Choosing to be fit, strong, and healthy is an endeavour always worth pursuing. After all, you don’t have much if you don’t have your health. Naturally, this leaves many folks feeling that getting a gym membership is a worthwhile investment. But is it necessary?

In this article, you’ll get years of my personal and professional insight into what any individual needs to know and consider when determining whether a gym membership is worth it. But let’s start off with the quick two-second answer.

Here’s what you need to know right away:

A gym membership should be seen as an investment that opens avenues to improved confidence, knowledge, social health, and exercise enjoyment. However, not all gyms are created the same, so it’s important to ensure the facility’s costs and offerings align with your budget and training needs.

Believe me, there’s plenty more to unpack than that brief snippet of information. Thankfully, I’ve been working out in public and private gyms for over two decades now, so I’ve got a lot of valuable insight to share. So, if you want to take a deep dive into the advantages and disadvantages of paying for a gym membership, you’ll find all sorts of insightful information below!

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Quick Advice: If you’re considering membership

I want to be as helpful as possible in this article, which means I don’t want to waste your time. So, before hashing out some significant advantages and disadvantages, I thought I’d start out with some helpful tips right away.

If you’re considering a gym membership, here’s some quick advice I feel important to share:

• Stay within your budget and do your research to see if the gym’s membership rate is in-line with the pricing of other similar facilities;
• most gyms offering membership allow for a trial period (often one week) where you can work out free of charge to determine if it’s a facility that will work for you. So, take advantage of this if you need to learn more about the facility. Even if you feel confident that the facility is right for you, get some free sessions in just to make sure;
• if an annual membership is too expensive up front, see if the facility does monthly passes. They often work out to be a bit more expensive than an annual pass but are still typically cheaper than paying for weekly or drop-in rates.

Alright, let’s look at some really cool advantages that arise when you join a quality gym!

Advantages: All the good stuff!

Needless to say, there are obvious advantages to a gym membership that don’t need much explanation (access to more equipment to help you achieve your goals, more amenities, etc.). These are the advantages everyone is likely aware of. As such, I won’t be spending any time on these benefits.

Instead, I feel it will be more worth your time to consider the lesser-known advantages that don’t often come to mind for those considering picking up a gym membership. So, I’ll be going deeper and building upon additional benefits that arise when you have access to what’s in the gym or facility.

Of course, the extent of these advantages I’m about to go over will be based on what you deem to be important, along with the type of fitness and training goals or aspirations you may have.

Advantage 1: Less boredom & more stimulation

This is an immensely powerful advantage to those looking to become more physically active. Training at home or otherwise by yourself is very unappealing to many individuals, and it can become a rather dreaded experience as a result.

For many fitness goers (both inexperienced and experienced), the problem with not having access to a gym is that it can be hard to stay motivated or push yourself to an appropriate extent when you’re limited with space or equipment; you often wind up spending a lot of time in one very small space while performing the same exercises (due to a lack of equipment). When this happens, it can be very hard to stay consistent with your workouts, let alone enjoy them.

Pro tip: If you are having difficulty motivating yourself to work out, especially if doing so on your own, check out my article: Getting Inspired To Exercise for some really cool mindset insight.

Even for an avid lifter and fitness enthusiast such as myself, I’m the first to admit that I can’t psychologically push myself as much when training all by myself in a tiny basement as when surrounded by others in a recreation facility of some kind. This might not be the case for every individual (especially for those affected by disadvantage 4, mentioned later in this article).

Yes, by picking up a gym membership, you’ll have access to more training equipment – that’s obvious. But the effects of having more equipment at your disposal go much deeper than merely having more to work with to achieve your fitness goals; ultimately, the added space and potential exercise variety you can incorporate into your training can lead you to experience more avenues of mental stimulation. Less boredom and monotony with your training will not only help to keep you from skipping your workouts, but the added stimulation will likely lead to better exertion and effort given during your training sessions!

“It’s hard to get inspired when you’re working out by yourself. Surrounding yourself with other hard-working individuals can help to put plenty of motivational fuel back in your own tank, allowing you to stick to your training and give your best efforts along the way.”

Furthermore, gaining exposure to—and using—various pieces of fitness and exercise equipment can improve your training familiarity and your confidence when working out! It can round you out as a well-versed and knowledgeable individual who knows more about exercise than the average individual.

Ultimately, more engaging and stimulating training sessions will lead to better physical effort on your part, meaning you’ll not only experience more enjoyable training sessions, but you’ll also get better results as well!

Advantage 2: Learning through observation

This is one of those lesser-known but incredibly valuable advantages of working out at a gym or recreation center. There is a surprising (and very valuable) amount of information you can learn by observing others who are also working out.

