Is a Gym Membership Worth It?

Between a massive increase in online group fitness, a post-pandemic boom in new commercial gyms, and a renewed interest in personal health, the fitness industry is “healthier” than at almost any time in history. Despite this fact, we still encounter one question more than any other with prospective new members: “Is a gym membership worth it?”

We believe the resounding answer is “yes,” and we’ll use this article to show you all of the impressive benefits and perks that you can enjoy by signing up with Crunch Fitness, as well as a few easy ways to get the most from any gym membership.

Physical Health Benefits

A strong core, sculpted thighs or arms, and improved endurance–all of these and more are some of the most common reasons for people to join a gym. For physical benefits, a gym membership will help you with goals such as:

Better Cardiovascular Health

Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death worldwide. Luckily, staving off these conditions can be as simple as thirty minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day, five days a week. With a gym membership, you can keep these sessions interesting by switching between different machines, such as stationary bikes, rowing machines, or treadmills.

Even better, cardio-focused group fitness classes can provide structure, guidance, and motivation to turn your cardio routine into something you actually enjoy.

More Strength and Muscle

With most fitness centers, your gym membership fees grant you access to a wide range of fitness equipment, including weight machines and free weights. And, thanks to the growing popularity of strength training, many gyms have decided to reinvest in their strength-related exercise equipment. For you, this means more resources to build full-body strength and muscle so you can look and feel better.

Lower Risk of Injury

As we age, the threat of injury becomes an increasingly significant cause for concern. Fortunately, exercise performed properly can offset the risk of injury by building healthy muscle, strengthening your joints, and even increasing bone density. What’s more, regularly engaging in sports, group fitness classes, or other athletic hobbies teaches you how to move your body in healthy, safe ways that you can use in day-to-day life to prevent injury.

Mental Health Benefits

While bigger muscles or a slimmer waistline are arguably the most obvious benefits of a gym membership, the truth is that regular exercise can improve your mental health as much, if not more.

Reduce Stress

Regardless of whether it’s cardio workouts or weight training, exercise can improve your ability to handle stress by recreating similar conditions to a so-called “fight or flight” scenario, such as increased heart rate or breathing. When you regularly do this, your body learns to work better under “stressed” conditions, meaning fewer drawbacks in your day-to-day life when circumstances actually stress you out.

Build Self-Confidence

For better or worse, our self-confidence is often at least somewhat tied to physical characteristics. And, while the conversation around eating habits and exercising is far more inclusive than ever, working toward fitness goals can have a profoundly positive effect on self-esteem. To help with this, Crunch Fitness encourages a no judgment atmosphere at each of its locations; because we understand that negativity has no place at the gym.

Increase Focus

One of the most surprising benefits of exercise is its ability to improve focus and mental clarity, both of which it achieves by increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain. For many gymgoers, this means that a quick gym session can be an excellent way to jumpstart your day or prepare yourself for better productivity.

Perhaps even more impressive, some studies have shown that exercise can improve memory by literally changing the structure of your brain, a benefit that also improves your critical thinking skills.

Improve Mood

For decades, experts have outlined the overwhelming impact of regular exercise on mood. Specifically, these come from exercise’s ability to boost the production of endorphins, or chemicals responsible for your happiness and sense of well-being. This interaction is so potent, in fact, that some therapists even suggest an exercise routine as part of treatment for depression or anxiety.

Beyond chemical benefits, working out offers the additional perk of taking your mind off of your worries for a short while. When you’re halfway through one of our Ride classes, for instance, it can seem almost impossible to think of anything but the next half-mile.

Social Benefits

Depending on your personality, you either look forward to casual social interaction or try to avoid it altogether. Regardless of which category you fall into, a regular gym membership can nonetheless provide impressive social benefits well worth considering.

Motivation

Motivation looks different for different people, but membership at a gym or fitness center can provide all sorts. Whether it’s a good workout with friends, group exercise classes, or even sessions with a personal trainer, gym memberships can add fun and excitement to a workout routine to make sure you keep coming back. That way, you can reliably build results through consistent, enthusiastic effort.

Accountability

When motivation fails (as it occasionally does), accountability can be the next best thing. Without some kind of commitment, however, accountability can be a hard thing to come by. That’s where a gym membership shines: by building a routine and finding a community of like-minded people, you give yourself the structure necessary for real consistency.

Even when you’re feeling unmotivated, good gym memberships can keep you active and help ensure long-term results.

Make New Friends

While most of us don’t sign up for a gym membership intending to meet new people or make friends, it can often end up being an unexpected benefit of regular exercise. When you keep a consistent workout schedule and go to the gym at the same times each week, it’s inevitable that you’ll start noticing the same people who also go at those times.

And, whether it’s asking for a spot with free weights or attending the same group fitness classes, it’s more than likely you’ll end up meeting new people and, potentially, new friends.

How to Maximize Your Gym Membership’s Value

No matter what kind of gym membership you have, there are always ways to improve the benefits you get from it. Below, we’ve included three easy tips for making the most of your time at the gym.

Go More Often

With a Crunch membership, the number of times you can visit each month is unlimited. That means that no matter how often you work out, your membership fees will never increase. In order to get the maximum value out of your membership, try coming more consistently. That way, you’ll increase results through consistency and get more bang for your buck.

Try Group Classes

If group classes are included in your monthly member fees (like with Crunch’s Peak and Peak Results packages), there’s no reason not to try out any classes that interest you or align with your fitness goals. By doing so, you get the most value possible out of your membership, can learn new exercises and meet new people, and shake up your routine if things get boring.

Bring a Friend

Studies have shown that working out with a friend can significantly boost productivity and results, making for a more valuable experience overall. Our Peak Results members, for instance, can bring guests several times a month. For members on our Peak and Basic plans, consider finding another member with a similar schedule to act as a gym buddy so that both of you can benefit.

Join Crunch Today!

At Crunch Fitness, we do everything possible to give you the most bang for your buck. Whether it’s constantly reinvesting in new equipment, changing up our group fitness classes with fresh ideas, or hiring the best trainers and staff to provide a no judgment environment, our entire business model revolves around being “worth it.”

If you’re interested in seeing exactly what your Crunch membership will get you, check out your local Crunch location and discover all the benefits that could be yours with a free trial membership. For existing members thinking of an upgrade to one of our class-inclusive membership packages, use our free trial class pass to see if group fitness is for you.

Crunch’s group fitness classes and personal trainers promote a culture of fun with no judgments. It is an environment built for all types of individuals with various goals. Find a Crunch gym near you to try our free trial membership, or join Crunch now.