You know, it’s important to choose the gym to achieve your objectives. Often I was training in gym that weren’t well equipped to help me evolve. And do you know why ? It was because of the price.
Later, studying the professional bodybuilders lifestyle , I found that they could spend $ 1,000 per week only for food. This is clearly more than the annual subscription in a gym, it’s awesome, right ? This is what Jay Cutler spends on food.
Listen, I started with a bench and two dumbbells in my bedroom. Then in the gym of the sports center « Sous-Moulin ». It was really, really cheap, CHF 200.- per year. But there was no dumbbells, no barbells. There were 2 bikes, 4 upper body machines , 1 Leg Press, 1 cable machine, one treadmill. It wasn’t a bodybuilding gym but it was for players of soccer, basketball, volleyball and ice hockey. After 1-2 years, I lifted almost all the weight in the machines.
Then I changed to go to the gym « Silhouette » which is equipped for bodybuilders but it was CHF 800.- per year. It was next to my work. After I moved, changed jobs and I go to another gym « Silhouette » but it cost CHF 1,200 per year. After 6 months, I hadn’t paid for everything so they blocked my access.
For 2 years, I’m not trained because I really had money problems. But I missed it so much (my 2 dumbbells were too light) I told myself that now I will make an investment on my body as I make an investment with my studies.
I returned to the sports center « Sous-Moulin » (they changed nothing) and the same, 1-2 years after I changed. This time for the gym « Non-Stop Gym », CHF 550.- per year. Everything was fine, the heaviest dumbells were 32.5kg (71.65lbs), I thought I was going to take a long time before use it. After 6 months, a gym’s member tells me that I look him bad. People stop us, calm down.
1 month after, he seemed to attack me by surprise, people stop us but he insists aggressively. I do what I have to do, the gym’s staff watch the video and tell me I did more than defend myself, our subscriptions are terminated.
In disaster, I find a gym « Fitness Park » after the border which costs me EUR 350.- per year. I’m in the gym since 1 year and I lift 34kg (74.95lbs) dumbell benchpress. « Non-Stop Gym » hadn’t 50kg (110.2lbs) dumbbells. Right now this « Fitness Park » grows and attracts more and more bodybuilders and Crossfit athletes.
I decided to make a Men’s Physique competition in 2018 and this gym is perfect for me to achieve this goal. But have you seen my journey, when I took the decision to invest in my body as my studies, I focused on the equipment’s quality to reach my goals.
An investment have results in the long-term, choose a gym, it’s similar. The sports center « Sous-Moulin » was a waste of time and money.
And you ? How do you choose your gym?
-Steph