Gyms are filled with all sorts of individuals, plenty of those who are just starting out and many others who are highly active and well-seasoned in their fitness pursuits, and there is a lot to be learned from all of them.

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Yes, you can learn from them by getting to know them (that’s more of an Advantage 3 strategy, listed below), but you can learn through observation (just don’t be creepy about it), which can spark ideas, give insight, and help expose you to exercises, movements, and ways of exercising that might not have otherwise crossed your mind.

Here are some examples that I still benefit from to this day, even after twenty-plus years of working out:

• I still see individuals using pieces of fitness equipment and performing exercises in ways I would never have thought, which I can then try for myself;
• when I see any newer pieces of fitness equipment that I’m unfamiliar with, I’ll watch others use them to get a general idea of how the machine or piece of equipment is used;
• to this day, I still see others performing exercise variations of classic exercises, which I can then take mental note of and try for myself when need be.

To this day, one of the best decisions I ever made was to spend time in an athlete training facility where I connected with some very high-level lifters and athletes. I was quite experienced in my own fitness pursuits at this time; however, working out in the same gym as these individuals (unknowingly) provided me with literally hundreds of experiences where I saw new training techniques used, new exercises being performed, new equipment being utilized, and much more.

So, if you want my opinion, this advantage is arguably the most under-appreciated perk of spending time in a gym, particularly for those who are brand new to or inexperienced with their fitness pursuits.

Advantage 3: Greater social opportunities

This may be the third advantage on the list, but it’s arguably the most significant. After all, health is more than just physical; there are multiple domains to health, with one of those domains being social health.

Most gyms, fitness facilities, and recreation centers provide ample opportunities for social interactions and fostering connections with others.

To this day, some of the best friends I have in my life are those whom I’ve met through training at the same facility, and it’s one of the things I’m most grateful for when it comes to my time spent within a gym.

While not everyone in the gym is there to be social, there are plenty of individuals who wouldn’t mind getting to know others. And here’s the good news: with a gym membership, you’ll likely see these people on repeated occasions, getting to know them a bit more each time you see them.

Here are some quick pointers on ways to meet others when picking up a gym membership:

• If you’re keen on taking a group fitness class (Zumba, HIIT, TRX, etc.), these communal classes are an outstanding way to meet others since you’ll be performing multiple class sessions with them;
• if someone doesn’t have their earbuds in or their headphones on, and they’re currently not in the middle of an exercise, give them a quick, genuine compliment on how hard they’re working or some other pleasant exchange that can help break the ice;
• most gyms will have general floor staff who actively monitor and patrol the facility (I’ve had this job before). Ask them any questions you may have, or just ask how they’re doing. They’re pretty cool people, and it’s a great first step in meeting others (who can also throw a ton of helpful fitness insight your way).

Advantage 4: More sources of inspiration

When you’re a member at a gym, you’ll soon discover who else is a member at the same facility (since you’ll repeatedly see them in the facility performing their workouts and training sessions).

As you start to take advantage of your gym membership, you’ll quickly see familiar faces and how committed these individuals seem to be with their lifestyle pursuits toward becoming fitter, stronger, and healthier. It can be really inspiring to see these individuals put in the time and effort required to make the progress they’re after.

Pro tip: If you’re feeling inspired by someone, let them know in a genuine way! Drop them a quick, sincere compliment and let them know you’ve noticed how hard they’re working. As mentioned in Advantage 3, this is a great way to make a new social connection in the gym and perhaps a new friend!

It’s hard to get inspired when you’re working out by yourself. Surrounding yourself with other hard-working individuals can help to put plenty of motivational fuel back in your own tank, allowing you to stick to your training and give your best efforts along the way.

Disadvantages: Potential disappointments

When it comes to becoming a member at a gym, the main disadvantage for most people is, of course, the financial expense; gym memberships often aren’t cheap and, as such, aren’t a financially viable option for many individuals. I won’t spend any time discussing this drawback since it’s very self-evident and doesn’t require any explanation.

So, financial burden aside, there can be other drawbacks to paying for a gym membership. The disadvantages I’ve included below are the biggest drawbacks I’ve found for those considering becoming a member at a gym or training facility.

Disadvantage 1: Potentially less time-efficient

I’ve always considered this to be the greatest disadvantage for gym memberships, largely since I grew up in the countryside and always had to spend a decent amount of time driving into town to get to the closest gym.

While working out at home can present its own drawbacks, at the very least, if nothing else, it is much more time-efficient than going to the gym.

