Insignificant/ Significant things that BYP or just wind you up a little

[gremlin]

Gyms.

I have a monthly membership to a really good local gym. Happy days. However, a couple of days a week I'm up in The Smoke and, whereas I might drag my aging carcass out for a run at lunchtime, I though tit would be good to throw in some weight training. Hence I went to my former gym from before the world went all covidy to see what they could offer.
I explained that I'm interested in a sort of 'pay as you go' type thing, due to not being in the office five days a week, maybe once or twice a week max. Blank looks from receptionist. He started to explain they have special offers for January and monthly fees were, blah, blah, blah. I explained again. Slow blink then a realisation. Goes gets manager, who I sort of know from my time as a member before.
He gets the issue but says the best he can offer is a day pass at £30 a pop, which we both agreed was madness for a 45 minute workout. So I've started Googling it and very few gyms seem to have adapted their model to to the post-Covd world.

Not sure how long gyms in city centres will survive. It's worth mentioning that yesterday when I popped in, around 1.30ish, there were four people in Fitness First Wapping and it's a fairly big gym.

[Rockburner]

Gyms.

I have a monthly membership to a really good local gym. Happy days. However, a couple of days a week I'm up in The Smoke and, whereas I might drag my aging carcass out for a run at lunchtime, I though tit would be good to throw in some weight training. Hence I went to my former gym from before the world went all covidy to see what they could offer.
I explained that I'm interested in a sort of 'pay as you go' type thing, due to not being in the office five days a week, maybe once or twice a week max. Blank looks from receptionist. He started to explain they have special offers for January and monthly fees were, blah, blah, blah. I explained again. Slow blink then a realisation. Goes gets manager, who I sort of know from my time as a member before.
He gets the issue but says the best he can offer is a day pass at £30 a pop, which we both agreed was madness for a 45 minute workout. So I've started Googling it and very few gyms seem to have adapted their model to to the post-Covd world.

Not sure how long gyms in city centres will survive. It's worth mentioning that yesterday when I popped in, around 1.30ish, there were four people in Fitness First Wapping and it's a fairly big gym.

From what I've seen, none of them offer a decent 'pay-as-you-go' service. They all force their clients onto the 'monthly-subscription' pattern because they know damn well that only about 10% of their clients will actually come in and use the facilities. So they're getting a lot of subs in for basically no outlay.

Obviously they'll say that all the expensive gym equipment is a big initial outlay, and all the maintenance and heating bills are a big monthly outlay which they need to pay even if no-one ever turns up - which is kinda fair enough, but like you say - they also need a proper 'day-rate' which is reasonably priced.

It pisses me off that only a few of the bigger chains will 'share' memberships across locations - mainly (I'm guessing) because they're all individual franchises?

[Yambo]

Gyms.

I have a monthly membership to a really good local gym. Happy days. However, a couple of days a week I'm up in The Smoke and, whereas I might drag my aging carcass out for a run at lunchtime, I though tit would be good to throw in some weight training. Hence I went to my former gym from before the world went all covidy to see what they could offer.
I explained that I'm interested in a sort of 'pay as you go' type thing, due to not being in the office five days a week, maybe once or twice a week max. Blank looks from receptionist. He started to explain they have special offers for January and monthly fees were, blah, blah, blah. I explained again. Slow blink then a realisation. Goes gets manager, who I sort of know from my time as a member before.
He gets the issue but says the best he can offer is a day pass at £30 a pop, which we both agreed was madness for a 45 minute workout. So I've started Googling it and very few gyms seem to have adapted their model to to the post-Covd world.

Not sure how long gyms in city centres will survive. It's worth mentioning that yesterday when I popped in, around 1.30ish, there were four people in Fitness First Wapping and it's a fairly big gym.

You don't need a gym to do a 45 minute weights workout, It's a complete waste of money.

In fact, the rates that gyms charge should be enough to send you off looking for alternative, often free, methods of exercising. But it's your money, you can waste it any way you want.

[MrLongbeard]

Gyms.

Come out to the sticks.
Old school place open 24/7, £23 single membership £36 joint membership, no showers mind https://www.facebook.com/GymHQ/

[gremlin]

You don't need a gym to do a 45 minute weights workout, It's a complete waste of money.

