8 reasons why gyms are a total scam

By Brian p

updated January 1, 2019

There are some major deceptions that have been perpetuated in the fitness industry over the last few decades. Eat fat free to be fat free. Train hard and you’ll look like a steroid infused pro bodybuilder. Buy the latest infomercial product and spot reduce belly fat.

Source: www.angrytrainerfitness.com

All lies!

But the biggest deception of them all is that to get in shape, lose the fat, build the muscle or get strong you must join a gym. It’s became a default setting . . .

Wanna’ get in shape, better join a gym.The problem is that it is completely false.

I’ve been in the fitness industry for 35 years. I’ve owned three Powerlifting Gyms and trained in facilities all over the country. And I’m here to tell you that the gym industry is a money grabbing scam designed to do one thing and one thing only – take your money and run.

Here are the top 7 reasons why you should NEVER put your foot inside in a commercial gym again in your life.

#1: Gyms Are A Rip Off

Source: www.time.com

The average gym membership is $58 per month, and that’s on top of a consultation fee of around a hundred bucks. That’s nearly $800 a year for the privilege of walking through the front door. Then you have to throw in the cost of gas in getting to and from the gym, along with parking. With research showing that the average person only shows up 4.8 times per month, that comes to a cost per visit of around twenty two bucks. Take into account the fact that 67% of people never use their membership and there’s a lot of dead money coming out of bank accounts every month. (1)

Gyms operate on turn over. They can only fit so many people on the floor at once. Their goal is to get you signed up as a paying customer. After that, they actually have a vested interest in you failing. If you give up coming after two weeks, then your valuable floor space has just been freed up for the next sucker to fork over their membership fee. Meanwhile, of course, you’ll keep on paying.

Aggressive sales staff are par for the course with gyms. They’ll hound and pester you in order to squeeze as much of your cash from you as possible. You’ll be constantly bugged with upsell offer phone calls and emails that will drive you to distraction.

#2: Gym Membership Contracts Are A Nightmare

Source: www.womenshealthmag.com

90% of gym members choose a monthly plan over a full membership payment. In fact, many gyms will not even allow you to pay a full year’s membership up front in cash. That’s because the money is in the contract. People generally have to pay an initial fee of around $100 to cover their fitness assessment and program design. They then pay a monthly fee automatically out of their bank account.

So, what happens if you realize after two months that you’ve lost the willpower to carry on. You cancel your membership, right?

Wrong.

You try to cancel your membership.

Getting out of a gym membership is a total nightmare. Go through the stipulated channel by cancelling your membership in writing and chances are you will still be charged that monthly fee, month after month after month. Even when your membership reaches it’s end, it’s likely that your charges will keep coming out. In a recent UC Berkeley study, 39% of gym users stated that they had been over-charged by their gym. If you’re a gym member, it would pay to carefully scrutinize your bank statement every month. Gyms are notorious for throwing in random charges over the course of the month. Give them your account details at your own peril. (2)

#3: Gyms Are Like Production Lines

StraightBackStiffLegDeadlift

Source: www.1hourathlete.com

Gym managers will squeeze as many people as they can onto the gym floor as they possibly can. That creates a meat market that is anything but personal. You feel pressured to get through your exercise to allow the next in line to use it. When you’re meant to be focusing on slow, negative accentuated reps and decent rest between sets, that’s the last thing you need. And you can forget about supersetting or doing any kind of circuit training. It won’t happen. Instead you’ll be rushed through a sub par cookie cutter workout that will leave you nothing but frustrated.

Ever noticed how gyms have a million treadmills but only two or three flat bench presses and even fewer squat racks. If that’s not a sure sign of the dumbing down of exercise, what is?

#4: Gyms Are Filthy

step ups

Source: www.yelp.com

Gyms are rampant with germs. With three quarters of weight training equipment crawling with rhinovirus according to a recent survey, not to mention staph bacteria and fungi collecting in free weight areas, damp corners and under exercise mats, your local gym may well be the unhealthiest place in town. The most dangerous area of all is that sweaty, humid locker room. It’s a breeding ground for staph, strep and MRSA, which can quickly lead to Hepatitis A and Stomach Flu. And you thought you were going there to get healthy? (3)

#5: Gyms Are Way Too PC

Did you hear the one about the guy who got kicked out of his gym for banging his weights around? What about the gym that only allows you to wear t-shirts? Ever heard of a gym grunt meter? This sort of ridiculous political correctness is turning gyms into social clubs for the weak minded. It’s taking the hardcore out and replacing it with the soft pedal. How can a guy train in an atmosphere like that?

#6: Gyms Are Inconvenient

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

For a start you’ve got to get there. Often that means a rush hour commute only to find nowhere to park when you finally arrive. On the gym floor, you’ve got to contend with wait time for equipment, which can literally kill your workout dead in it’s tracks. Then you’ve got to shower afterwards and head off to the next thing in your life. But, how often have you forgotten to pack some essential item of clothing (your tie perhaps) that has had you backtracking all the way home to get it? Worse yet, ever stripped down for a shower only to realize that you’ve forgotten your towel – urrgh!

#7: Gym Staff Attitudes Suck

plank leg lifts

Source: www.brooklynactivemama.com

As we’ve already discovered, gyms have no interest in seeing you succeed on the gym floor. In fact, the sooner they get you out, the better. So, the staff have absolutely no motivation to help you, be friendly to you or even encourage you. Which is precisely why most of them don’t. Of course, you’ll always get the exception, but generally gym staff are disconnected, uninterested and unwilling to help. I literally cannot count the number of times I’ve seen people in gyms performing an exercise horribly, while a staff member completely ignores them, too absorbed in their cell phone. You deserve better than that.

#8: A Home Gym Is A Far Better Investment

two legged glute bridge

Most people are put off the idea of setting up a home gym because of the initial set-up cost. Yet, even if you were to purchase your gear on credit, you’d be better off than a gym membership inside of two years. That would give you the rest of your life essentially training for free!

A solid hardcore home gym must be built around a quality power rack. You’ll also want about 300 pounds of weight and an Olympic barbell. Throw in an adjustable bench and a pair of adjustable dumbbells and you have everything you need for a complete home workout. For around $1300 you can purchase all of this gear, delivered to your home, ready to install. If you’re on a budget, this is how you can set up your garage gym for just $650, check it out!

Ready to ditch the gym yet?

Creating you own garage gym is a far smarter investment in your health than locking yourself into an endless stream of monthly payments for a sub-par service that will leave you frustrated and fleeced. Lift at home and you’ll feel a weight lifted from your shoulders.