Gym Belle Q&A: What gym should I join?

Many readers have asked me which gym to join in their neighborhood.

Before we talk about which gym to join, understand that it's ok not to join one at all.  Really.  Lots of very active, in-shape people are not card carrying members of any one gym in particular.  In fact, if you travel a lot, already do a sport or participate in a non-gym activity, have a gym in your building, or just plain have commitment issues, it may not make sense.  In NYC, your a la carte options abound for all kinds of activities and you should feel free to play the field.

If one-stop shopping is more your speed, you're looking for a good home base, or if, despite what I've said, you still believe that joining a gym is up there on the "should list" with voting and regular dental checkups, then here's what I recommend you consider in whatever order suits you:

Price  In most NYC neighborhoods, you should have at least a few options and monthly membership fees really do vary (from about $60, $65 on the low end to $900 at Tracy Anderson's gym). Most gyms have an initiation fee in addition to the monthly membership fees.  Often you can get a deal on the initiation fee.  If there's not a promotion going on, don't hesitate to ask if that fee can be waived or lowered.  It's worth a shot, especially these days.  Also, check to see if you can get a discount through work or if they offer student discounts.  Note what the commitment is.  Can you go month to month or are you locked in for a year?

Location  It's raining.  It's 5:30 in the morning.  The sun is not up and it's maybe 17 degrees outside.  How many blocks are you willing to walk to get to the gym?  Subtract a few blocks, and that's your radius.  Seriously, all the wonderful things about that cool gym that's just a drop farther will not matter if you don't get out of bed to go. 

Locations Some gyms offer memberships that cover multiple locations.  At some gyms, the difference between a single location membership and a multiple location one is neglible, at others there's a big difference in price.  Multiple locations can be nice if a) you take classes a lot and want the variety b) your significant other lives in a different part of the city or c) your office is in a different part of the city.  Otherwise, you may not care.

Locker Room  If your gym is two blocks away, the locker room probably doesn't matter much.  If you plan on showering there, though, especially en route to work, it matters.  Especially for women.  You want it to be clean and secure.  You also want to see what the wait is like for a shower or a blow dryer in the morning.  Find out if the shampoo and conditioner are workable, or if you'll need to bring your own.  (Equinox, good call on the Khiels.)  Can you store your things in a permanent locker?

Equipment  Does the gym have what you like?  Are there time limits during peak hours?  How well do they maintain the equipment?  Worn out treadmill are no fun.  Is their cardio equipment the latest and greatest with places to plug in your iPod and personal TVs?

Classes  Do they have what you want at the times you'll be there?  Gyms cater to their main crowd.  On the upper east side, this means that a lot of gyms offer the best classes between 9am and 11am.  Other locations focus on 5pm to 7pm or mid-day.

Aesthetics  Gyms should be relatively clean places, but some gyms are places to sweat and others are more luxurious.  Be honest about what you want and who you want to work out with.

Other Needs You may want to consider whether the gym provides day care services or whether there are trainers walking the floor who can help you.

Most gyms offer passes so that you can try them out, usually for between 3 and 7 days.  Before you sign up, try it out.  Test it out the way you plan to really use it.  If you're planning on going before work, do that.  You won't know how much time you really need or what the water pressure is like otherwise.  If you're interested in a class, try it.  It's great that there's 6:30am spin on the schedule, but if the instructor's lame or doesn't play your kind of music, you're not going to go.   Don't make assumptions about a gym based on the chain.  Locations vary and each one has a personality.  If you don't believe me about personality, just ask any instructor who teaches at a few locations. 

Happy sweating!

-Gym Belle-

Dumpster Pools at Summer Streets

I love NYC.  There's really just one problem.  There aren't any good places to swim in Manhattan in the summer.  The public pools work in a pinch, but the draconian rules make for less than leisurely lounging.  Some of the hotels have rooftop pools, but getting in usually requires quite a bit of cash, if not a room key.  This is why so many New Yorkers leave the city in the summer.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.  So, when a friend told me that this year's Summer Streets would include dumpster pools, I figured we should check it out.  We woke up early last Saturday morning and were able to join in the first swim of the day. 

Dumpster pools are, in fact, actual dumpsters that have been converted into pools.  For Summer Streets, there are three pools, each with a different depth.  As you can see, despite their trashy origins, they're pretty spiffy.  And it was pretty cool to splash around looking up at this:

Curious New Yorkers and intrepid tourists have one more chance to check out the dumpster pools this Saturday at Summer Streets.  The pools are located at 40th and Park.  The bracelets required to enter are handed out on a first come first serve basis starting at 7:00am, and 35 people are let in at a time for 20 minute swims.  There are changing rooms on the premesis and little cubbies you can leave your stuff in.  This is New York, though, so I brought my things up to the pool.

Happy Splashing!

-Gym Belle-

Fight Gone Bad - For Good

Each year, CrossFit affiliates across the country do a special Fight Gone Bad workout to raise money for charity.  This year, FGB5 is raising money for Livestrong, the Wounded Warrior Project and the CrossFit Foundation.  Naturally, I've joined team CrossFit Metropolis!

I have done Fight Gone Bad twice.  The first time was when I completed Elements at CrossFit NYC (a/k/a the Black Box).  The second time was about a month ago.  (I haven't blogged about that yet because I've been saving my thoughts for a post on the importance of aspirational goals.  Stay tuned.) 

Fight Gone Bad consists of three rounds of one minute at each of five stations.  There is a one minute rest between rounds.  The stations are as follows:

1. Wall-balls
2. Sumo deadlift high-pulls
3. Box jumps
4. Push-presses
5. Row

Your score is the number of reps completed at stations 1 through 4, and the calories you burn during the rows.  I find the wall-balls the be the hardest station.  (You squat and throw a weighted ball up against a wall.  It sounds way less brutal than it feels after, say, thirty seconds.) 

Last time I did this, I scored 225 using a 10 lb ball, a 42 lb barbell for the sumo deadlift high-pulls and a 35 lb bar for the push presses. 

I'm not sure what weights etc. I'll be using for FGB5, but I'll let you know when I do.  In the meantime, feel free to encourage me by donating to the three great causes we're raising money for!  (You can learn more about the charities on my donation page.)  Cheerleaders are also welcome. 

FGB5 takes place on Saturday, September 25.  Mark your calendars and I'll keep you posted!

-Gym Belle-