{"id":23156,"date":"2011-09-19T14:19:37","date_gmt":"2011-09-19T21:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.110pounds.com\/?p=23156"},"modified":"2011-09-19T14:19:37","modified_gmt":"2011-09-19T21:19:37","slug":"the-battle-of-the-gyms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.110pounds.com\/?p=23156","title":{"rendered":"The Battle of the Gyms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Going gym-free made me anxious. I felt unsettled<\/em><\/strong> about the whole thing. I need a place<\/strong>. A place that’s mine, that I feel comfortable, that I can say “It’s Sunday, this is where I go swim” etc.<\/p>\n

Choosing which gym to join after my old membership expired was complicated. The biggest issue: the pool. I had to have access to a pool. I needed other things gyms have to offer but they weren’t priorities. I rarely do classes. I can technically workout at home or at the free gym at work. While I prefer weight machines at a gym and access to treadmills when the weather is nasty, they aren’t the end-all-be-all. I have access to free weights at home and a track next to my house. I could<\/em> suck it up and run in the rain all winter long. There’s a lot of outdoor<\/a> things I can do to stay fit, including biking<\/a> to work.<\/p>\n

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\nSo it really did come down to the pool issue.<\/p>\n

The Negotiations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The negotiations didn’t go as expected for 24hr fitness. I went in there with a practiced speech and strong intentions. The sales girl took me back and asked me if I’d had a chance to try their new “super sport” features. I said, “Yes I have and I’m not impressed with any of the upgrades, so that’s not a selling point for me.”<\/p>\n

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\nBefore I could even continue my speech, she told me my best bet was to buy the Costco deal for two years. It was my last resort–my only card to play. I was going to negotiate for the Costco rate or a little less if I could pay them directly and skip Costco (then they get all the money and don’t have to give Costco a cut). She said no go. Basically, there’s no deals, no negotiations, no specials beyond the month-to-month rate that I would be Grandfathered in at, or Costco Deal. Funny, huh? Apparently no one is hurting for business in this horrible economy that they can turn away business and money. Weird.<\/p>\n

The Break Down<\/strong><\/h3>\n

24 Hour Fitness<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n