the gyms is tough.
Planet Fitness is a soulless Gym. They don't actually care about their members getting in shape/achieving exercise goals. Their business model preys upon people who don't even show up, and God forbid you take your exercise seriously because they'll kick you out for being too jacked. There needs to be a huge class-action lawsuit against Planet Fitness because this shit is unacceptable.
I had memberships with Gold’s Gym and Planet Fitness. When Gold’s raised their rates, I went to Planet Fitness.
Never had an issue with either place…used the facilities regularly and attended throughout the contract. Canceling was easy because the signed up time had passed.
One just needs to be cognizant of what they sign.
Currently with the Y…no contract, no membership fees outside of the monthly fee.
This is what I am talking about. I would never turn anyone away who came to our PF because we are supposed to be inclusive. Sadly no matter what you tell people or what you explain to them alot of times they forget then get angry when they see a charge or their card expired and they owe a bunch of money. That is the real reason for the checking account question. We always had way too many issues with credit cards and people who "forgot" they got a new card.
My father-in-law is a retired body builder but he still goes to the gym daily. He was looking to change gyms for a change of pace and had one owner tell him during the tour they didn't want him to sign up because he would actually use the gym LOL... they said they only wanted people who would flake out.
Generally they tend to be two types of gyms, the Planet Fitness/Life Fitness etc type ones for most people and then the smaller more hardcore ones for guys like your father in law. There's a retired NFL player here in town that has one like that for real gym/bodybuilding people. It's not big, he doesn't really advertise it and the guys that go there like it that way and if you aren't one of those guys you will realize very fast it's not for you. LOL
hilarious but not surprised
I had a gym membership at Anytime Fitness for a year after my favorite local gym shut its doors during the lockdown. It was a Goliath effort to cancel it because my grad school tuition made it impossible to keep up with the fees and they sold them in 2 year increments so monthly and one year was not even an option.
What I realized over time was that I missed the community and the workouts were the icing on the cake. Now I’m doing yoga classes and I dusted off my DDR mat and I couldn’t be happier!
The one benefit I can say from going to the gym is I got more confident about my strength and my cardio’s much better. Otherwise, it’s so obvious the big ones are only after your money. Unless you have some serious dedication and have good (read: genuine) support, it’s not worth it.
I work at a gym and honestly, the way we operate is very focused on getting people to come back. My biggest advice is: GET A PERSONAL TRAINER. Significantly more people succeed when they start with a trainer. Yes, it is expensive BUT it’s like putting your kid into a sport - you’re teaching them (or yourself) a life long skill AND paying someone to hold you accountable to actually stick to your fitness goals. If you let us help you, it’s not shady. But yes, we make most of our money off on no shows and it breaks my heart
I can totally resonate with this. I've worked out with trainers and experienced friends throughout my teen and early adult years. That's mainly how I learned how to plan and execute my workouts.
I'd also like to add, if more trainers familiarize themselves with hypermobility issues, that would be super helpful too. I was getting injury after injury and the trainer was telling me go deeper in my squats. As it turned out, my ankles and knees give way too much so I was tearing tissue. I know to NOT go deeper now lol but will be looking for a trainer who is a little more knowledgeable about things like that.
You guys seriously always put out the best content. From the editing to the jokes/puns. Just surprised you guys don’t have more subscribers by now, been here since the beginning.
Hey there, thank you so much! We work really hard on these, glad you're enjoying watching them just as much as we love making them ☺️
The "mfs named Jim" joke was hilarious
Not saying that you have to be swole/strong as hell…but strength training and being somewhat strong is super important to a healthy life and studies will prove this. There’s benefits to strength training that you can’t get with other forms or exercise and there’s benefits in the other forms of exercise that you can’t get with strength training. There needs to be a balance. And you can achieve all of this without a membership to a big box gym. Those suck for the most part.
I’m fortunate to live near a community gym. There is no fee, it’s part of the residence. It’s also pretty damn barebones, just some treadmills and weights, no real machines.
This video made me feel a lot better about it because there’s also no subscription fee, technically.
that's not a. gym...
