Even though using a fitness center is not a necessity to get in shape, I do like fitness centers for many reasons. The fitness center is really not the key to great fitness; it is the technology that works, and then having the consistency to follow-through. Having the right exercise plan, right nutrition plan and your own intrinsic motivation to be consistent. I do believe going to a quality fitness center will enhance your efforts in your fitness journey, though.

Fitness centers are beneficial for many reasons. The variety of equipment in a well-equipped center provides many opportunities for your workouts to be varied, motivating, effective, safe and fun. In many of today’s fitness centers, you’ll find very sophisticated equipment that will enable you to isolate muscles without risk of injury and provide a multitude of opportunities to not become bored. As you will learn later in this guide, variety is the main ingredient to long-term results and success. A quality fitness center with great amenities will enable you to perform your exercises with various equipment so that you don’t repeat the same exercises every week.

Furthermore, you’ll be better able to cross train. For example, on some weeks, I’ll play basketball on Mondays; swimming on Tuesdays; treadmill on Wednesdays; functional training class on Thursdays; and take a water fitness class on Fridays. Along with my strength workouts, this is real variety with convenience.

In addition, I like to go to my fitness center for socialization reasons. I’ve met many new friends and it’s great to workout with a partner or meet your buddies to play basketball, participate in an aerobics class, or simply just relax at the pool.

I know there’s a lot of people who are advocates of working out at home on your own. In my opinion, this is OK on occasion. The problem I encounter with this is the lack of variety and most people won’t stick with it. How many people do you know who have purchased an expensive piece of exercise equipment and never use it?

I usually recommend my clients to use machines and free weights typically found in fitness centers. I believe it’s a good starting point using these methods for a person to gain momentum and then later progress to other forms of training, such as functional training (functional training incorporates using various pieces of equipment, such as a stability ball, medicine ball, elastic bands, and body weight exercises, that assimilate daily living activities or sports). In other guides, I do focus on functional training because I am a huge believer of this form of training too.

I have tons of workouts that I program for clients for their home, travel, and in parks using functional equipment. It’s good to combine functional training methods along with machines and free weight typically found in fitness centers.

Look for the following when selecting a fitness center:

Location. The closer to your house, the better. Most people will skip out on workouts if they have to travel 20 or more minutes to your local fitness center unless they are really motivated. Make it convenient to workout by selecting a fitness center close to your house or work.

Amenities. Look for the amenities that are important to you. In my case, I love basketball and swimming. So, finding a fitness center with a basketball gymnasium and swimming is a must for me.

Ask yourself the following questions?

Does the fitness center have a good amount of strength and cardio machines? Are they in good condition?

Does the fitness center have an area for functional training? Does it have stability balls, medicine balls, elastic bands, etc.?

Do you have children? A quality child-care center with good supervision will be important.

Do you like to use the sauna, whirlpool, jacuzzi?

Do you like to take group classes, such cardio kick-boxing or functional training classes?

Does the facility look well maintained? Is it clean?

Try the Facility First Before Signing Anything. Most legitimate fitness centers will let you try out the center for at least 1 or 2 weeks. Do this to make sure you sense the right energy at this center and it serves your needs. Look at the kind of people who frequent the center to make sure it fits your personality. For example, there are some fitness centers dedicated towards bodybuilders. You will notice this within 1 minute. There are other centers focused on the corporate executive. Others target a family atmosphere. Check it out to make sure you are comfortable in order to make friends and stick with it for the long term.

If a salesman seems overly pushy and wants you to sign a contract on your first visit, RUN!

Select a Facility with a 30-Day Notice Term. Don’t sign up for a 1 – 3 year membership, or worse yet, a lifetime membership. What happens if you don’t like it? What happens if you move to another state? Most of the quality fitness centers today have membership plans on 30-day terms, meaning you can terminate your membership with a 30-day notice.

Ask Questions. Don’t ask the salesman or center staff. You will never get the real deal from them. Ask current clients of the fitness center. If they are satisfied, they will tell you. If they’re not, they will openly tell you as well. But make sure you ask someone similar to you. For example, if you are a 41-year old mother of two, don’t ask a 20-year old basketball player. A young 20-year old will most likely have other interest than you. Make sure you ask another person similar to your profile.

I personally have a membership with Lifetime Fitness and love it. They have great amenities, a wide variety of machines, free weights, and functional equipment, great group exercise classes, the best child-care center I’ve ever seen in a fitness center, basketball, racquetball, salon, 3 swimming pools, and a professional staff with a customer service orientation. And, it’s all done within a family atmosphere. Sounds like I did a commercial for them, but I assure you I don’t receive any commissions. Check them out at www.lifetimefitness.com.

Find out if the fitness center is a member of the International Health, Racquet, & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and/or IDEA Health and Fitness Association. Any reputable fitness center will be a member of these professional associations to keep abreast of industry trends and train staff.

Visit www.healthclubs.com. This web site contains a database of fitness centers across the United States. Just enter your zip code, and you’ll get a listing of fitness centers in your area. It is run by IHRSA.

Do your homework to find a quality fitness center. It will pay off. Good luck.