Anyone joining a gym or in a gym?

I forgot to add one other thought - check out the gym at the time of day you will most likely use it. Some gyms get very crowded at certain times of the day. Just like strip clubs.

And here's a fun way to beat the boredom: when I'm at my gym I try to guess which girls are strippers. I usually go mid-morning and I'm sure some of the ladies I see regularly dance for a living. Just don't try hitting on them or that bozo benching 330 might have a word with you.

I think joining a gym might be a good idea if you have allergies that interfere with outdoor activities. It's cold in the winter, very hot in the summer and then you are left with spring and fall allergy seasons. I miss the natural endorphine high you get from exercising for an hour or so. Of course I wonder if I would get bored at a gym if I used to bicycle 20 to 60 miles a week a few months ago at speeds up to 35 mph on a mountain bike. I was getting out of shape last year though, I used to go over 45 mph on a regular road bike.

One last note here: If you have not worked out in a while, do not try to catch up on 10 or 20 years of laziness in a day or two. Had a friend who dropped dead in the gym of a stroke. He thought he could go from a couch potato to Mr. Olympia over a weekend...

Good advice FONDL. I joined a gym last year and the club manager knocked $100 of the membership fee as I was getting up out of my chair to go check out another club.

Go late morning if your schedule alows it, thats when all the dancers and hot MILFS show up.

I am in a small town. All the gyms I've checked out so far close at 10 pm on weekdays and even earlier on the weekend. I may check around some more. Although 10 pm would be ok with me since I don't want to go to a gym that late anyway.

Not sure where you live, but I'm sure every big city has a 24 hour gym somewhere. If Omaha, the city that sleeps at 1am, has a 24 Hour Fitness, your city ought to have something open 24 hours, unless you live in Bum-Fuckin' Egypt.

Yes, I've belonged to a gym for years. I pay a yearly fee of $144; of course that was fixed about 15 years ago. Nowadays an average of 50 cents a day is good. By the way, a gym is a lousy place to pick up girls.

I've been a gym rat for years and love it. I actually belong to 2 different gyms, Gold's and Bally's, and used to have a third membership. If you travel a lot it's good to belong to a chain like these two. Look for two things: location and types of activities offered. If it isn't convenient you won't use it. And some gyms offer free activities like yoga or pilates, while at others you have to pay extra. I personally like a gym with an indoor track because I like to run over winter and I get bored on a treadmill. Other people like things like raquetball or a pool. So it all depends on what you enjoy. And it's really important to find things that you enjoy doing or you won't keep it up. Two other things to consider: all the guys selling gym memberships work on commission and have some leeway on prices so be sure to negotiate. Also, unless you've worked out and know what you're doing, hire a personal trainer for awhile, most guys in gyms don't know what the hell they're doing. Also suggest you subscribe to one of the decent magazines like "Men's Health" or "Men's Fitness," they'll help you make better use of your time. And don't overdo it - injury is one of the main reasons people quit.