I remember moving from a city during COVID (when the gym was closed), and I learned that the only way to cancel was to go in person. I had to eat the cost for 6 months until I traveled back to attend a wedding. Literally stopped by in my suit before going to the ceremony 🤣
The only gym membership I've been considering is the YMCA, because they also give back to the community; they offer daycare, sports, and camps for kids; they have a big pool (in our case, the one by us has a massive outdoors pool with slides and everything); etc.
I'm a member of my local YMCA and they've been great. When the pandemic hit I went in and asked for my membership to be put on hold. No problem. Then almost 3 years later I had them start it up again. For my membership I have access to everything the Y offers; all equipment, pool, all classes (yoga, specialized workouts like spin class, raquetball, basketball, etc) plus I can go to any of their half dozen gyms in my area. They do have independent certified personal trainers available, but I've never had anyone try to sell their services to me, nor do they hawk supplements like some gyms. However, they are not inexpensive at $67/month and that fee invariably goes up every year like clockwork, but they do let you cancel at anytime. Oh, and in years past I have cancelled my membership and it was a piece of cake....just walked in and told them and it was done. However, I don't know if all YMCAs are run the same way so buyer beware.
Another vote for the YMCA! The camps for the kids are awesome and the pool is open year round.
More expensive that Planet Fitness but I enjoy the Y much more
@@markrose53 Yes, plus I love that they have so many community programs. I have two kiddos who'd enjoy the camps and sports, too.
They still charge people memberships even with no income. They don't offer any free membership or free sports teams for youth...and one must qualify and be approved for a reduced rate for camps. Of course that's just locally they all may have different rules. Still prefer it over a planet fitness. Best deals are on the base if military or through the city usually.
idk about you guys, but paying for my local gym membership inspires me to go to make the most of it... i've regularly attended for almost half a year and hope to keep going 💪 but i always feel like i'm wasting my membership if i don't go for a couple days... time is money, i guess!
I'm the same. My closest good gym only offers fully-paid 6-month or 12-month memberships, so you pay upfront and it is all up to you to show up, the money will be gone either way (they don't offer cancellations). This has incentivized me to show up at least twice a week consistently for the last 10 months now. It's done wonders for both my physical and mental health. And seeing the same familiar faces of consistent goers each visit feels comforting, especially since a few of them were also beginners when I started.
@@genericplantlife i guess the difference is our gyms have transparent upfront costs. i rarely get charged for anything else either, except for the occasional bottle of water or rented towel i forget to bring from home
The only scammy aspect about gym memberships I’ve encountered is ending your membership. One gym made you jump through hoops, submitting a written form, delaying processing until the next automated payment date.
Another gym promised I could end the membership if I had to move. What they did was try to delay me enough so I actually had to move before I cornered them into giving a refund. But I was persistent and got the right person at the right time. I was a student at the time and every penny counted.
What’s beautiful about the gym is the community! A lot of people will look out for you especially when ur doing a workout wrong! Or when they come up and encourage you!
Subscriber from California here and I can tell you this is all 100% true and has been true for YEARS. They absolutely count on you not showing up and I have had numerous extremely shady gym salesmen try to push their BS on me 20-25 years ago. The only major gym that didn't was the YMCA.
Thankfully
I was so put off gyms over the past 20 years, I invested in a few things for my home, and now I work out every day happily at home, alone, without spending extra every month.
Literally my goal. Gonna get my own adjustable dumbbell, door pull up bar. I also run around my neighborhood in the mornings. I want to get a good workout at home and stop going to the gym.
Loved this Video! Perfect timing as always too! I do not have a gym membership but have been contemplating getting a YWCA/YMCA membership so my kids can swim year round. In 2001, I lived in California and joined Bally's, mainly to do spinning classes with a friend that was already a member. That contract was a BEAST to get out of and the ONLY way I was able to escape was that there wasn't a Bally's in the new state I was moving to. Since then, I have avoided big gyms and their contracts. I do some kettlebell exercises at home, hot yoga 3x a week, and chase after my kids! That's plenty for me!! Thank you again for a wonderful video!! :)
The basic message of this video: Don’t join a gym if you don’t plan on using it. Save time, and skip to the next video.
