So today I went gym shopping

By | January 10, 2012

Not shopping for gym clothes or sneakers or anything, for a gym.

I’m coming up on two years at Boom Fitness and while I like it, I don’t love it. So I decided to see what’s out there. Figured it can’t hurt to be a diligent shopper so I hit NYSC & Equinox

Putting it as a pros and cons to help myself decide even though I think I’ve already made my decision.

Current gym:
Boom Fitness:
Pros:

  • Not very crowded so I can get machines without waiting.
  • Not that expensive (about $60/month)
  • Relatively convenient

Cons:

  • Not as good a value as it used to be since prices have come down in the market.
  • Doesn’t have a good range of classes (that I don’t take anyway)
  • Not on my way home so I can’t always make myself go.

New York Sports Club – I used to be a member of NYSC before moving (& joining Boom) but not the location that I went to today.
Pros:

  • Between my apartment & the subway. Would take a conscious effort to avoid going. Not that I’m not capable of said effort.
  • Promotional deal to returning members brings the cost to less than Boom Fitness
  • Has more classes, but see above

Cons:

  • Due to location it’s very crowded and I saw a lot of people waiting for machines. I don’t have the patience and would likely walk out vs. get my exercise in.
  • Looked kind of dingy. Could be due to volume of use
  • No pool at this location

Equinox:
Pros:

  • On.My.Block – there’s no way to avoid going here without feeling guilty
  • WOW. An Upper East Side Gym. Clean, nice lighting. Good number of machines. Amazing class schedule. Showers are like a spa and it *has* a spa
  • No hard sell

Cons:

  • Price. The initiation & monthly costs are high although there are plans that waive the initiation

It’s clear which gym I liked the most, but there’s no way I can swing Equinox much as I’d like to. Going to file it for when my financial circumstances change.

There’s a Gold’s Gym near the office, but none that I know of up here & since I tend to be more of a weekend gym go-er, I don’t see that working out well for me. None of the other ones listed up here are really close enough to be worth it. I really miss Planet Fitness. Can’t beat price.

So I guess BOOM it is.

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