It’s the holiday season, we just got through Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner and soon after that, New Year. Most of us will eat our fill in the holidays and then as a new year resolution decide to take up a sport or join a gym and that is a very good thing. But how do you go about choosing a gym? This is a crucial step because finding the perfect place to train will help you reach your goals and keep you motivated. Here are 10 tips to find the place that suits you best.

1 - Check the location

The distance from the room is important. Indeed, the further it is, the more time you will waste on transport. Also, if you have too far to go to get there, you may lose the motivation to go. It is, therefore, better to choose a room close to your home, or your work, if you train during the lunch break, or after your day. It is also worth checking that you can access the hall by public transport or that there is parking nearby for your car.

2 - Aim for broad schedules

Most of the large venues offer fairly long hours, but not all of them. Some rooms are open in the evening and/or on weekends, others are not. Some open early, others late. Check that these hours suit you and try to choose a room with sufficient opening hours. You never know, you might want to change your habits and it would be a shame not to be able to do so because the venue is closed.

3 - Demand quality equipment

A good gym should have quality equipment in good condition. It should have an area for free weight training, with enough dumbbells and cast iron, as well as mirrors to control your execution of the movements. She should also have enough machines for the guided exercises. A cardio training zone is also important. This should at least contain bicycles and treadmills. Ellipticals, steppers, and other machines aren't mandatory, but that's one more point. Finally, an area to practice your stretching and come back to calm is not superfluous. All this material must be recent and well maintained.

4 - Test the atmosphere

One of the crucial criteria for training well is concentration. The room you choose must therefore have a serious and studious atmosphere. If it is too loud, the music is too loud, the practitioners monopolize the machines while they are chatting, and the coaches are spending their time flirting, you will not be able to train properly. However, a little user-friendliness is not to be neglected either. Practitioners should greet each other and be on good terms with each other. The atmosphere should be relaxed. Do not hesitate to do one or more test sessions to test the waters or find a gym that takes precautions against such activities. Planet Fitness Lunk Alarm is a good example to go by.

5 - Inspect hygiene

When you go to visit the room, pay attention to the cleanliness of the place. Housekeeping should be done regularly and machines should be cleaned. The shower area must also be impeccable. No tuft of hair should block the showers. Nothing questionable should hang out in the toilet.

6 - Think about your safety

Indoor sport is not without risk. This is why your gym must have attentive and available coaches, in number. You need to be able to call on them at any time and get clear and precise answers. Better still, these coaches must turn in the room and advise the practitioners, correct their posture. The most security-conscious rooms require a medical certificate before registering.

7 - Analyze additional services

The basis of a gym is the bodybuilding zone and the cardio-training zone. But it is also pleasant to have access to other services, such as group lessons, specialized lessons (Crossfit, TRX, Pilates, etc.), a swimming pool, or a sauna. Choose a room suited to your desires and your means.

8 - Pay attention to attendance

If you have the opportunity, test the room for a week, at different times, if possible, those you plan to visit. At each of these sessions, the room must be passable. If it's crowded and you don't have access to the different machines, cross it off the list.

9 - Look for the diet corner

Your room doesn’t have to have a well-stocked diet corner; however, this can help out and prevent you from buying your supplements elsewhere. In addition, the skills of coaches, in terms of nutrition, can bring a real plus to your progress.

10 - Peel the rates

Finally, carefully browse the prices of your room. The prices must be correlated with the service offered. More expensive does not necessarily mean better. It is more interesting to pay the right price for a well-equipped, clean room with competent coaches than to pay a fortune for a room that offers bad equipment, without any coaching, and which relies on dispensable services.