My spouse and I have been going to a quality gym in Philadelphia for 15 years. There is a focus on health, and they offer many quality products and services to support our health goals. I would recommend a quality gym to anyone, contrary to the message of this video. We pay a little more then a typical gym but it’s totally worth it.
I’m quite lucky cause my local gym is very transparent and super kind. It’s not usually too busy after work and is very accommodating. It’s the main reason I go there honestly
That's fantastic you found such a good one! Thanks for sharing, Dylan 🤗
I wouldn’t call it a scam. If you buy something and don’t “use” it, is that really a scam? You could also say TH-camrs are scammers since they push endless products based on whoever offer’s to sponsor them…
It's a scam when they overcharge you, renew your membership without permission, demand access to your bank account, make it impossible to cancel, on and on.
I started building my home gym with pandemics, thank goddesses, best thing I've ever done.
Cheaper in the long run too.
I found stuff at Goodwill! Under $10 equipment, well kept. So thankful for it.
Hey, I have a B.S. and M.S. in Exercise Science, multiple certs and multiple years in this industry. I have two things to add here:
1. Even if personal trainers have a certification. Most trainers will still have no clue what they’re doing and even if you’re paying $80 a session you’re not getting your money’s worth.
2. Resistance training is different than a healthy lifestyle. If you want to look aesthetically pleasing it’s required. If you want to not get sarcopenia it’s required although biking is great too. If you want to reduce osteoporosis it’s required. If you want to reduce chances of injury and be harder to kill it’s required. People need some level of intensity in load bearing activities. ACSM guidelines for healthy adults is 2 days a week of resistance training
I’ve worked at a number of gyms and health clubs from your entry level gyms like Planet Fitness to your higher end gyms like Lifetime. And all of them have had some sort of shady business practice in how they charge their members and make canceling memberships as impossible as they can.
But what’s equally as true is how much that isn’t an accurate reflection in the gym itself. That front desk employee that you think is doing everything in their power to keep you as a member really doesn’t care if you want to stay or not. Those policies come from the top of the chain. Your employees making minimum wage that just need a job are only doing that because they have to or they’ll be fired.
So, the next time that you have a problem with your gym and how it operates, please be sure to direct that anger at the appropriate party. Don’t make the poor person that’s just there to scan you in feel like hell because someone at the corporate level won’t stop charging you. They literally don’t have the power to stop those payments. I’ve worked at gyms where they started revoking the power of those employees to do so because it “was making it too easy for people to quit”. They just want to do their job and go home. Yelling at them won’t fix anything.
My best piece of advice for those struggling to cancel their membership and stop payments would be to either correspond with corporate/customer service via email or by calling and recording the conversation (make sure you check the laws in your region and if you have to inform the other person on the line if they’re being recorded). That way, you can take your case to your state’s attorney general with documented evidence that you’ve been unfairly treated and charged while following the right steps to get out of your contract.
Also, if you’re moving, see if you can transfer your membership to a closer location first before cancelling. Lots of gyms will still require you to come in-person and won’t always accept whatever proof you provide that you have moved. This way, you can deal with cancelling your membership at the closer location instead of being told that you have to travel all the way back to wherever you originally signed up.
Hopefully that was some help. It’s really a pain when these companies prioritize profiting via shady means over actually trying to better things in order to maintain their retention rates. But hey, that’s just my two cents.
Never had a problem with LIFETIME. what shady practices they got. Give me the Tea. I mean I won't leave. I need the hot yoga, sauna, steam room, cold plunge, and scenery. But fuck Alpha (always taking the racks).
@@sdr8962 With Lifetime, my main issue was less about things involving the guests and more so with the job itself. I was hired to be on the maintenance crew and I thought I’d be going around and cleaning up the facilities. They stuck me in the laundry room for every shift (for 8+ hours at a time). Also, they had expected me to work machinery to clean the locker room/shower facilities that I’d never been trained on (nor had I indicated that I knew how to). So, they painted a bit of a different picture as to what my job would look like compared to what I would actually be doing.
And when it came to training for the job, a lot of the tutorials they made you watch came off of as really plastic and like the people who made them had never worked a day of customer/guest/member service in their lives (at least, not without having a phone in between them and the member).
