Planet Fitness/Fitness For 10 (cost, gyms, shop)

[oregonchickfan]

Can anyone provide a little feedback on both gyms? I'm not looking for anything special.

I'm your broke "Average Joe", so I'm looking into inexpensive gyms, hoping to help my insomnia. My thinking is if I work out for 30 mins or so after work (midnightish), maybe it will help my insomnia.

My Friend goes to Fitness For 10, but the reviews are not all that great, especially when compared to Planet Fitness. I'm just not sure.

[braindead0]

A bit of a loaded question, what are your fitness goals? Endurance, strength, speed?j

I've never been a big fan of gyms due to the time overhead (getting there, dragging stuff around, dealing with idiots ;-). I lift weights at home, however initial cost for that option can be high.

I would strongly recommend looking into bodyweight exercises, there are tons of free resources out there for that. It will not cost anything and it will give you a chance to see if you've got the 'stick with it' attitude that's required.

[oregonchickfan]

Originally Posted by braindead0

A bit of a loaded question, what are your fitness goals? Endurance, strength, speed?j

I've never been a big fan of gyms due to the time overhead (getting there, dragging stuff around, dealing with idiots ;-). I lift weights at home, however initial cost for that option can be high.

I would strongly recommend looking into bodyweight exercises, there are tons of free resources out there for that. It will not cost anything and it will give you a chance to see if you've got the 'stick with it' attitude that's required.

Quite honestly, I have no fitness goals, it's all about helping my insomnia, and if I lose weight and/or tone my body in the process, then I consider that a bonus.

My doctor thinks the inexpensive gyms would give my mind what it needs to shut down so I can sleep. I am one of those people that exercise puts me to sleep, rather than gives me energy. I do have a treadmill and a few other things at home, but I find my "at home" brain has a hard time getting on the treadmill. However, after work, and before I get home, I am still in "work mode" and that's when I go grocery shopping, hang with friends and so on.

Both gyms offer a no-contract option, so that's what I'm looking into. Just in case I don't have the "stick with it" attitude you mention.

Thank you for the advice/feedback.

[braindead0]

Originally Posted by oregonchickfan

Quite honestly, I have no fitness goals, it's all about helping my insomnia, and if I lose weight and/or tone my body in the process, then I consider that a bonus.;

Tip #1.. there is no such thing as 'muscle tone' or 'toning your body'. Anyone that says that doesn't know what they're talking about. What most people think of as 'tone' is simply more strength or less body fat or both.

Originally Posted by oregonchickfan

My doctor thinks the inexpensive gyms would give my mind what it needs to shut down so I can sleep. I am one of those people that exercise puts me to sleep, rather than gives me energy. I do have a treadmill and a few other things at home, but I find my "at home" brain has a hard time getting on the treadmill. However, after work, and before I get home, I am still in "work mode" and that's when I go grocery shopping, hang with friends and so on.

That sounds like an excellent time to workout. For your need I would recommend fairly light weight high reps, work on building endurance because the process of doing that should wear you out.. Normally I would say to stay away from machines, they are a very poor choice for all but the injured or geriatric. However machines are easy to learn to use, and with lighter loads and higher reps (I'd suggest staying below 12 reps... target for 8 reps when you hit 12 increase the weight).

I'm a huge believer in having a plan in place, including regular load increases. That's where having a goal is a big help.

Do you participate in any sports (cycling, tennis, anything)? In fact you may want to explore that option as well. There are tons of websites devoted to connecting tennis players with other player for example. If you participate in any particular sport you can likely find a workout tailored to that.

Originally Posted by oregonchickfan

Both gyms offer a no-contract option, so that's what I'm looking into. Just in case I don't have the "stick with it" attitude you mention.

Thank you for the advice/feedback.

Good luck.

If any of these have the option of getting some personal trainer time, maybe consider taking up free weights. You'll need a few sessions to get the basics down, however all you really have to learn is a few basic lifts (deadlift, squat, bench press, overhead press) and you'll have the tools necessary to workout your entire body effectively. Over time you'll probably want to add more lifts to the mix, and your workout will change. The nice thing about lifting heavy stuff is it doesn't take too much time, wears you out and in the beginning you will see huge improvements... which really helps with motivation. For me by the time the big improvements slowed down my workout was ingrained in my daily lift.

That being said, it seems like you may want to do this 5 days a week which unless you're very young (20's) will overwork you pretty quickly. I lift 3 days a week (which is pretty much the norm) I tried on my off days doing light weight stuff but ended up straining my back a bit.. I'm 44 and need to remember that ;-). So for your situation I think the 'off days' would be an excellent time for aerobics.

For further reading I'd recommend this link: Beginner's Health and Fitness Guide