What defines a gym that is ‘good’? Everyone is going to have a different definition of what makes for a good gym. And what makes for a bad one. Doesn’t matter if it’s weightlifting, gymnastics, MMA, boxing, or whatever else. How do you find the gym that is right for you and how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? That’s what we’re going to be talking about today.
First off understand that what makes a gym ideal for me may be different than what makes a gym ideal for you as we may have different goals. So you have to start with that, much like everything else in life. What are your goals? What do you want? Let’s take two common scenarios. A guy looking to get in shape for spring break and looking for a weight gym and a guy who wants to be a professional fighter looking for an MMA gym. We’ll start with the weight gym as these are more common and then go into the MMA gym.
I should note that what I cover in the MMA gym will be the same for most sports so no matter what your athletic goal it’ll be something worth reading about. However let’s first talk about how to find the weight gym for you.
How To Find The Right Weight Lifting Gym For You
Let’s take the guy who wants to get in shape for spring break. What are his needs going to be? He wants to lose fat and build muscle. He’ll need barbells and dumbbells and would probably prefer certain machines to help work on certain body parts. He’s going to train like a body builder and will want to be able to change weights pretty easy and have access to heavier weights.
He’ll also want to do cardio and doing it at the gym with different methodologies is much more fun than simple road work. So we can rule out most ‘health spa’ type gyms where the weights are low and the only barbells are firmly attached to smith machines. You’ll want a place where you can grunt, sweat, and focus on your goals. You’ll probably want a more ‘hard core’ gym though you can get what you need from many mainstream gyms now-a-days.
But what are your goals? Do you want to lift heavy weights and don’t care so much about aesthetics? Do you want to be part of fitness culture and be around other fitness types? Then you’ll want a more mainstream gym that has many different people going there. Is it just a place to pick up girls? Not recommended but then you’ll want one that caters more to females and so on and so forth. What is your biggest goal right now?
What does it take to accomplish that goal? Who provides that? This may seem obvious and in a way it is. But until you’ve sat down and thought it out it’s not going to matter. If you want to get big you need to be around guys who are getting big, if you want to get strong you need to be around guys who are getting strong. Look around at the gym you’ve picked and make note of what you see.
How To Find The Right Athletic Gym For You
Again, what are your goals? Is this a hobby? Do you want to be world class? Do you want to make some money as a pro but have other interests? For example take a guy who wants to be an MMA superstar, the next Jon Jones or GSP or whatever. Where should he go? The first thing to do would be look for gyms that have produced champions. For example if it was me I’d go to AKA in California because they’ve produced multiple champions. A halfway decent coach can get a freak and make him a champ. But to repeat it over and over is something else.
You have to be around what you want to be to thrive. If you’re the best person at your gym you’re never going to get very far, you’ll flatline and never grow. You need people to challenge and push you, take you to that next level. Look around, how many titles, championships, wins, or however your sport is measured do they have? Have they produced a single one of what you want to be? Have any of their athletes gone on to greatness or achieved what you want? If not then how can you expect it to happen to you?
Sure it does happen and you could be the first but that’s not something that I’d bet on. Likewise are you a hobbyist and want to just keep in shape and have some fun after work? Don’t go to the place where all the guys are 20 years old and have dreams of being the next UFC superstar. Again these things seem obvious and they are in a way, yet I know I’ve forgotten to think about them before and ended up wherever was convenient. Then wondered why progress to my goals was stalled.
Goals Determine What Is Right & What Is Wrong
There is no single perfect gym for everyone. The single best determinant of the quality of a coach is what their students have done across the board. Not one superstar student but across the board. What happens to the ‘average’ one there. The ‘average’ professional under their belt, the ‘average’ hobbyist and so on and so forth.
With the gym, does it have the equipment you want and need. Decent amount of barbells, dumbbells, and racks? Maybe a place outdoors where you can do cardio. A track? A gymnastics area? So on and so forth. What do you need to accomplish your goals? Do you have these things? Atmosphere counts too, though with headphones and focus can be worked around. Convenience matters too. Again not rocket science but something people sort of take granted and don’t think about.
Hopefully this will get you thinking about some obvious stuff and help you make the right selection when choosing a gym.
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-Charles Sledge