So, I would actually say that they’re by far on the better side of things and the work environment was much nicer and more positive than pretty much any of the other places I worked in. But I still would suggest making sure that you know what you’re getting into and that you’re comfortable expressing issues with the tasks you’ve been delegated if you have any.
At first I was told a gym membership was necessary because of the equipment. And then the pandemic happened and suddenly apparently you can just easily set up a gym at home. The fancy dedicated machines are easier to use, but they also kinda encourage bad habits, I think.
What's great about home gym equipment is you don't have to clean it.
what bad habits do they encourage?
@@Mr_Boifriend you dont need to actually actively think about form or the mechanics of how you're moving your body since the machine is only going to do what the machine will do. in some cases that's good, but in others not so
Im an electrician and did a bunch of work for a local remodeling company over the pandemic and two of the most common installations I did with finished basements was bars and home gyms. And every home gym I built never had all the fancy weight machines that you find at something like a planet fitness. They were pretty simple, it was a big TV up on the wall with a good stereo, a peloton bike for cardio, and for resistance. It was usually resistance bands attached to a sturdy mounting point on the ceiling and a good set of dumbbells and a weight bench.
I found 90% of what I did at the gym was the elliptical machine, so I just bought one and put it in the spare bedroom. I mounted a TV on the wall, added a yoga mat, some basic free-weights and a pull-up bar, and it's convenient enough that I actually use it quite a bit, at least in winter. For example today I warmed up with a 20 minute guided yoga routine from Apple Fitness, did an hour on the elliptical while watching a movie, and then wrapped it up with about 20 minutes of free-weights, and I didn't even have to put clothes on (sorry if that's TMI). Well worth the investment, I hope to never be without a home gym again.
To be clear, recurring fee cancellation issues are a bank scam, not specifically a scam for businesses that use these fees.
I was a gym member for at least 2 years and loved it and enjoyed it while my health was at its peak. My health declined some time this year and kept getting constantly sick, so I stopped going. I had different issues with gyms tbh but the last paid gym I had was nice but the gym needed refurbishments. My work gym (which is free) is a lot nicer, but I haven't been going due to not knowing anyone.
Gym's work for a lot of people, and can be totally legit but sadly there's a couple of big bad apples that ruin the bunch. Thanks for leaving a comment. 🙏🏻
Seems like the editors are starting to have more and more fun with your format and I love it. Keep it up
Haha yeah we've got some great people on our team, thanks for the love!
I definitely think this is changing thanks to social media. I was just telling my boyfriend I may cancel my gym membership because there’s SO MUCH PEOPLE NOW. They gym near me is 24 hour fitness but it’s a really small one and I’ve been going for so many years because I love how small and how little people were always there. The majority of people that went were also a much older crowd. But now, no more. Thanks for social media. The fitness world has like become super popular. Even on TikTok there’s like videos of people going crazy when new gym is open. It’s kind of scary. People also use it now is like a hang out spot with their friends or like to take videos and pictures for social media and it’s honestly exhausting to me. I like going to the gym to destress and decompress and it’s a lot harder for me because there’s so much people
Gyms are fabulous for older folks! My husband and I are senior citizens and we love our local gym. Working out has kept us strong and flexible and have maintained our cardiovascular fitness. We're aghast at how sickly and overweight our contemporaries are becoming. Since we've been gym rats, we have zero increases in medication doses and NO additional new medications. At our age, this is a giant accomplishment. It is worth every penny for this alone, but there's also the community component. We're working out with friendly young people and it's nice to be around fitness-minded folks. I can't think of any downside.
Not every mentality that hurts your feeling is damaging. If you're reading this, make sure to keep your head up, work out and stop listening to people who are obviously losing in life.
Fr
thanks to my local gym membership and the facilities to train hard, Im in excellent shape.
So if membership is a scam, then its a scam that has allowed me to get in and stay in shape.
