Joining a gym can be very helpful if you’ve set a goal for yourself to get healthier and in better shape within a reasonable amount of time. It gives you access to a wide variety of equipment and classes, and the financial investment made on the membership gives you the necessary motivation to keep going. You also might get some accountability by working out with a personal trainer or with your friends.
Nevertheless, gym memberships can also be a bit pricey, and that can make you reconsider. There are some pretty good gym membership deals out there, though, if you know how to find them. In this article, we will teach you how to get the best possible offer, without compromising your budget or your fitness goals.
1. Scout around
Check retail discount sites for promo codes and offers. Check websites for local gyms to see what kind of deals they’re offering. Find nationwide gyms that have locations in your area, such as LA Fitness, and ask about their prices. Check sites like Groupon or Living Social that offer inexpensive deals on membership.
2. Speak to your company’s HR department
A lot of companies partner with local gyms to offer a discount on membership as one of their health benefits for employees. Ask your company’s HR department if your company has such a partnership and what the terms and conditions are.
3. Check with your insurance carrier
Insurance companies often offer a variety of perks for encouraging healthy customers. Sometimes one of those perks is a discount on a gym membership. In some cases, they may offer reimbursement of some of your membership fees after you’ve been a member for a certain amount of time or lost a certain amount of weight or met another condition.
4. Negotiate
If you find a gym you like, but the membership is a little higher than you’d like to pay, ask to speak to the manager. Sometimes if you speak to the manager, you can negotiate a lower membership rate. Alternatively, you may be able to work out some other kind of a deal with the manager, such as a discount if you bring in a certain number of other people to buy memberships or getting a discount by volunteering or working part-time for the gym.
Even if they won’t budge on the price, try for other perks and bonuses. Ask for an extra month of membership or to have the initiation fee waived. Try for a free wellness assessment or a personal training session or two. If there are services that you won’t use, such as childcare or a pool, see if you can negotiate a rate that doesn’t include those services.
5. Experiment with free trials
Experimenting with free trials can help you get gym membership deals in a couple of ways. First, as long as you’re using a trial membership, you’re not paying (or paying very little) to use the gym, so that’s saving you money. Second, it allows you to try out multiple gyms to find the one that works best for you and that you truly like so that you can then use some of the other tips included here to negotiate a better deal.
Finally, many gyms that offer a free trial also offer membership at a discount if you sign up after using the free trial. You’ll want to check with the gym to see how long the discount remains valid after you finish the free trial.
6. Bring your friends
Many gyms offer special discounts for groups. Gather a group of friends and ask the manager if you can get a group rate. If your spouse, roommate or other people who live in your household plan to join, check into a family rate. Alternatively, see if the gym will offer a group rate on additional services, like small group personal training.
7. Don’t sign a contract on the spot
Many gyms have membership goals set for each month. Those goals seem easy to reach at the beginning of the month, but once you start getting closer to the end of the month, gym salespeople who haven’t met their goals will start to be more willin to deal. Hold off on signing that contract until then and you might be able to score a great deal.
Additionally, summer and fall tend to be the best time of year tocore a great deal, so if you can use free trials and promotions to tide you over, you might be able to score the best deal by waiting until the end of a summer or fall month.
Gym membership deals aren’t always widely advertised. But if you’re willing to do a little investigating, have some skill at negotiating, and can be flexible and willing to try different places and things, you can often put one together for yourself. The tips above can sometimes even be used together to create an even better deal. Never hesitate to ask, and don’t be afraid to push a little harder to get the answer you want. Your health is worth it.
Read our full review about one of the best bodybuilding supplements: Crazy Bulk >>
