7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Joining a Gym

TrainingMindset

21 Mar

A few years ago now, I decided that I would like to try something new in engineering.

Previously, I'd been a Project Engineer, but now I was going into Reliability.

I talked to my younger brother about it because I was moving back to the area which I grew up, and didn't want to move back in with my parents.

Of course he was cool to let me move in, but before I could sign on the dotted line, I needed to check the local gym.

It had been close to 5 years since I lived in the area, and the whole "fitness" thing had become a lot more popular in that time.

I'm pretty sure there were only two gyms when I left...

You might find it weird that I checked the gym before signing my contract, but my thought process was this: training was very good for my state of mind. It was the foundation I could build the rest of my life around.

For me, a job that was going to affect my training, and hence my head space, was not a job I wanted.

These are the things I think about when I travel, move, start a new job etc.

You see, many people believe that joining a gym is just joining a gym.

You'll sign up, you'll turn up 3 or 4 times a week, no worries.

Yet, the greater percentage of gym memberships are held by people who rarely turn up.

One reason: we don't consider the logistics behind training on a regular basis.

What actually needs to be checked off before you sign up to a gym or turn up to train?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself. They may seem pretty basic, but your brain is looking for a reason not to train, so these 'basic' things can easily lead you to skipping another session rather than going:

When are you going to train?
- The timing of your training session could affect other areas of your life, and if the timing seems difficult, it could be the first thing you drop from your schedule. Are you training before work? Will you shower at the gym, or go back home to shower? Will this give you enough time to make it to work on time, or will you have to start waking earlier?
- Are you training after work? Will you pack your gym bag each day and take it to work, or will you go back home and then into the gym afterwards?
How long will you train for?
- Similar to when you will train, the length of time is important as it may affect other areas of your life.
Where is the gym?
- Going to a gym that is difficult to get to on you way to work or back home is not going to make it easier for you to train. Or that might be the point, that you have to go out of your way to get there. Understand what you're looking for in regards to the location of a gym to best motivate you.
How much will the gym cost?
- A cheap gym membership is great right? It's also handy when you feel like skipping because you won't feel as guilty. But if it's too expensive, you might also struggle to cancel. Choose a gym membership that will help you, not hinder you.
How will you train?
- Obvious answer; by lifting ALL the weight! But seriously, are you into pump class, are you happy to lift weights yourself, are you into CrossFit or group classes, does bootcamp style training interest you more. A sure fire way to not be motivated is to do a training style that you don't even like.
Do you enough enough gym equipment?
- By gym equipment, I mean the things you bring. Do you have a water bottle, towel, headphones etc? Do you even have enough training clothing? That sounds odd, but I bet you would skip a training session if you didn't have a clean pair of training clothing.
Do you even need to join a gym?
- The answer to this is obviously no, but gyms are pretty good places to train, so I've heard. If you don't enjoy the gym environment, why join? Maybe surfing, yoga, mountain biking, running etc are your thing. Maybe you'd prefer to spend that gym membership on a setup for yourself at home?

Again, these seem like simple, almost too obvious questions, but the idea is to make it as simple as possible as you can for yourself. The idea is that there is little to no "friction" in starting and maintaining the habit of training.

It should achievable on your worst days, and easy on you best.

If you need guidance with a training program to keep you motivated and focused while at the gym, download a FREE copy of our 12 Week Training Program. It's awesome and free.