In my years of experience, there are three ways in which a gym membership can lead to reduced overall time efficiency:

1. Greater commute time to and from the gym or training facility.
2. Greater time spent waiting for equipment to become available during your workout (especially during peak hours within the facility).
3. Greater chances for distractions (from others, the environment, etc.).

For many individuals, these may not be deal-breakers; the extent of these inconveniences will depend on your facility’s location and environment, along with your commitment to your overall fitness or training goals.

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However, the bottom line is that the commute involved with heading to and from the gym can often be the first highly inconvenient factor for many gym goers, particularly those who have to drive across town, find parking, etc. Then, with many facilities, it only gets worse if you’re trying to work out during heavy facility usage hours, which are typically in the mornings between 7-9 am and 5-7 pm. At such times, You’ll likely find yourself waiting in line to use the equipment you need and experiencing a higher chance for environmental or social distractions.

Disadvantage 2: The facility might not meet your training needs

Not all gyms serve the same general audience; some facilities cater more to specific training styles or fitness pursuits. If you’re interested in learning the sport of powerlifting, as an example, you’ll need to find a gym that tolerates chalk usage and dropping weight on the floor (commonly done with deadlifts). Your average fitness facility might not permit either of these necessities.

Much the same, a gym that caters more towards powerlifters or Olympic lifters might not be your cup of tea if you’re looking for more generalized fitness activities and pursuits. This example applies to numerous other types of scenarios.

As such, it would be prudent of you to do your research and make sure any gym you’re considering membership with will be able to meet your training needs and has membership and training rules that align with your pursuits.

A real-life example: Over my years of working out at dozens of gyms and recreational facilities, I’ve encountered numerous times where a facility didn’t have the training equipment I needed, the space I needed, didn’t permit Olympic lifting to be performed or was routinely way too crowded for my desire. As such, I didn’t pick up a membership at any of these facilities.

No single gym can meet the needs of every single individual; people train for thousands of different reasons and in thousands of different ways. As such, before you join a gym, make sure it can offer what you’ll need to accomplish along with what you’re after.

Disadvantage 3: Potential “gymtimidation”

This is a disadvantage that can absolutely be overcome, and one I would advocate for you to work on pursuing should this be a factor that is holding you back from picking up a gym membership to a facility you’d otherwise enjoy.

Still, I get it; surrounding yourself in an environment filled with others who seemingly know more about fitness, lifting weights, and exercising can be an intimidating feeling. Additionally, being surrounded by ample amounts of fitness equipment that you may not know how to use often only intensifies the intimidation.

This intimidation is often the factor that holds others back who would otherwise consider purchasing a membership.

If you have high levels of anxiety about stepping into the gym, be it due to feeling insecure around others, feeling intimidated by the equipment, or for any other related reason, a gym membership might not be for you. At least, not yet.

That being said, if you really want to get into the gym but are being held back by any of these reasons, I’d highly encourage you to check out my in-depth article on overcoming gymtimidation! It should be a helpful article that will provide some sound insight into how to begin tackling this issue.

Disadvantage 4: Dealing with the general public

I’ve been going to public gyms for a couple of decades now. And in those decades, I will tell you that sometimes you’ll have to put up with other facility users that are a bit…how shall I say this…annoying to be around.

To be clear, it’s only an incredibly small percentage. Most gym users act like rather decent patrons of the facility. Still, there’s always the individual who doesn’t wipe down the equipment after they’ve sweated profusely all over it or the guy that does his dumbbell exercise directly in front of the dumbbell rack, preventing other users from grabbing any other dumbbells.

And don’t even get me started on doing biceps curls within the squat rack.

These are generally annoyances and typically mild at that; I can’t recall any circumstance where I was in a gym when someone was being a downright terrible person.

Nonetheless, gyms can be filled with the occasional bone-headed individual who makes your workout less enjoyable, particularly when you simply want to get in a decent workout without dealing with annoying distractions or issues around you.

These types of issues, along with a few others, are often why plenty of individuals opt to build a home gym instead. It can be a bit of a financial investment, but so is paying for an annual gym membership year after year.

Despite all this, I’ll reiterate one more time that any decent gym that cares about user experience will likely have systems in place to make sure that boneheads are dealt with in a quick and efficient manner so that you and the other facility users all have a pleasant experience.

Final thoughts

When financially viable, a gym membership can be an investment that does more than improve just your physical health; you can learn some amazing things and meet wonderful people if you spend enough time within the walls of a training facility.

Just make sure you stay within your budget and do your research on ensuring the gym you’re considering membership with meets your needs; you don’t want to spend your hard-earned money on a facility that doesn’t support or meet your training needs.