9 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Choosing a New Gym, According to a Personal Trainer

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With the new year looming, one of the biggest to-dos on many people’s list is to finally figure out a fitness program. In lots of cases, joining a gym is step one here. But with all the options staring you in the face—boutique studio, 24/7 commercial chain, bonus sauna that you may or may not even use—it can start to feel overwhelming before you even lace up your sneakers.

But it doesn’t have to be. As SELF’s fitness director and an ACE-certified personal trainer, I’ve joined, scrapped, rejoined, and switched up many a gym in my nearly 20 years of strength training. One thing I’ve learned? The “best” gym on paper means squat if it’s not the best one for you. The same fitness space that can inspire some folks to push to PRs can make others not even want to step through the doors.

That’s why I’ve found it beneficial to vet your space first with a list of questions that can help you suss out whether the gym you’re considering is the right spot for you. Below, a few things to ask yourself before you sign on that dotted line.

1. What does getting there look like?

This one’s the biggest for me: If making your way to your gym is a giant pain in the ass, chances are good that you’re not going to want to do it.

Quick story. My current gym has a few different locations. One is absolutely beautiful: a double-decker with huge floor-to-ceiling windows, state-of-the-art machines, a turf track up on the top level, and even a cafe to help you fuel up when you’re done. The other is literally in a basement, and its equipment, though completely serviceable, would look right at home in a Gold’s circa 1990. Which one is my go-to? Basement gym FTW.

That’s because the new, gorgeous location is smack dab downtown, meaning you’ve got to fight city traffic and lots of one-ways, and then navigate the bowels of a parking garage to make it through the doors. I normally go to the gym after work, and if I know that headache is waiting for me after a full day…it very well might not happen. The other is an easy-breezy straight shot.

So check out the logistics before you commit—make sure you do it yourself rather than relying solely on Google Maps—and set your trial run for a day and time when you’d want to work out. If the drive, commute, train switch, walk over, whatever, has you even vaguely annoyed during your test, just realize it’s only going to be amplified once you’re in every-day mode. And only you can weigh whether a shiny new StairClimber can make up for that.

2. What kinds of workouts do you want to do?

In my experience, a gym is usually going to have one facet where it particularly shines, whether it’s offering an immense array of cardio equipment, enough power racks so nearly everyone can squat in peace, or a class schedule that would make Peloton envious. Ideally, this should match up pretty well with where you see the majority of your workouts heading.

If you love to switch it up with different fitness classes, you’re probably going to get bored with a gym that offers the same handful on repeat—but you just might love one that works in new additions every month. If the goal of your fitness plan is to build endurance to finally crush a 10K, you’re likely going to get frustrated with a space that has only a handful of treadmills that are always in use. But one with cardio machines as far as the eye can see? That might make a great new home for you.

Just be wary of gyms boasting tons of shiny new amenities that sound cool in theory but really don’t do it for you. If it’s a feature you think you should want—Pilates Reformer classes included in your membership, for instance, and you’re a barbell lifter through and through—but you don’t see yourself actually using it, try not to let that overwhelm your other criteria.

3. When do you want to work out?

This is a big one, because it has a trickle down effect on lots of other factors. A gym that’s annoying to get to during rush hour might be just fine during the day. One made up mostly of professionals might be packed in the after-work hours, while another one that caters to the retiree crowd may clear out well before 5:00 p.m. You can ask the front desk folks when the busy times are, but this is another one where you’ll get the best info by doing a trial run yourself.

Another thing to keep in mind regarding timing: Do you intend to go right to work after your workout, straight to brunch, etc? If that’s the case, the locker room situation is going to be more important than if you’re only stashing your coat there. Which brings me to:

4. Will you be showering?

Not all gyms—even the ones that look fancy on the floor—are created equal behind closed doors. And by that I mean the bathroom door. Some spaces have showers, vanities, and even complimentary toiletries that make your regular ol’ GRWM routine at home pale in comparison. Others will have you dousing your foot in rubbing alcohol if you accidentally step off your flip-fop onto the bare shower floor.

Relatedly, towel service: One of the pushes in favor of my current gym was the fact that I never have to worry about bringing my own, washing it, stuffing it in a gym bag, etc. Freeing up that mental load is well worth the extra cost of this amenity, and it’s one I’d encourage you to consider as well. After all, it makes you more likely to actually use the showers, which can greatly improve your post-workout comfort. (Once you’ve stepped into the cold January air after a hard interval run sans shower and immediately got the chills, you’ll see what I mean.)

5. Are you a headphones-in exerciser or do you prefer a little chat?

I’ve been to gyms where groups form on the floor, folks chat each other up, and a spotter is always a nod away. I’ve also belonged to ones where everyone does their own thing. Neither is better or worse, but if there’s a vibes mismatch with what you prefer, it can seriously impede your enjoyment—and thus your likelihood to keep coming back. So when you check out your potential place, keep an eye on how much interaction is going on (and gauge your gut reaction to it).

6. Where’s the nearest spray bottle or container of wipes?

If neither of these are hitting you right in the face, it’s not a good sign for the overall cleanliness of the place. If gym-goers have to traipse the floor to snag the one singular bottle of spray cleaner off the front desk to wipe down their bench, you can probably guess pretty accurately that most of the equipment isn’t being sanitized between uses. It’s unfortunate, but as I’ve noticed firsthand, a lot of folks aren’t going to expend the extra effort to clean up. If there’s a bottle, roll of paper towels, or container of wipes near every station? You can be better assured that a spritz and swipe will occur, and that you’re not going to sink right into someone’s back sweat when you hit the mat.

7. Does the place exemplify the kind of fitness you want it to?

Another thing to keep in mind when checking the place out: Do you see a lot of different kinds of bodies represented, whether we’re talking about the class instructors or even other gym-goers? Is the fitness equipment made for lighter (or taller) bodies, or can it work for a wider array of users? Is the messaging on track with how you view fitness?

One pretty accurate way to suss this out is to check out their signage, special programming, challenges, or awards. Do they emphasize weight loss as a goal, and celebrate folks who hit arbitrary numbers? Do they call their cardio class “Bikini Shred 101” and create five-minute finishers to build “tanktop arms?” Or are they more focused on the function and performance benefits? Say, maybe they create a class that’ll help you get to your first push-up, invite folks to write down a new squat PR on the wall, or even simply share motivational playlists rather than “transformational” photos. Believe me, these are the things that are going to foster motivation in the long run.

8. What’s its vibe on social?

This is another great way to really get a good feel on how a place thinks about fitness holistically—give the place a follow, and you can see what accounts it promotes, what kinds of posts it likes, and which members (doing what kind of activities) it chooses to spotlight.

The user-generated stuff can also come in clutch here. Take a look at their tagged content—what videos are users sharing? Are there lots of flexing and muscle shots, which might make a bodybuilder feel right at home, but a gen-pop exerciser feel a little out of their element? Or are there exhausted yet euphoric selfies simply sharing a tough workout in the books? (Hell, even the amount of content you can find can tell you a lot about a gym: If there’s a ton each day, you might want to brace yourself for tripods taking over the floor and maybe even popping up in the locker room.)

9. Do you even need a physical gym in the first place?

Give these questions a ponder, and they can help you ID a great place for you—if that’s what your end goal is, of course. It doesn’t need to be! You can still get started with fitness or continue on with a great routine without having an external place to do it. In fact, for some folks, joining a gym might not be the best or most convenient way to work fitness into their lives, and that’s okay. As long as you’ve got a great home set-up and a host of fun and exciting workouts to try, you can crush whatever goal you’ve got—no special space required.