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How Gyms Make Money (2015)

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Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#151

Post by grudg3 »

cko wrote: post #104
nelblu wrote: post #25

I've been a gym rat for almost 20 years now, and I'm probably the worst customer for gyms. I only workout at 24*7 gyms and being an early bird I get there at 430 and I have pretty much the whole gym for myself. I am there 6 days a week and I always shower at the gym. Further, I use the corporate discounts available to join the memberships. With all that, it comes down to approx. $50 a month for membership and I used…

I lived out of my Toyota 4runner for 5 months. I would go to the Planet Fitness in the morning, take a long shower using their soap and hot water, do some exercise, and leave. Membership was $5 a month (for a 3-year contract. Now I live in Romania and gym memberships are $50-70 a month but people actually go there

Why would you shower before exercising and not after?

Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#152

Post by sundvor »

xrd wrote: post #79

I'm surprised no one has compared Peloton. And, also surprised that Peloton can get away with charging ~$50/mo. But, then again, that's not so far off. I see activity on the Peloton tapering off a bit after the first few months of usage, and that in person colleague effect seems powerful. It isn't the same when you are seeing random people on the leaderboards.

Just got into Zwift, after getting a Wahoo Kickr for my road bike.

This service is 100% amazing, highly addictive - and very affordable. Haven't even done a race yet, structured ERG mode workouts and hill climbs are so darned enjoyable.

Have my squat rack metres away; home gyms are amazing.

Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#153

Post by CoastalCoder »

hilux wrote: post #139
Larrikin wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I personally don't understand the people who wouldn't want to take a 30 minute shower. So long as the water stays hot and you have the time, it's one of the more relaxing things you can do at home. Baths use way more water, and if you don't live somewhere like Japan, they aren't deep and cool off quickly without a bath warmer. Its also kind of gross to sit in a bath without already showering and getting clean before…

It's terrible for your skin.

Agreed, although I don't think this was a problem for me until I was in my 30s or so.

Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#154

Post by valec »

nomilk wrote: post #69

A friend asked me what gym I’m going to now days, I was delighted to inform him it’s a globally available 24/7 gym and I never have to wait for equipment. It’s 2 square meters in “the park”. 120 bodyweight squats, lunges, and calf raises, 150 push ups and 200 sit ups, 3km run, and 10 minutes stretching. Challenging, requires zero thought or planning (other than wearing a warm top on cold days) and costs $0/month.

These are nowhere near a replacement for weights or machines. I notice you didn't even mention doing pull-ups, the only body-weight exercise with enough resistance for you to actually build muscle from.

Can you point me to a bodyweight exercise that can sub in for 450lb deadlifts for sets of 6? How about for 250lbs bench for sets of 6? While you can build good general health and endurance i n 2 square meters in "the park," you by nature of the exercises are putting a (very) low ceiling on potential muscle mass, which is very important not just for looks but also for general metabolic health (muscles act as a glucose sink, blunting the effects of blood-sugar spikes) as well as preventing frailty/immobility in old age.

Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#155

Post by CoastalCoder »

novok wrote: post #141
dgfitz wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To make light of the comment: what the hell does someone need to take a 30m shower for?

Body hair really extends shower time. A lot of body hair does it even more. Add long hair and beards and it's even more.

How so?

Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#156

Post by oldpersonintx »

klipt wrote: post #42
asylteltine wrote: post #40

The best thing I ever did was invest in some quality gym equipment at home. I have a power rack, tons of weights, bars, etc. treadmill, TVs, speakers, whatever. Never going back to a gym again.

But then you're paying for a big house to fit all that.

[dead]

Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#157

Post by carom »

bennyelv wrote: post #148
bobsmooth wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you lack the space for a home gym or are you an advanced lifter that would benefit from the specialized machines?

Generally the more advanced you are as a lifter the less specialised machines are going to benefit you. Machines are there for people who don’t know what lifts to do and how to do them with proper technique. If you glimpse inside the gym of a professional athlete you’ll generally find a comprehensive set of dumbbells, some Olympic bars + plates and a bench and not much else!

On the other hand, barbells are great until you realize you're missing some critical stabilizer and that is why your shoulder or glute has been hurting for years. Then you would kill for a cable machine.

Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#158

Post by opportune »

bennyelv wrote: post #148
bobsmooth wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you lack the space for a home gym or are you an advanced lifter that would benefit from the specialized machines?

Generally the more advanced you are as a lifter the less specialised machines are going to benefit you. Machines are there for people who don’t know what lifts to do and how to do them with proper technique. If you glimpse inside the gym of a professional athlete you’ll generally find a comprehensive set of dumbbells, some Olympic bars + plates and a bench and not much else!

Personally I think smith machines and cable systems are pretty handy for bodybuilding - mostly because they help you isolate certain muscles in a way you can’t do with barbells and dumbbells. Or they allow you to do things like weighted lunges or shrugs or tricep exercises at high weights with much less risk of injury vs doing them with free weights.

Plenty of examples of elite bodybuilders training with them.

Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#159

Post by wtracy »

NoZebra120vClip wrote: post #71

Not gonna lie, I was utterly spoiled by the perfect atmosphere in my community college gym. I used it as much as possible as a registered student. Unfortunately, it's pretty far from my home, so after graduation it wasn't realistic that I should commute there on a weekly basis, as a community-based member instead of active student. So this all transpired right around the pandemic lockdowns. I went up to the nearest g…

When I last lived in an apartment, I saw people bringing in their own trainers to the complex's gym. There's also services like Copilot that let you work with coaches through video chat.

Re: How Gyms Make Money (2015)

#160

Post by cwillu »

kylebenzle wrote: post #114
legerdemain wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Finally I must add, all the friends (more like acquaintances) you make > at the gym are absolutely crucial to motivate oneself and also just have > a positive social interaction. Eh, been going to a gym weight room for 10 years and it's damn lonely and demoralizing. I'm sure it's different in tiny one-room Olympic weightlifting gyms or whatever. I'm not in my 20s anymore and I'm not actually that athletic, so 10 ye…

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