Most of us at one time or another has owned an ambiguous gym membership. Maybe we went for a month, even two. But after a while we stopped. Unfortunately the payments continued and we were stuck for the next year with monthly payment deduction guilty feels. Maybe you’re part of the growing movement including a few sessions every week at the gym to maintain a balanced lifestyle? Maybe you’re a dedicated athletic gym fan dropping by a gym once, twice a day?
Global trends away from the traditional bigger corporate gyms have created a significant push towards smaller community gyms that specialise in a specific types of fitness. Allowing people flexibility to shift focus towards what their personal individual needs and priorities including specialising in one area of exercise.
This unique community micro gym movement now empowers people with a choice to decide what is right for them. Priorities might include age or gender specific activities, child minding facilities, a sense of community, ‘cancel at any time’ membership options, personal training, group activities, to meet new people or it might be as simple as how close is it to work / home.
Regardless of what your gym heart desires we are all now in the situation where our choices and decisions are empowered. Just like your morning coffee brew, deciding whether your roasted beans are local or international, ethical or organic, you can choose the exact gym that is right for you! The Canberra Goldilocks Gym era is here!
Canberra’s best gyms
A bit of everything/more commercial feel
Elite Physique, Next Gen, Club Lime, EVO Health Club
Powerlifting/Strongman/General strength training
Burley Strength, ANU, The Strength Syndicate
Olympic weightlifting
Unbranded Sports Preparation and Crossfit SFS
Crossfit
Crossfit Canberra, Crossfit 2600, Crossfit Three Flow and Crossfit Smash
There are a million crossfit gyms out there these days … these options have multiple locations.
General class/small group training
Metamorph Holistic Performance, FUNC Fitness, UltraFS, F45, Real FITT
How to choose a personal trainer
Unless we have previous experience, most of us will book a session in with a personal trainer so we know what we are doing or at the very least, appear to know. However with the increase in this largely unregulated and non-sanctioned industry there are a few things to think about before your hire your PT.
Do your research
Once you have decided what type of gym is right for you, do your research on their trainers to see who might suit you best. This might include checking qualifications, speaking to other gym members or online reviews. You want to feel as though the gym is a community and a place where you fit in. There is significant money involved and it is your health, so make sure you find the right person to treat it with all the respect and care it deserves.
Do a trial
There is nothing worse than forking out hundreds of dollars of your hard earned cash for a ten week boot camp only to find that it might not be right for you.
Be realistic and have goals
Look, if you have a Homer Simpson physique and want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in six months, sorry to say, not going to happen. If you PT tells you that this is achievable, they are lying and needless to say are not the right PT for you. Find someone who will stick with you through the peaks and troughs of your fitness journey and who always has your best interests at heart.
Seek professional help where needed
Most trainers are excellent and as you build a working relationship with them naturally you might seek advice outside just physical training. The best trainer will always say “I don’t know” if there is a question they can’t answer and always hand you a card of a qualified professional who can help. They also might offer very general nutrition advice but unless someone has a university qualification or equivalent in nutrition or is a dietitian, it’s probably best to take that advice with a grain of salt. Nutritionists and dietitians are part of associations that are regulated and if you ever become unhappy or unhealthy as a result of a diet there are many options available to you and these professionals can help you adapt your diet to what is right for you. The complicated science of food and the body is one that is always best left to qualified professionals, our bodies are unique little universes.
Have fun
If you want to maintain health, no matter what you do, have fun! No one will lie and tell you at different points the gym won’t be hard, but it should, for the most part, be fun and make you feel great! As you can see from this article, there are lots of options. Exercise is and should for the most part be fun!!!
Let us know which is your favourite Canberra gym in the comments
Pictured above are Karen and John (couples who train together stay together). Photo: John Sheridan.
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