I feel that this is why crossfit gyms can be so successful: pricier subscription, but more structured, with what is virtually a personal trainer relationship, and a strict cap on how many times per week you can go (depending on subscription). Also, the workouts are quite different every day (less boring than regular gym), within a theme lasting several weeks. The 'small class' nature of the sessions makes quite personal relationships between other goers in the session, and offers encouragement and accountability. It lends some competitive nature if you even want to indulge in that as you try go a bit further, faster, and harder than your new friends.
At twice a week, my regimen is simply Tuesday and Thursday late afternoon. It's a highly doable commitment to high intensity low rep workouts, with a cost that incentives getting your money's worth. Then after 6 months, you start to visually notice those 2 hours per week benefits. You feel them from month 2.
I often want more sessions per week, and find myself actively trying to NOT increase to the three times per week or unlimited subscriptions.
The problem with CrossFit is that it’s still unregulated(some locations are run by veteran powerlifters while others boast severely underqualified instructors, promotes excercises that are more dangerous or less beneficial than their more commonly used counterparts, and combines cardio and resistance training which decreases the efficacy of the resistance training.
The gyms do seem pretty tight knit tho so motivation from community engagement is definitely a plus
I pay less than $300 per year for membership at one of the big national chains. And as someone who gets in the gym at least 4 times a week if not daily, I think that's a bargain. Most folks will never amass that kind of equipment in their homes., or even have room for anything equivalent. For me, folks need to just walk in the door to get my nod of approval. Just show up. Start light and easy. Make it easy enough that you want to return. And work your way up from there.
What is the complaint here-- how dare they charge for a service I paid for?
How dare they charge for a service I'm too lazy to use
Home gym FTW! Not only do I get to workout when I want, without the gym rats staring me down, but no monthly fees! Just wish I had someone to mop up my sweat. 💪🏻
Get a tradwife.
This is why one should only buy a gym membership if one knows what they will be doing. That is, one should have a personalized workout program you know you will stick to, with specific, attainable goals, and you have concluded that the gym will allow you to accomplish said goals, therefore using the gym itself as a means to an end instead of signing up to only find out you don’t what you’re doing. This makes for long term success at any gym.
I loathe gyms. My wife was pressured into signing up for a year membership at a local gym but she tried to make the best of it. She ended up getting sick from a chronic illness and couldn’t work out for a while. I knew we had to pay the fees for the rest of the year but when it came to the end, they told us I had to call on the exact day it expired and let them know we didn’t want to renew otherwise they’d renew her membership automatically. I couldn’t give a request in advance. Some of these gym owners are so slimy.
The one health new years resolution I've actually stuck to.... going for a walk. Started with 10k steps and a $30 watch. 6-8k steps a day is achievable, a ten minute morning and lunch walk, then 30 min evening walk. #notacertifiedcoach
Levi & Leah LOVE their morning walks, always down for walk content 😅😅
If you are in the USA and qualify for Medicare, you probably qualify for Silver Sneakers. That means free gym memberships at many different gyms. I really enjoyed my experience at the gym, but be sure to use hand sanitizer between every piece of equipment that you have to touch! After picking up a nasty virus, I have gone back to using my home exercise equipment.
The end is the best advice. With the exception of a select few, lifting weights ISN'T fun, and while you kind of need a good gym to really work everything, for the rest of us, there isn't really anything in there that you need. You don't need an elliptical, just walk faster and on hills. You don't need a stairmaster, you just need stairs. Live actively, don't eat tons of crap, and you'll be healthier and enjoy it more. I recently rekindled my love of running. Rain, shine, snow. Don't care. That and yoga. I wish I didn't have bony, wimpy shoulders. But for the hours and hours it would take me away from family just to look slightly less lanky and maybe have an easier time pushing a door open, it's just not worth it.
