What is the main priority of most commercial gyms? Would it be that you get fit within a year, cancel your subscription and never return? Perhaps. But there are sales and marketing executives also trying to figure out ways to keep you on the subscription, to attend the gym as little as possible, while also buying large amounts of supplements and training session courses. Of course, those sound like paradoxical goals, but it would be most advantageous to them.
Luckily, you have the right to enjoy the gym within the terms of your agreed upon contract. However, it’s also true that as it relates to your own fitness, sometimes the promises you’re given, or the packages and sales on offer, aren’t entirely geared to benefit you.
In this post, we’ll discuss three of the main tactics major commercial gyms use to mislead you, or perhaps increase your spend per head while never truly reaching the goals you had intended.Let’s discuss that, below:
Upselling On Courses
Some gyms willl tell you the basic membership won’t get you where you want to be, that you really need their specialized programs to see results. However, most people can learn proper form from watching others or asking questions, but there’s no money in letting you do that. These courses often promise quick fixes or secret techniques that don’t exist.
The gym makes way more profit from these add-ons than your monthly fee, so staff get bonuses for signing people up, which is why, if you’re not careful, you can end up spending hundreds more thinking you need expert guidance for basic exercises. It’s fine to follow a simple workout routine and use their official advice before you even step into the gym.
Recommending Cycles On Stationary Machines
Some gyms love suggesting stationary weightlifting machines as a circuit, because they can reduce the foot traffic if you do a quick circuit in thirty minutes and leave, as opposed to spending an hour with the barbells.
The gym benefits because you’re not competing for space in the weight room, and you feel accomplished even if your body isn’t being trained as ergonomically as it could be on a fixed plane, as it is with free weights.Meanwhile, you might be spinning your wheels instead of building the muscle that actually changes how your body looks and feels. That’s why prioritizing your time in a gym for functional training is so important.
Proprietary Products
Walk past a gym’s supplement display and suddenly everyone’s an expert on what your body needs. Some even have their own branded protein powders and pre-workout drinks that cost twice what you’d pay anywhere else.
The staff will tell you these are specially made for their members, but really it’s just usual supplements with their logo slapped on. You may be able to buy a padlock for the locker rooms, but you could get three or four from a DIY shop at the same price. Be sure to avoid paying for convenience instead.
