National Health Club Membership, anyone using one with good results?

[Fhkw9DPJ8V1g]

We're interested in finding a health club that we can visit anywhere in the country. Some of the larger ones are YMCA, Planet Fitness, Gold's, Anytime Fitness, LA Fitness, etc....

Does anyone have experience with any of these or perhaps one that I didn't mention?

Thanks

[2gypsies]

Places like that tend to be in populated areas.  We enjoy nature and used public parks or boondocked.  Therefore, we got our exercise from hiking.  It's free and you're in beautiful surroundings.

[sandsys]

Some urban van dwellers use such places to take showers but most RVers don't travel where health clubs exist.

Linda Sand

[oldbutspry]

2 hours ago, DonCoyote said:

We're interested in finding a health club that we can visit anywhere in the country. Some of the larger ones are YMCA, Planet Fitness, Gold's, Anytime Fitness, LA Fitness, etc....

Does anyone have experience with any of these or perhaps one that I didn't mention?

Thanks

I don't have any advice to offer but your dilemma is one we face as well.  I like to go running for exercise so no problem for me.  My wife likes to do bodypump classes so she will miss that when we start full-timing.  I figure some of the resorts might have bodypump but that's not really the kind of place we have intended to stay at.

What kind of activities/machines are you wanting to do at a gym?

[mptjelgin]

3 hours ago, sandsys said:

Some urban van dwellers use such places to take showers but most RVers don't travel where health clubs exist.

Linda Sand

Nonsense. We have volunteered at state parks and wildlife refuges all over America, and are seldom more than 15 -30 minutes away from a town with a gym.  Most towns with populations of even a couple thousand will have a gym somewhere. 

We've joined gyms in Burnet, TX, Sequim, WA, La Grande, OR, Leadville, CO, Ellsworth, ME, and (currently) Rockport, TX and have dropped in to others for day use. 

What you may not find is the big national chains, but we've never had trouble finding a gym to join for a couple of months, and most offer day use. 

 

 

[FL-JOE]

1 hour ago, sandsys said:

Some urban van dwellers use such places to take showers but most RVers don't travel where health clubs exist.

Linda Sand

I wouldn't even know where to start......

Let me just say that generally speaking where there is a Walmart there is probably a gym or health club within 20 miles.  The OP doesn't look old enough to qualify for the Silver Sneakers program, but if over 65 then it is a very good deal for full time RVers that travel all over.  

We have it with our Medicare Advantage PPO plan and there are over 13,000 gyms and health clubs participating right now.  You are never too far from one, and it is basically free.

[ToddF]

LA Fitness has over 200 locations. There are different membership levels. You can always buy a day pass. My home club is in Burnsville MN. Very good equipment, chlorline free pool and hot tub, open early (not 24 hrs).

Most RV parks don't have gyms but current location has a very good one. (Victoria Palms). 

I have enough room with the slides out to do basic stretching and yoga in the RV 

I bike or walk every day I possibly can.

It is so important to keep physically active (moderation). Use it or lose it 

[sandsys]

I agree that there are small gyms nearly everywhere but the OP was asking about chains and they aren't everywhere. Different chains seem to have different territories so finding one chain that works everywhere may not be possible.

That said, I find stretch band workouts easy to do in nearly any size RV and the bands are easily packable. Add a decent daily walk to the bands and you have a fairly comprehensive workout program. Then, when you do find a gym near you it is a bonus.

Linda

[OregonJim]

9 hours ago, DonCoyote said:

Does anyone have experience with any of these or perhaps one that I didn't mention?

Anytime Fitness is just about everywhere.  I had no problem finding one every place I stopped on a coast to coast trip from OR to NH.  You may have to travel to the nearest town if you stay out in the boonies, though.  That said, they have nearly 3,000 locations in the US.  That's an average of 60 per state.  I even found several in Australia the last time I was there (Melbourne).

[Fhkw9DPJ8V1g]

Thanks everyone for your replies. We’ll do some more research. 

