1st time gymer..

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feo

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Soooooo

I've been wanting to sign up for gym for a while now because I'm horribly unfit. After school, I had no time for soccer or anything to keep me fit so for years now I haven't been as active as I was in my school days. Also, with work life it's kinda hard to find time to work out since I have a long commute home.

Anyways, been thinking about joining a gym, Virgin Active in Midrand. I do the whole PTA-JHB thing every day so it's on my way home so I figure that would be my best bet.

First off, I don't have Vitality so what rate would I pay? Should I take a contract? (is there any other option?)

Second, is the rate negotiable? Can I wrangle them to drop the price or is it fixed in stone?

Third, is a personal trainer worth it because I seriously have no idea what to do once I walk into a gym?

Any other general advice for a first time gymer?
 
Depends what you are looking for FEO, i doubt you need a personal trainer to run, cycle and do the circuit. Are you over weight or just unfit?

Are you on discovery? Vitality is not much more and it is a 300 rand saving on virgin active :eek:. As far as i know the rate is something like 450 a month and i doubt you can negotiate with them but give it a shot :D.

Do not take more than a 12 month contract!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Well, my goal is to get fit in GENERAL but also, I wanna be able to play a game of soccer (or cricket) without feeling like I'm about to have a heart attack and die! :D So basically, some sort of stamina improving workout would be great....problem is I dunno what's good to improve stamina levels.

Nope, not on Discovery (I assume you mean their medical aid right?)...is there ANY other way to get reduced rates? R450 a month seems a bit steep..

So I'm hoping the info in this thread basically becomes a Gyming for Dummies book, everything from how/where to sign up and what types of workouts to do. Boy am I clueless about this stuff...
 
Try to fight them down, i found planet fitness gave me almost 50% discount by just asking around etc.

But yeah the discovery route is quite good i think
 
killadoob said:
Do not take more than a 12 month contract!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

If you're planning on long term then why not? Mine was, saved a quite a bit, expiring this year though.
Don't forget to haggle, they don't have set prices.
 
boramk said:
If you're planning on long term then why not? Mine was, saved a quite a bit, expiring this year though.
Don't forget to haggle, they don't have set prices.
Click to expand...

Yup and after 4 months you decide you don't feel like gym anymore and you pay for the next 3 years?
 
Personal trainers are awesome. I had one for a year and a half. He taught me A LOT, gave me inspiration and critism. Here are the main attractions.

1. Show you different exercise routines.
2. Show the correct postures for different exercises.
3. Works out a plan for you.
4. Pushes you more than you would normally go.

Once you are familiar with different exercises and what not you can always leave the trainer and do your own thing. I wish that I could afford to hire one again, I am way too poor right now though :D
 
Virgin will not negotiate on their rates but Planet Fitness will. I got them down to R150/month at Claremont Planet Fitness.
 
feo said:
Well, my goal is to get fit in GENERAL but also, I wanna be able to play a game of soccer (or cricket) without feeling like I'm about to have a heart attack and die! :D So basically, some sort of stamina improving workout would be great....problem is I dunno what's good to improve stamina levels.

Nope, not on Discovery (I assume you mean their medical aid right?)...is there ANY other way to get reduced rates? R450 a month seems a bit steep..

So I'm hoping the info in this thread basically becomes a Gyming for Dummies book, everything from how/where to sign up and what types of workouts to do. Boy am I clueless about this stuff...
Click to expand...

Why not join a squash club, its ideal if you want to become fit. you could also do some interval training if you want to increase stamina and its a great way to burn fat.
 
You can join Vitality without having to join the Discovery Med.Aid, but you need to sign up for one of their life policies; think it works out to around R100-R200 a month. Still cheaper than normal gym membership fees. You will also have to pay a joining fee of about R700. Give Discovery a call and find out what's the cheapest option.

Also remember that you will still have to pay a monthly gym fee, but it's reduced to less than R100, I think. The rate gets cheaper the more you attend gym. I signed up a few years ago through Vitality. Rules were different then. Paid a joining fee, and free gym for life! Just have to attend gym at least twice a month.

I think Planet Fitness and Virgin have similar facilities. Try to join which ever is nearer to work, so you can rather be in gym than wasting time in traffic. Also consider how far the gym is from home for the days you not working, like on weekends.

Maybe also consider the smaller gyms,might be cheaper. All gyms usually have specials, so you might be able to get a few months free/lower rates. Before you sign up, ask them for a free membership. They will give you a month free before bugging you to sign up. Also check out the gyms at around the same time that you would be attending after work to get an idea how busy the gym gets. My experience is that mondays are worst, sundays being the most quiet. Planet Fitness offered me 3 free sessions with a personal trainer. You can also read Mens Health for new exercises to try (if you join Vitality, you can subscribe for MH for about R12/copy).
 
You know, your best bet if you want to see results is going to be a personal trainer who can set up a regime for you. I would shop around for gyms - some of the mom&pop outfits include a personalized workout routine. I have a feeling you're going to end up wasting your money if you don't know what to do. At least get a training partner for a while, or join some of the classes, e.g. spinning.

The difficulty with starting the gym is continuing it in the long term. The tendency is to burn yourself out too early with enthusiastic intentions and then never return after a stellar month. You need to set yourself up to continue indefinitely - I'm talking about 5, 10, 20 years ahead. Fitness needs to be built into your lifestyle, unless you want to find yourself at 45 with incipient heart and obesity problems, and really incapable of getting into decent shape. Even if you have to quit the gym for some reason, you should have the mindset to find any way of getting healthy - jogging, cycling, push ups, whatever it takes.
 
I went to VA in Midrand for 6 months many years ago, it is honestly the crappiest gym in JHB, not so nice looking woman and very poorly maintained.
Waste of time lol. Melrose Arch VA ftw! :D
 
feo said:
I do the whole PTA-JHB thing every day?
Click to expand...

i pity you - and this is not meant sarcastic . used to waste 2-3 hours of my day commuting in traffic.

no longer - now it's only about 30 minutes I waste each day :)
 
Heard from a friend that Virgin are running a special right now. Only R100 joining fee and 350 monthly fee.
 
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