INTRODUCTION
As you get further into your gym and fitness career. You will start to find yourself going to different gyms, either using day passes, visiting friends or just having multiple gym membership. This comes with a few annoying things. You will most defiantly find yourself trying out other gyms, and so you should. Trying different gyms is great as well as having multiple gym memberships, you get to try different equipment have a gym on hand wherever you might be. This is a sensible option and if you want to know why check out our interview with Colin Campbell here to find out more.
However, It is not all good news! There are a few annoying things that come when you regularly swap gyms. In this article, we are going to go through our top ten annoying things you will experience when visiting other gyms. Will they be silly and nit-picky? Of course, but this a going to be a fun, enjoyable article! So let us begin.
DIFFERENT LOCKERS!
The first annoying thing is one that I notice first. Lockers! Different gyms have different lockers! I know what you are asking “How can a locker be different?” Well, it isn’t so much the locker, as much as how you lock it. See some lockers have built-in locks and keys, some are bands and some are padlocks. Going to different gyms I find myself needing a padlock for my locker but not having one, or needing a pound coin but, again, not having one on me! Can get rather annoying! Luckily the more you visit the same gyms, the quicker you learn what you need at each one. Still, a little bit of a learning curves every time you visit a new gym.
UNITS OF WEIGHTS!
This next annoying point will affect people if you are tracking your weights and your lifts. What units the weights are in! I prefer kilograms, I have a better understanding of how heavy kilograms are. However, I have visited gyms where the weights are done in pounds, and, believe it or not, I have visited gyms where they don’t have a unit on the weights. It will just say 15, then 16, then 17. This can be frustrating if you have been tracking your weights in Kilograms, then suddenly your units change. You either have to do a bit of on the fly maths or just guess. Always good fun overestimating and guessing wrong, and performing a lift that is heavier than you thought! I find this one the most Annoying out of them all.
DIFFERENT MACHINES!
This one is on the same lines as the previous point. Different gyms have different machines. Which for me is fine, I love trying out different machines, seeing how they feel and how different they hit the muscle. However, I know a lot of people that are on a program, have a set routine on a setlist of machines. It can be challenging when visiting other gyms and finding out they don’t have a certain machine, or they do have the same machine but it is by a different brand. Believe it or not, the same machine, different brand can have a big difference in how a machine feels and hits the muscle. Now for most people, this won’t make much of a difference, as long as there is a similar machine or a machine that targets the same muscle. 90% of people will be able to get by.
DIFFERENT BARS & GRIPS!
This is a variation on the point above, different gyms have different bars and grips. The most popular one is a lat pulldown machine. You can get hundreds of grips for these and every gym will have different ones. Again, as with the above, I like to try different grips and bars however, for people that are tracking their lifts they will want to make sure they keep it consistent as possible. I have been to gyms where they have “Thick Bar”. These are good for deadlifting as they improve your grip. However, these bars are rare! So if you do have them in your plan, the likelihood that you will find them in another gym isn’t good! The only way you will guarantee to have access to one no matter what gym you go too, is to buy your own!
WAYS TO GET INTO THE GYM
Now this one will affect everyone that has multiple gym memberships. There are so many ways to access gyms and it seems like every gym like to use a different way. For example, the main gym that you go to might use a pin code to access it. Which is all well and good, however, your second gym might have a key card for entry. Now, this is fine if you remember to carry that key card with you. Forget it? Well, you might be fine or you might get a strike against your name. Some gyms use fingerprint, key cards, pin or just an old fashion sign a bit of paper (Hard to forget that).
ATMOSPHERE
There are different gyms out there, and by this, I mean different types of gyms. You have your standard cheap corporate gym, Ones like “The Gym”, “Pure Gym” or even “Planet Fitness”. Then you have your leisure centre and hotel gyms and then you have the bodybuilding gyms, ones like “Gold’s Gym” and “Powerhouse Gym”. Each of these has a very different atmosphere. Gym’s like Powerhouse and gold’s gym are a very bodybuilding central gym. Whereas your Leisure centre gym will be for everyone and have a wider range. Which atmosphere you prefer will be personal to you. But for example, you might be used to a leisure centre gym and atmosphere, then when you visit a gold’s gym, it might throw you off and be a bit intimidating (Nothing to be intimidated by, a gym is a gym at the end of the day).
SHOWERS
As with the lockers, different gyms have different types of showers. Now, This is being picky this point, but it is something I have noticed from gym to gym. Main points being the temperature control, how many showers and the size. The first one being temperature control. I have been to the gym with your normal “household” showers. Full control over most everything. However, I have also bee to gyms with no control, just on or off, and they always decide the temperature should be as hot as possible. Just what you need after a hot workout!
Another thing you might notice is how many showers they have, again, I have been to gyms with dozens of showers and also been to gyms with only one shower. Didn’t think I would ever have to queue up for a shower. The size of a shower is something else you might notice. Is it small cubicles? Large cubicles? Or a public open shower (Kind of like you get at swimming pools). So many possibilities just to wash after a workout!
LAYOUT
Layout, every gym has a different layout. So what is the issue here? Well, it can make a task like super-setting a bit of a challenge. In one of your gyms going from a Squat to the leg extension might be simple, but then you go to another gym and they could be on opposite ends of the room. Not a massive issue but can make following a plan a bit tricker. You will also get this point when you visit a gym for the first time. That “where is everything” feeling. Don’t know where anything is, not a clue how to move around. My go-to for this issue is to find the dumbbells and do some quick curls. It will let you stand there and look around and get your bearings!
LACKING OR DIFFERENT GYM PARTNERS
Got a gym partner? Well, going to a different gym might mean you won’t be able to train with them. Or you might have two partners, at two different gyms. They might have different goals or might be at different levels. Training with a partner then training without a partner is so different. Some prefer on their own some prefer with a partner, but going from one to the other can throw you off. The biggest reason is that you might not have a spotter! The gym’s biggest issue! If you are used to someone being there to push you, going from that to not having anyone there can make a huge difference and can be Annoying if you don’t have one.
SUPPLEMENT SHOPS AND CAFE
This last point is all about supplements. Some gyms that you go to you will find have a supplement shop or a supplement bar. So you can walk in and get a ready mixed pre-workout or protein shake. This is really handy if you did not have any pre-workout but feel you need one. Going from this to another gym without this option can make a difference. I have noticed that more and more gyms are opening supplement options at the door in one way or another. Still weird visiting a gym without the option mind. Even a vending machine would be enough!
CONCLUSION
Obviously, this article is just a laugh and humour based. We understand some of these points are first-world issues. We thought it would be a bit of fun, kick the new year off with a giggle and a laugh. If you do think we missed any Annoying things out, please let us know on our Instagram. What things have you noticed about visiting multiple gyms?
Overall visiting different gyms is great fun, using different pieces of equipment, different workouts and people, it is something that I enjoy, seeing how other people make their gyms and how they have made them different. Understandably some people like to stay in their gym, they know where everything is and all the people, and that is perfectly fine.
There is a huge negative to going to several gyms, the price. You will either need to have more than one membership, which can soon add up to several hundred pounds a month. The other option is to pay for a day pass. Which again, can add up if you are visiting a different gym a lot. Sometimes it is worth getting the second membership as it can work out cheaper than paying for a pass the few times a month you might visit.
Written by Kieran Blacker
Kieran is the CEO and Founder of Sets & Reps. He decided to make an application that helped people get a gym workout when not at the gym. He designed, Coded and built the application himself.