Like most RVers we’re usually in places where we can hike and bike but we also occasionally volunteer in small towns for 8-12 weeks at a time. Our last gig was in a town out west of 10,000 people which had two national chains. We also visit family in places that have access to national chains. 

What I was looking for was opinions from folks who have had experience using places like that. Nothing more. 

[mptjelgin]

3 minutes ago, DonCoyote said:

...but we also occasionally volunteer in small towns for 8-12 weeks at a time.  

What I was looking for was opinions from folks who have had experience using places like that. Nothing more. 

FWIW - We've had no problem at all joining local gyms for 2-3 months.  The price is generally in line with what the same 2-3 months would cost with a national chain. We've never pursued a national chain membership because finding that specific chain in any particular town is so hit and miss. But we've always been able to find a local gym to join at a reasonable cost for the specific period of time we've needed. 

For instance, we're in Rockport, TX for two months, and have joined the local "SNAP Fitness" for those two months. While it is a national chain with hundreds of locations we'd never consider an annual membership because we've never seen or used one before. 

[justRich]

Just a side note:

https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2018/11/16/15/33/research-shows-static-physical-activity-more-beneficial-than-dynamic

Strength train, even in small amounts, can be more beneficial than just walking and hiking.

[bobsallyh]

We don't use fitness centers but in our travels, we Snap Fitness quite frequently. What ever outfit you join, be sure to read the fine print! 

[Second Chance]

I'm fine with biking and hiking - but my wife loves yoga classes and working out on machines. We often stay on military bases and many of them have fitness centers with these offerings. Of course, she can only take advantage of these when we're in those locations, but it helps fill in the gaps. We've checked into memberships at the types of places you mention but, with the exception of The Kroc Center in Augusta, GA, where we stay for medical and dental appointments twice a year, none of them have worked out.

Rob

[FL-JOE]

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 8:13 AM, DonCoyote said:

Thanks everyone for your replies. We’ll do some more research. 

Like most RVers we’re usually in places where we can hike and bike but we also occasionally volunteer in small towns for 8-12 weeks at a time. Our last gig was in a town out west of 10,000 people which had two national chains. We also visit family in places that have access to national chains. 

What I was looking for was opinions from folks who have had experience using places like that. Nothing more. 

Anytime Fitness and Planet Fitness probably combined have most of the U.S. covered.  I'm not sure if there is any special annual membership deals that can be found for these two just as an individual.  If you are a "gym rat" and frequent those types of facilities then I would think you need some type of membership "hook" through your health insurance provider or through an employer, otherwise you will be paying a pretty good membership amount each month for different memberships.

Besides that I'm not clear on what info you are seeking.  Depending on where we are and for how long I visit different gyms on occasion.  I'm not a regular but because of the Silver Sneaker program it allows me to visit about any of them when we are traveling.  If it is raining for a few days and I want to get my walk in or do a different type of workout then there is always one fairly close by and available.  About all the national chains are managed and set about the same anymore.  Many are 24/7 with key code access to certain areas which is nice.

[Blues]

On 11/19/2018 at 7:47 AM, FL-JOE said:

Anytime Fitness and Planet Fitness probably combined have most of the U.S. covered.  I'm not sure if there is any special annual membership deals that can be found for these two just as an individual.  If you are a "gym rat" and frequent those types of facilities then I would think you need some type of membership "hook" through your health insurance provider or through an employer, otherwise you will be paying a pretty good membership amount each month for different memberships.

Planet Fitness has a membership that is $21.99 a month, which gets you into any Planet Fitness location AND you can bring a guest for free each time.  I would  jump on it, but they don't offer any classes.  And MASSIVE points to them for putting their price on their website, for all to see.

I looked at the Anytime Fitness website to get an idea of what a membership would cost, and they won't tell you because, they claim, they vary by location and specials--you have to personally contact the location.  As if health clubs don't have a bad enough reputation for ripping off people as it is, and they still choose to be opaque.  No thanks.