What make up the best gyms in Calgary?

Growing up in athletics, I was heavily involved in Calgary’s health and fitness community as a consumer. This experience as a consumer and now as a working health and fitness professional brings a unique perspective that help me share some insight and guidance to other’s looking to take their health back and lead themselves to a better lifestyle. This article is designed to help bring you the tips and tricks you need to connect with the right people and places that can help you reach your goals.

1. If they are a good facility, they won't make you sign a contract

We’ve all been there before – you’re ready to make a change in your lifestyle, so you check out some of the facilities in your community. When entering the building, you’re often greeted by someone at the front desk who offers you a free tour to show you around the space. After getting you excited about the facility and the services they offer, they propose the membership options that require you to sign a contract. More often than not, we sign these contracts with full intention to use the facility but sometimes life happens and our plans change. We try to cancel the contract only to find out we are on the hook for the remaining term.

As it goes with any business – if they show up everyday and do their job properly, they will not need to keep you locked in with a contract. A leader in health and fitness will give you membership flexibility, helping you reach your goals regardless if it is with them or another gym.

2. They offer free trials and introductory offers

Big lifestyle changes require big decisions that are difficult to make. They often include a short or long term financial commitment, along with a personal commitment to utilize whatever product or service you are looking at. The gym you decide to join should provide you with the right equipment and tools to succeed, but the gym should also be able to help uncover your goals and service them. Whether it is a trial membership or assessment, the facility you join should give you some sort of free option to test the waters and help discover if the gym is the right fit for you and if you are a right fit for the gym. If they don’t have the right people or equipment to help you, they should be honest with you and help point you in the right direction.

3. The facility is clean and the equipment is reliable

This is one of the most important things when identifying the best gyms in Calgary. When using a gym, most of us will require an area to get changed, lock up our valuables, use the washroom and even shower. There is nothing worse than stepping bare foot on a dirty floor, placing our most valuable belongings in a rickety locker, using a washroom that isn’t maintained daily and showers we are afraid to step barefoot in. In the gym area, we proceed to touch and lay down on different surfaces that require constant maintenance and cleaning. Without maintenance, our favorite machines end up being broken for an extended period of time. If we can’t use the right equipment, what are we paying for anyways?

When doing a facility tour or enjoying one of their free trials or introductory offers, pay attention to the small details at the gym. Does equipment look old and unreliable? Is there dirt or dust on the floor? Do other members clean equipment and return it back to where they got it from? These are all important questions to consider when choosing a new gym.

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