What is happening to gyms?
 

Its sad, ever since the gyms i went to closed down i am running lowwww on choices, champion and hamilton fitness both closed down within the past year... leaving me with not many choices... so ive been driving around looking for places to go with not a lot of luck, my only 2 things im looking for are a deadlift platform where people wont bother me and multiple squat racks so i dont have to wait for some jackass to finish curling... the only place that is left is PEAC, but i dont have enough arms to pay for it, plus when i was there i hated the people... f me
/rant

A few of my gyms closed down in the past too. I live in the relative sticks, so they were always mom and pop gyms. Never did like the high end gyms like nysc since alot of the amenities i wouldn't use (pool, sauna, towel service, etc). Currently go to a small chain 'snap' fitness....card access 24/7 which is kind of nice. They are popping up all over now due to low overhead and cost of the franchise. They are on the smaller side but i go later in the evening to avoid the mass of people. Since their individually owned and due to liability, some don't have standard squat or barbell flat benches and rely on smith machines or dumbell/nautilus machines but i've seen them go either way.

Why would you even want those things, they are bad for you.

Odd. I live in the sticks and have 4 gym choices within 6 miles - Only one of which is a chain (Gold's).

Where do you live? I have my gym and jazzercise, which is a ladies exercise class..lol. I sometimes go w/my wife to planetfitness in pompton lakes, which is nice but again the hours are difficult on the weekend for me. Thats about 15+ miles away..or i have the one in nanuet which is the same distance.

As I'm sure you know, it's all cyclical.

What's "in" now are boot camps, mud runs, Crossfit, and kettlebell workouts. I was talking to Andy Ferrigno on Thursday and he said he can't believe how popular the kettle stuff has gotten. But if people think it's new... it isn't. Louis Cyr used to use them all the time.

Sooner or later somebody will "discover" weight training and how extra muscle mass promotes extra calorie burning every day and then that will all come back. Rollin swollen is just not "in" right now.

What is "weight training?" :rofl: I know I was a happy camper when I discovered the teachings of Mike Mentzer and he said no-no to cardio and yes-yes to lifting to promote fat loss and calorie burning. :)

^this! I hate cardio haha. Retro fitness centers are way too crowded. I've heard crunch isn't bad though. I've been lifting at home, if you have room in yourhouse there is always guys getting rid of weights for cheap. Plus using actual weights rather than pullies and cables IMO is far better

They opened a retro fitness literally 2 blocks away from my place - I'm a member and go 3 to 4 times a week. I go late, 9pm or so to miss the after work crowds - works for me.

But as Bill mentioned, the crossfit and kettlebell places are huge now. Within the complex where my shop is, there are 3 hole in the wall crossfit gyms and a Powerhouse gym (you see the folks doing crossfit stuff in the parking lot in summer) within the 20 or so buildings!

I gave up on retro, tired of crappy bars and miserable equipment.

But at a $1 per lb, home gyms are not cheap... I am up to ~420lbs now, hopefully get a squat rack next month. Another couple plates and I am set to do decent workouts.

And half the time the Machines at retro are broken. It is expensive for the weights when you buy them new but I've found some Craigslist scores on plates and benches. Buying plates for leg lifts and squats is definitely big money. Ive found old plates that are rusted pretty bad but I just take a blaster to them and spray them.

Free weights are always the way to go as you use your core more...but substituting some cabling equipment is fine as well. Most important thing is to keep on switching it up.

I see so many places that just say Crossfit, nothing else. Tis funny.

Golds gym in east windsor, not sure how far it is from u.

There's a Gold's off of Quakerbridge Road(right by the mall) in Lawrenceville and a Powerhouse in Plainsboro. I go to the Powerhouse, hardly anyone in there when I go, I love it.

there all going down the shoot imo. I went to golds in Paramus and teteboro, retro, a few random gyms and then I signed up at worlds in Paramus which now is crunch fitness. it was awesome before it got bought out. now that its 10$ a month its loaded up with young high school punks who think there big who struggle with a 135 lol. and its just packed with a bunch of cardio equipment now =/

Cardio equipment and fewer free weights keeps insurance rates down. That's why there are typically no olympic bar bench press setups at 24 hour gyms.

I had 2 retros in my town I would go to when I was home. If you go early/late it usually worked out. When I'm at school we have our own gym. Its free and just got a 19 million dollar renovation last year. Since its winter break and nobody is here, it feels like I have my own millionaire training facility. Lol

I dont mind driving up to a half hour for a good gym, but if i walk in there and see no cages or bumper weights i usually just walk out... godforbid i ask about chalk, its like i came in there trying to sell alcohol during prohibition

Why would you wanna use messy chalk, its bad for your skin and makes the place a mess.

:bertstare:

So i dont ruin my soft hands you silly goose

You should wear some gloves, that way the gross and sharp bar doesn't hurt your delicate hands.

I gave up on gyms in the early 90's after seeing Rocky 4. Now I chop down trees and carry the huge logs over my head and run through 4 feet of snow.

Why not do both? :lol:

A new place called Urge fitness is going into the shopping center over by Ewing High. Not sure what the exact layout is planned to be but the sign says $20/month and the hot chick manning the membership drive area said they will be open around the end of the month.

-Tim