Nashville Gyms

[Tunky]

I hope that doesn't happen...they've got a lot of members.

[Tunky]

Originally Posted by akm4

I couldn't stand FAC. Yuck!

My husband is a serious strength trainer and he liked their variety of equipment so we joined there when we first came to town. The constant high noise level drove me bonkers and the place is not very clean IMO. I couldn't decide if it was that bad or if I was just that picky LOL.

[jenntenn]

I love PLF..been joined 2 weeks after it opened. Gosh if it were to close i would be completely lost! But i actually did hear that rumor about getting bought out from a PLF employee...but nothing has come of it. Oh well...i'll be there till the doors shut!

[jrock4him]

GetFit Anytime.... a new privately owned 24 hour gym in berry hill... check it out getfitanytime.net $29 a month with no contracts and personal training as well

[Jimrob1]

Without irritating anyone because that is not my intent, but I do have a question? Its a simple and honest one so please don't get upset.

Its very noticeable when spending anytime in the southeast including Nashville, that there is a shortage of Adult gyms. There are Y's primarily Family Y's in the regions, but the National Chain Gyms or a decent supply of locally owned established gyms seem to be very limited. I know there may be a Bally's or a Golds but not very many and they are far and few between. What is the reason for this? It doesn't matter if one is in Nashville or Memphis. NC,SC or Ga. It is always the family Y's that show up or are recommended by local people. People have told me that many locally owned gyms just fold up and go out of business, and it has been that way thru the years. I've also been told that gym memberships seem to be a higher cost in the southeast for some reason. The Y's are the dominant facility. Y's are not cheap and there not for every person that works out. So Im curious for areas that are fast growing like Nashville why fitness chains don't pop up more often. Im wondering if the fitness market is just not strong enough in these areas, or hours to operate such as Sundays are restricted by state or local reasons. There has to be a reason why the Y's are the primary workout facility and there are not more options.

I think the Y is fine if one has kids or is use to that type of workout setting, but not everyone is. That person seems to have little choices in these regions. If they find anything the cost of memberships seem very high, and how long will the gym remain in business.

[BirdieBelle]

Maybe you missed this headline:

Tennessee is second fattest state in annual obesity report | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

No really, just kidding. When I worked in NYC, I always heard people talking about "going to the gym" after work, which I had never heard anyone say while growing up here.

Unfortunately, I broke my own CityData rule and posted when I really don't have an answer. But you're right, the private gyms do seem to open for several months and then close again, sometimes with no warning. I have noticed that a lot of smaller exercise studios that focus more toward women's stuff, like Pilates and yoga places, have opened here and do well.

Where DO all the dudes go, y'all??

[boingolover]

Vanderbilt University, which employs quite a lot of people (largest employer in middle TN, second largest in the state I believe), provides free gym facilities to its employees. On the other hand, the gym just isn't that crowded except during peak times, and it's not overly large, especially considering the sheer number of employees. And large employer or no, Vanderbilt providing free gym facilities to approximately 22K employees certainly isn't going to make an appreciable dent in the local private gym industry. I think TN being the second fattest state probably has quite a lot to do with the dearth of private / non-YMCA gyms here. It's not that we couldn't use the gyms. It's just that we're not, on the whole.

Regarding the cost of gym memberships here, a popular gym can spread costs over a wider pool of members, and individual memberships could be made cheaper as a result. A less popular gym will have to charge more per member. I'm not sure if this is what's going on in TN, but it would make a lot of sense.