Why is the Y so expensive? And if you joined anyway, do you find it worth the $ compared to other gyms? [more inside]
posted by tristeza on Mar 20, 2009 - 24 answers

[DC Gym filter] For downtown D.C. Washington Sports club members specifically. Which location do you belong to: K street or Connecticut Ave? Pros/cons of your location? And if you've been to both, would you recommend one over the other?
posted by hazelshade on Jun 6, 2008 - 6 answers

I'm being a very bad transhumanist by letting my body get so unhealthy over the last few years. I'd like to fix that; having just moved to the Chicago area, I'd like to find a decent gym to start working out in. My fear, however, is that I'll run into the same issue I've encountered before: signing a year contract only to let my attendance taper off (ultimately never visiting at all in the last six months). [more inside]
posted by korpios on Jan 25, 2008 - 15 answers

I'm a young woman in New York City, looking for a way to get in shape. (I'm not grossly out of shape now, but a year at a sedentary office job has taken a toll.) Running got boring. I've done the gym thing before and it's fine, but I'd like to find something new to get into: yoga, a martial art, a form of dance, kick-boxing. I'm open. I'd like to find a good place (a really homey yoga or martial arts studio, for example), in lower Manhattan (within the ambit of Union Square would be great) or possibly Williamsburg. Any suggestions on activities and/or places?
posted by toomuchkatherine on Sep 14, 2007 - 13 answers

Next month I'll be ready to take on the gym again. What gym (in Chicago) might be best for me? [more inside]
posted by FlamingBore on Jan 5, 2007 - 6 answers

NYC Filter: Gym recommendations? [more inside]
posted by huskerdont on Sep 7, 2006 - 11 answers

After consulting with my cardiologist, I have the green light to push myself to my limits so long as I use a heartrate monitor and follow a graph. He suggested that I hire a personal trainer. However, except for my 12-week vacation at Parris Island when I was 20, I have no experience whatsoever with health clubs/gyms or hiring such a fitness expert. How do I start? And, what should I watch out for? [more inside]
posted by mischief on Feb 19, 2005 - 12 answers

Do gyms deliberately set their scales to underweigh?
posted by Duck_Lips on Nov 29, 2004 - 15 answers

Okay here's a question. The other day I stepped on the bathroom scales and the number displayed was a tad on the high side, by about 15-20lbs, so my first thought was 'Yeesh, I should join a gym'. However on further reflection, having never set foot in a gym since my traumatizing school days joining one seems like quite a scary prospect. So my question is.. What's the deal with gyms? What's the ettiquette, what do you need, will all these fit gym types be chuckling at my pathetic flabby assed efforts, are the showers still those bloody communal type affairs I shudder to remember back in school?
posted by zeoslap on Jun 1, 2004 - 37 answers