This is spot on, I worked at GoodLife as a personal trainer and it was eye opening, I had been working out and doing sports most of my life and felt I had gathered a fair amount of knowledge on training and personal fitness. Goodlife’s personal trainer certificate program is a 2 day weekend course where more than half the people couldn’t even do a push up and were expected to train people with just two days of practical and theoretical knowledge. Once you get the “certification” they immediately pressure you to start selling personal training packages to clients at the gym. You get paid less when not training a client and more when you are which pressures you even more to sell sell sell. When people first come to a gym they are extremely intimidated and self conscious and preying on those people is goodlife’s business model. Selling thousands of dollars in training packages to people who just want to try and get fit and who really don’t need personal training. Needless to say I quit that job within a month or so.…….. nice gyms though
I love you channel and the topics you cover. I do have to say there are some amazing gyms with community motivation, lovely people to meet and expensive equipment you wouldn't want to buy and maintain yourself. Planet Fitness is one of the worst of the bunch though I suppose they are good for some people. Thanks for the content, yall putting out some of the best pro-consumer content there is right now.
Hey there, yeah we definitely covered some of the worst examples here - there's always better options for those willing to do the digging. Thank you for the support, we really appreciate it!!!
I just heard an ad for a gym that said “there’s still 11 and a half months to accomplish your New Year’s resolution!” 🙄🙄
Also noticed target immediately switching their advertising from comfy cozy Christmas stuff to health conscious, meal prepping exercising stuff. They even switched the advertising on Christmas Day afternoon!
WoaAaah okay did not know about target changing their products like that, definitely worth looking into. Thanks for sharing!!
@@FutureProofTV yeah as soon as I opened the app on Christmas late afternoon the front page changed from Christmas advertising to fitness advertising
I was offered a job at a gym I used to work out at, it seemed pretty interesting at first since I went 5 times a week and liked the idea of a free membership. When it got to the training part though, the boss was straight up teaching me to figure out the potential member’s insecurities and body shame them into buying a year long membership 🙃 needless to say I quit that same day and started working out at a different branch. The super low pay for 8 hours a day 6 days a week and free membership wasn’t really worth all that.
Never had any interest in going to a gym, or a membership or any of that shenanigans, the fact that so many talk so much about it is enough to keep me away; glad to know that, once again, I have good reason to go against the crowd (which is why I often do)
I've always thought gym memberships were scams but never did the research to articulate it. Thank you for creating this video so I can share to all my friends with a cheeky "Hah! I told you"
Hahahahah that's what we're here for 😅 no but seriously, it's just not the be all end all solution so many people think it is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yea I think some are overpriced but you must decide is it worth it , looking like a couch potato or paying something pricey but in the long run , is great for your body. Been going for a year and a half. Has greatly changed my life and mind for the better.
It's a scam if you aren't going to use it...
This is why you should really avoid exercise plans or memberships that don't charge a fixed monthly subscription, or offer highly discounted rates for longer memberships. The incentives are just not there for the program to help you to succeed (and may even run counter to your success). One thing I love about my climbing gym is they have a fixed monthly costs, and you can cancel every month. Their incentive is to get people to love coming to the gym, and potentially sell them some coffee or beer after the climb.
So many good points in this video. Some types of people do benefit from a gym and make it worthwhile. I've mostly always worked out on my own and it can be fun and effective. As I get older, I just choose activities that I enjoy. No need to pay lots of money or commit to other's programs.
Cancelation fees are like $20. Not a big deal. Just cancel if you want to switch gyms or something. The only way it's going to suck up a lot of money is if you are too lazy to cancel and let it keep billing you for years
Been working in gyms for nearly 6 years. Notes:
- Many gyms focus on personal training as a source of income as profit margins on monthly memberships are slim. This is mostly true in big box gyms that are franchised to local owners, in which case most of the monthly dues from membership are paid out to corporate ownership & overhead. This is where additional dues are added, like sign-up or annual fees.
- Due to the above note, I've noticed that the predatory behavior of gym marketing is less focused on profiting off of inactive members and more focused on getting people in the door. The more people who enter, the more likely they are to spend money on the secondary or tertiary offerings. Classes, tanning, personal training, apparel, drinks/snacks, etc.
- Membership cancellation requires a signature. This can be done in-person or via letter in most gyms. I didn't think this was weird at all. This is so your crazy relative or s/o can't call up and cancel your membership without consent. The "reason for cancelling" thing is a performance metric, not bullying. Management keeps track of how many people cancel and their reasons in an effort to find weak points and improve them. Source: I've used these reports
- I disagree with the claim that gyms tailor their curb appeal to people who won't use the facility to it's real extent. I feel like the dressed-up facilities that feel more boutique-ey are equally incentivezed to keep people using their services as the big box gyms I mentioned above. They want you spending more time in their location. That's why they make them so welcoming. Take a look at Equinox and their New Year 2023 marketing campaign. They prevented new signups on 1/1/23.
