Which is Better?

In the wide world of the fitness industry, there are many fads floating around.  I am not talking about a new ab machine or even a pill that will make you lose 100 pounds a week; I am talking about the fads upheld by the actual facilities themselves.  In this war you have two sides of the fence.  You have the large commercial gym and you have the small personal training studios.  In this article we are going to go through the pros and the cons of both of these animals from the eyes of someone who has worked as an employee, owned as a businessman, and workout as a patron in both of these centers at one time or another.  Here are the top 5 pros and cons for each.

Commercial Gym Pros –

1. Tons of equipment and space.
2. For the most part have large facilities with showers, sauna’s and a host of other niceties.
3. Most have child/day cares for the busy patron that needs these types of accommodations.
4. Different trainers mean more choices for the protocols you may use if you choose to go that route.
5. