Last week, I finally decided I’d had enough of my gym. I was incredibly frustrated by many aspects of the place: the price, the overcrowding, and the people who frequented the place. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. 

Unfortunately, deciding to switch gyms presented a new problem: I needed a new gym. I’m sure a lot of people have experienced the frustration of finding a gym, so I’ve put together a few tips based on my recent experience and my past missions to find the perfect workout spot:

1)      Distance. You don’t want to have to drive forever to get to the gym, or working out will become a huge hassle… and that could lead to skipping workouts.

2)     Price. You shouldn’t have to pay exorbitant rates for a decent place to pump some iron.

3)     Equipment. The gym of your choice should have a squat rack (power rack), benches, a good assortment of dumbbells up to at least 100lbs (ideally much more), and all of the standard Nautilus machines (or equivelant).

4)     Crowding. An overcrowded gym means time spent waiting for machines or benches, and that will ruin your workout.

5)     People. If you don’t have a training partner, at least try to attend a gym where there are people with similar lifting goals. If you’re full-out, maximum-mass bodybuilding, it’s not going to motivate you much if the average age in your gym is 65 and the average bench press is 75lbs. 

If you can’t find a gym that meets the above criteria, don’t sweat it – just make do with the best you can find. If all else fails, some people love to work out at home. This involves a significant up-front investment for all the equipment, but can pay off big time in convenience!