Conclusion/Tl;Dr
The more time you spend anywhere, gym, retail location, restaurant, etc., the more money you spend. Gym owners know this and focus on getting people through the door.
I've been all the way up and down the ladder within franchised gyms and the philosophy has seemingly remained the same. Get people in the door and sell them personal training. Waive the membership fees if needed, as the profit is better from training anyway.
Lol, just in time for new year's resolution season. 😆 I'm embarrassed to admit that I've fallen for this scam several times as an adult. Not this year! In 2023, I resolve to just sit on the couch! 🤠
Haha deliberately posted this right before the boom 👀👀
Happy new year, Future Proof crew! 🎉 Thanks for all the great videos in 2022! Looking forward to more and seeing this channel grow in 2023!
Sad. Grown adult 🤦♂️here I am at 16 destroying my body to prove people wrong
Doritos is giving 5 less chips per bag due to shrinkflation and that will save them around $50 million and make you upset. less to munch on now :(
@@Hyyyshdhsagreed,fitness should not be an option your body need to move and be healthy
Great watch. Fascinating looking at it from this perspective. Especially as a relative non gym goer myself. I'm lucky to have a gym in my building but all I do in there is use the treadmill. I've always assumed gyms were easy money with how popular they are with regards to people wanting to better themselves. But I guess it's easier said than done when it actually comes to making a gym profitable like some of the massive gym chains as opposed to the smaller family style gyms.
*The physical letter is wild tho 😂😂😂 and I can imagine how many people can't be bothered and just leave it be and let the payments just rack up
I have joined gym before and paid membership for years without going. Never again. Now I swim daily in my community pool that no one used. I do yoga following TH-cam teachers. I do body weight workout. No excuse no driving no waiting.
I remember going through all of that with a gym in Australia in the late 90s. When I realised I wasn’t using it and to cancel, they used all of those tactics, including sending a collection agency after me. I’d documented all their promises and failures though, and then responded with a letter heavily referencing Australia’s “Trade Practice Act”, alleging their failures amounted to a breach of contract with made any commitments on my part null and void and they could see me in court. They tried calling me, I held my ground, and I never heard from them, or the collection agency, again. Still resonates as a very satisfying victory even to this day! 😂
Edge fitness clubs is one of the worst gyms when it comes to sneakiness and keeping people charged even when they try to cancel, maybe worth looking into people's stories for a video..? 🙏 Always great content y'all, keep it up!🙌
Ooh will def do some digging into them. Thanks for the suggestion and for joining us here! We freakin appreciate you 😁
And this is why I've always had a home gym. Side bonus is I can look as rough as I want and fart on every rep.
I worked out twice a week at a gym in the UK for a year near work and never spoke to anyone, it was boring. Everyone was intent in their zone. I decided to resign and handed a letter stating this in an envelope to the owner and walked away from the desk. She denied ever receiving it and I had to pay for longer before they graciously allowed me to leave. Jeez. Now, age 70, I work out at home and it's a lot cheaper and easier.
Your whole video was good but the end felt like a strawman. I've been going to the gym for a long time and trust me, not once have I encountered the "stereotypical gym bro". Most people I've met are really chill and helpful. And going to the gym IS a good idea, but not to become like the rock or Chris Hemsworth but to stay healthy and keep your body engaged.
As long as you don't set unrealistic expectations, the gym life won't disappoint you.
I second this wholeheartedly. Me personally, I set actual aesthetic goals and not just exercising absent-mindedly like the video suggests.
