How to choose a gym you will actually use

Start with the commute, not the equipment

The single best predictor of attendance is travel time. Under 15 minutes door to door, on a route you already travel, beats a better gym that is 30 minutes away.

Visit at your real training hour

A gym at 10:00 on a Tuesday is a different building at 17:30. Go when you would actually train and count the queue for the squat racks.

The nine checks

1. Does it open before you need it and close after?
2. Are there enough racks and benches for peak hour?
3. Is there backup power?
4. Is parking secure, or is it on a route you can walk or take a taxi to?
5. Are showers and lockers clean and working?
6. What is the class timetable really like — not the website version?
7. Are the trainers qualified, and is coaching extra?
8. Month-to-month or lock-in, and what is the cancellation notice?
9. Can you get a day pass or free first visit to test all of the above?

Signing up

Ask for the joining fee to be waived, get the cancellation terms in writing, and never sign a contract longer than 12 months on your first membership.