In fact, the rates that gyms charge should be enough to send you off looking for alternative, often free, methods of exercising. But it's your money, you can waste it any way you want.

Go on....

[Rockburner]

You don't need a gym to do a 45 minute weights workout, It's a complete waste of money.

In fact, the rates that gyms charge should be enough to send you off looking for alternative, often free, methods of exercising. But it's your money, you can waste it any way you want.

Go on....

Just lift your desk up as far as you can 50 times.
No need to even leave the office!

[gremlin]

You don't need a gym to do a 45 minute weights workout, It's a complete waste of money.

In fact, the rates that gyms charge should be enough to send you off looking for alternative, often free, methods of exercising. But it's your money, you can waste it any way you want.

Go on....

Just lift your desk up as far as you can 50 times.
No need to even leave the office!

Brilliant! I have two buttons that do that for me. I can even do it sat down.

Mind you, with the speed the motor works at it's not so much 'Up. Down. Up. Down', more 'Uuuuuppppppp......'Thonk!'......Dooooowwwwwwwnnnnnnn'.

[Horse]

Gyms.

You don't need a gym to do a 45 minute weights workout, It's a complete waste of money.

In fact, the rates that gyms charge should be enough to send you off looking for alternative, often free, methods of exercising. But it's your money, you can waste it any way you want.

I think Gremlin has a small gym at home already, fairly sure he's posted pics.

Yes, I could probably use weights too at home. But not the rowing machine or bikes (I can't cycle, so it would need to be Liverpool converted (on blocks) and then it's space issues.

I couldn't easily and cheaply replicate the swimming pools, sauna, jacuzzi etc. either.

But it ain't cheap. Luckily, for the moment, it's 'salary sacrifice' so saves on tax & NI.

[gremlin]

Gyms.

You don't need a gym to do a 45 minute weights workout, It's a complete waste of money.

In fact, the rates that gyms charge should be enough to send you off looking for alternative, often free, methods of exercising. But it's your money, you can waste it any way you want.

I think Gremlin has a small gym at home already, fairly sure he's posted pics.

Yes, I could probably use weights too at home. But not the rowing machine or bikes (I can't cycle, so it would need to be Liverpool converted (on blocks) and then it's space issues.

I couldn't easily and cheaply replicate the swimming pools, sauna, jacuzzi etc. either.

But it ain't cheap. Luckily, for the moment, it's 'salary sacrifice' so saves on tax & NI.

I do indeed have a fairly decent home gym* with a half rack, Olympic bar and plates, etc. However, when I'm in the office, it's a bit of an ask to get all the way home, use it and then come back.
In fairness my original post on the subject was a very insignificant thing indeed. I currently go to 'the gym' five days a week for various class-based stuff. I could always use a free day to do weights** at home. Was more a gripe at the inflexible pricing of gyms.

*Currently digging the Olympic-sized pool. Waiting for the neighbours to complain about the subsidence in their property.

**I get Yambo's point about weights and using body weight to exercise, which I totally agree with. Lovin' burpees and press ups in all their forms, but I like to do a session with heavy weights, i.e. deadlifting and squatingand using the bench for pressing, which is my preferred resistance workout.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Pure Gym.

Can be as low as £7/month, no lock in. Snap Fitness is another one.

I'd have thought they're everywhere in that London?

[Count Steer]

Gyms.....

Say no more. There are more complaints about gym/health club memberships and the difficulty of quitting and stopping payments than you can shake a stick at. ie you have to sign up for a year, you have to give 3 months notice that you wish to quit, if you want to finish at the end of the year you have to tell them at the 9 month mark or you're stuck paying for 15 months etc etc etc.

There was a scheme that you could join that would allow you to use any gym/club in the scheme on a casual basis. Handy if you have a job that takes you to different places. I think that was a similar 'locked-in' deal as well though.

I'm in the process of trying to quit the pair of us from the local 'country club' - basically a golf course with a pool, gym, tennis courts, fitness rooms and a fancy bike studio with a big screen etc etc. They don't make it easy.

[Taipan]

You don't need a gym to do a 45 minute weights workout, It's a complete waste of money.