I feel like you missed the boat here. Yes the business model is to have many subscribers who are not users… but this should be clear to anyone who’s given it a minute of thought. If you indeed use the facility, you are getting GREAT value, because all of the non-users are subsidizing your cost. Your advice at the end of the video is backwards, only very serious gym-goers with specific goals should go to the boutique gyms (powerlifters, CrossFit/f45 type thing, true bodybuilders) these are more expensive because the clients are serious and therefore use the facility, so they can’t accept as many members. If you use the gym it’s great value, if you don’t, it’s not - no different than anything else
Hearing all this makes me appreciate my gym. It's a local gym, fairly big and equipped. They have no memberships obviously, you can pay from a single day to a hole year in cash or card, a machine at the entrace tell you how many days you have left and when it's done you just pay again. If I decide to not attend anymore I should probably go and ask them to delete my fingerprint and stuff, but I could just never pay anymore.
If they make it difficult for you to quit your gym membership, just tell your bank to block any transactions from them. Easy. Worst they can do is call you getting upset.
But, if you truly quit, don't ever come back. Leave space for us that actually want to use the gym.
Have a mess of gym horror stories (I've moved around quite a bit) from a Planet Fitness in downtown Brooklyn that never didn't have a line for every machine - even at 1am!? to a Bally's where the "complimentary" training session left me locked in a room with a 'roided out monster who told me I had to sign up for his training because "that's how I make money" (after repeatedly saying "no thanks" we eventually just sat there in silence until another staff member opened the door to asked why it was locked? ((I never returned)). I agree that a local gym is usually the best and worked for me until I just bought an elliptical off of Craigslist and cancelled my membership.
you are talking about the one at Hoyt st. upstairs from the 2 train? I walk by that branch often, wanted to go inside...
@@defaultworkouts Yes! Go downstairs to where the workout machines are if you want to REALLY see something. If I recall, the elliptical machines upstairs barely got any use, so it's no wonder the gym looks appealing from street level? Granted this was over ten years ago but I just checked yelp and reviews from this year indicate not much has improved.
Great informative non-biased video.
Ayee thanks so much!!
going to the gym is not a scam as he is trying to put it. Rather it's more mentally involving, and requires an incredible amount of resolve to commit to going to a gym consistently. It's all down to the person.
You don't recognize how self-refuting that run-on sentence is, do you??
I knew a lot of this. I have an active lifestyle (hiking, traveling, scuba, etc.) and it does me well. When I was living in Texas, there wasn't a lot of activities I could do to keep in shape, so I joined a gym. But it was a local gym with a few hundred members. It was small (maybe 10 people at a time), in a bad neighbourhood (low rent). The equipment was old but well maintained. The owner was the trainer. He had degrees and certifications posted to show he knew what he was doing.
But many times I have had companies which provided discount gym memberships. They waved the activation fee. They signed people up around New Year, limited time offer. They had gyms all over the country. When would you ever use them? I'm not going to the gym on vacation. I'm certainly not going to the gym on the other side of town.
I also helped friends figure out the maze of things you had to do in order to cancel your gym membership. It wasn't that hard. It was just buried in all the paperwork they made you sign when you joined. After carefully reading it and following the instructions, you could cancel your membership. But they usually got one or two more months out of you before the paperwork got processed.
The one thing I never really understood was the gyms with advertising that body shamed you. It was so demotivating. I used to think they were out of touch with the vast majority of people. Now I realize, they sign people up in January then they start running all these demotivating ads in order to make many of the people who signed up stop going to the gym. It makes so much more sense now. They WANTED to demotivate people. You sign up 1,000 but only have room for 100 people at the gym. You want 90% of them to stop showing up.
I never liked gyms, but I really enjoy working out and do it every day. For less than $100 total, you can buy a set of resistance bands, an over-the-door pull-up bar and a set of gymnastic rings and straps. Your entire gym can fit into a small cardboard box when you’re not using it. Add your feet to that, and you can run or walk outdoors for your cardio (you might need to invest in some layers for when it’s really cold out. ) If you want to get fancy, you can ride a bike, which can also double as transportation. And, if you really get into it, you can buy some dumbbells and maybe a bench - but that’s totally optional.
In fact, to get started, you don’t even need to buy the resistance bands or gymnastic rings. A totally bodyweight based routine is completely free, and can get you in perfect beach shape (if that’s your goal), and/or help you get/stay healthy. I’m 70, so my goal is to “stay healthy”.