Top 10 Things Your Fitness Club Won't Tell You

Smart Money recently published an article on the top 10 things your fitness club won't tell you. Some of these are irritating, and I have to argue back on them, especially in regards to where I work. They really demonize the gym industry. There is good and bad in any business, but I want to reply to their Top 10 list.

1. "If you're still here in April, it'll be a miracle." This is true. Most people that join in the beginning of the year, drop out, and I absolutely hate that. I can meet someone new and beg them to make changes otherwise they will drop off again, but they won't believe me. You have to get some help sometimes if you are going to try to accomplish something you've never done before.
2. "Don't touch anything -- this place is crawling with bacteria." True also. My gym does have wipes all over the gym, but there is bacteria everywhere. If this discourages you from joining a gym, let me add that I have worked in gyms for 10 years and I haven't been sick since around February of 2001, and rarely before that. I'm in the gym 8 - 1o hours a day. If eating healthy and keeping in shape keeps me from getting sick when I'm in there 50+ hours a week, you will be ok for the 2 - 3 hours you are in the gym.
3. "We're not equipped to handle health emergencies." This just isn't true for my gym. We have training, everyone is CPR trained, and we have electronic defibulators.
4. "Our trainers don't know what they're doing." Listen to me on this, it take 1 weekend for someone to become a personal trainer. Do your research and don't hire just anyone. I've already done some articles on this if you look around on this site, but there are several trainers that don't have a clue what they are doing. Lucky for members at our gym, our trainers have to pass the NASM, which is not easy for most trainers. It's pretty extensive, so lucky for our members, you have better trainers than most gyms.
5. "We won't let you quit." Don't enter a long term contract without reading the fine print. I'm so glad my gym is month to month. You can leave anytime with us, which is the way it should be.
6. "Be sure to read the fine print on our contract." Never sign anything without reading it first. That applies to everything in life.
7. "Our equipment can be downright dangerous." Again, my gym and some 24 hour fitnesses have a staff that does nothing but repair work on equipment. That's very important. I'm glad we have that.
8. "Everything is negotiable." I think memberships can sometimes be negotiated. That's not my department though, so my comments are pointless on this one.
9. "If your wallet gets lifted, it's not our problem." That's probably true. If you walk into a grocery store and your wallet gets lifted, I don't think they reimburse you either.
10. "Go ahead and sue; you'll never win." This isn't always true. Pay attention to what you sign. I've heard of cases where people have sued despite the club saying they are not responsible for things and win too.