In fact, the rates that gyms charge should be enough to send you off looking for alternative, often free, methods of exercising. But it's your money, you can waste it any way you want.

Go on....

Just lift your desk up as far as you can 50 times.
No need to even leave the office!

Take your wallet out of the drawer first or you'll do yourself a mischief!

[gremlin]

I'd have thought they're everywhere in that London?

Everywhere except where I need one to be.

[gremlin]

Gremlinette just called me. Somebody has stoved in the passenger side door of her pride and joy Audi A1.

As it's her first year of insurance, I don't think it would be prudent to claim, so I guess she'll have to suck it up, grit her teeth and put her hand in my wallet.

[Yambo]

Go on....

LOL

I had a similar exchange with an expat in the village during covid lockdowns. He didn't like the answer.


I'd written a similar answer for this post but I see the conversation has progressed so deleted it.

Of course, some specific forms of exercise may need specific equipment, thanks for pointing that out Horse.

For more general workouts though you can often make do with everyday items around you. It might even be beneficial to not do weight training in those 45 minute slots but do some cardio, power walking with a 15 kg pack on your back, running etc because I'm sure we all know that just weight training isn't necessarily going to make you well fit.

There are often times in real life where suddenly getting involved in something strenuous shows up the inadequacies of nicely regulated gym based exercises. I was splitting logs late last year (and have more to do) and it quickly became apparent that I could have exercised more appropriately in the preceeding weeks. I had to cut some of the logs in half too and using a bow saw a fair amount again underlined that loads of press-ups were not going to help.

Whatever. I too have a bit of a gym at home and even the fact that they have a very good coffee machine in the nearby hotel gym won't have me paying to do what I need/want to do: to be as fit as I need to be, to be able to do what I want to do.

[gremlin]

Go on....

Stuff...

Totally agree. Somebody asked me what I was 'training for' a while back. 'To stop me from dying' was my witty riposte. I know, wasted in banking, right?!
I take an holistic view in terms of my health and fitness. Boxing training twice a week, circuit class twice a week and a weights circuit class. Throw in a couple of runs and countless dog walks (sometimes a run with the dog just to mix it up) plus a bit of yoga to keep me from seizing up and I reckon I'm covering all bases.
The thing I've edged out of my routine is the heavy weights. As I said, deadlifts and squats I find very beneficial in terms of core strength. I'm not interested in bulking up or getting goon-shaped as I'm 53* and things are going South at an increasingly rapid pace. Literally and figuratively.


*I am aware that both Daniel Craig and Tom Cruise are both older than me, but they can go fuck themselves, along with their honed physiques and washboard abs.

[Yambo]

The thing I've edged out of my routine is the heavy weights. As I said, deadlifts and squats I find very beneficial in terms of core strength. I'm not interested in bulking up or getting goon-shaped as I'm 53 and things are going South at an increasingly rapid pace. Literally and figuratively.

My niece got into running big time and the next London Marathon will be her 4th London (I think) and her 12th or 13 full gig. She's done a couple of hundred milers as well. She does a fair bit of other exercise as well to balance things up. She was over in the village twice last year and on the first visit, whilst out on a boat trip she was bragging a bit about her plank endurance. Supposedly 1.5 minutes is pretty good.

I laughed (I've been pulling her leg for years that hopefully, one day before she gets too old, she'll actually 'run' a marathon as her times were . . . shall we say quite pedestrian) and reckoned I could easily plank for two minutes. She broke 4 hours for the 1st time last year running the Manchester Marathon.

Of course, I had to put my money where my mouth was and get down on the deck. At 2 minutes 50 seconds I told her I was getting bored and concerned my beer was getting warm, and packed it in at 3 minutes. Not bad for an ol' boy of 71, eh?

[Yorick]

I've done 2 Ironman events over here

[gremlin]

I've done 2 Ironman events over here

And in fairness you nearly injured yourself getting on the gixxer, what with the tightness of those leathers....

[Yorick]

I've done 2 Ironman events over here

And in fairness you nearly injured yourself getting on the gixxer, what with the tightness of those leathers....

Not that day. Only t-shirt and shorts