Gym membership for $200?

Submitted by sgy0003 t3_z8jpas in personalfinance

I make about $68k in salary. I pay around $1600 for housing, and $600 for down payment on my car, food, utilities, etc. I feel fine with how much I'm left with, but I also feel it could be better.

I want to start going to the gym again. It's been about two years since I graduated university, and since I don't have the access to its gym nor is it practical for me to drive all the way over there, I'm looking at my options. And I saw good results working out at gym, so I was always interested in going back. I have tried doing bodyweight training at home, but even at the increased intensity I'm not seeing the results that I want.

One of the closest gym near me is LA fitness, which seems to have a multitude of equipment like the ones I saw at the uni's gym. It's about a 5 min drive, which works great since I work remotely and it'll be convenient for me.

The problem is, LA Fitness seems to be charging me a bit too high for simply wanting to join. For a single state option, I have to pay for the initiation fee, first and last month and after tax the total comes up to be around $200. And after that $39.99/mo plus additional $49 annual fee (separate fees, not options). The website intially says $34.99, but the actual payment screen says otherwise.

So to that's around $730 for my first year alone

There are no other gyms nearby, unless I want to risk being away from my work computer too long. The LA fitness membership cost sounds ridiculous. I could've sworn there was a cheaper option, but I'm not seeing on the website.

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Mysunsai t1_iybxj6u wrote

Maybe just… go to the gym when you aren’t working?

I don’t really use a gym myself, but I can’t imagine you’re going to get “the results you want” any better at the gym if you’re worried about rushing back to your computer instead of the eorkout, any more than I do when working out at home.

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debbiewith2 t1_iyc2ynu wrote

I assume they mean before work or after work.

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Mysunsai t1_iyc38s0 wrote

The only reason they can’t use a different gym is that they can’t be away from their work computer for too long.

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debbiewith2 t1_iyc3bk3 wrote

Ah, I missed that line, sorry, Yeah, OP, try a gym before or after work.

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F8Tempter t1_iycwj5q wrote

lol at the younger generation and how they view their jobs as something you just do on the side as little as possible.

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Dorkus_Mallorkus t1_iybxzu7 wrote

LA Fitness is a pain in the ass to deal with, but they will negotiate if you go in and ask if they offer any discounts. They'll pull the "let me talk to manager" bullshit and all the hard sell tactics, but if you hold your ground you can usually get little to no down payment and $20-40 per month. Could vary depending on how in-demand their facility is, but I've done this at 3 different locations with varying levels of success.

Good luck!

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EyeWantItThatWay t1_iybxg9h wrote

Can you wait a month until 2023 comes around? Gyms will all be fighting for your business with great promotional rates that is likely to be better than $34.99 a month. Yes, I know you noted that there's no other gyms around, but gyms are competing with many non-gym options available too

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MammothVarious2349 t1_iybxki1 wrote

Did you go in and sit down with someone? Representatives can waive some of the fees. When you go, just keep relaying it’s too expensive and they will try to work the price down for you.

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CircaSixty8 t1_iyc1ksd wrote

24 hour fitness is running a Black Friday special through the 30th of November $245 for a full year. Anything more than that, and you might as well buy your own equipment imo

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TheCSUFRealtor t1_iyc0ukc wrote

Check all membership options. LA Fitness is a bit complicated, they have the CA membership like you mentioned, they also have a single club membership as well. They also have an option to include their “Signature” fancy clubs. If you have a LAF membership, you can use that for Esporta as well. Esporta is a cheaper option, but you can’t go into LAF gyms with Esporta membership. The convenience of having a gym only 5 minutes away is great. Someone else mentioned trying to negotiate with sales at a location, they may be able to waive initiation fees

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MrBenjiCat t1_iycgdrz wrote

I would see if you have insurance from your job. Some plans (you have to look around a bit on their website) offer activeandfitdirect memberships for 25 bucks a month flat! Much better deal.

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peter303_ t1_iyex7oe wrote

My city has recreation centers with competitive memberships.

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varano14 t1_iye8nq9 wrote

I will go against the grain a bit and offer an alternative.

Do you have space for a home gym? Gym equipment is expensive but $200 a month adds up pretty fast and certain gym equipment can be had very very cheaply on the second hand market. People are giving away treadmills in the spring but they can and do break but stuff like barbells, racks, and weights are steel or iron and will pretty much last forever.

I was at this point and decided that I invest in a home gym. I did it slowly and until I got certain pieces of equipment I felt very limited in what I could do. But after about a year I have what I need and I got most of it second hand for pennies on the dollar.

The best part is them other then cardio stuff most gym equipment holds value very well because I got such good deals I could probably sell this stuff and break even or make a bit if I was patient.

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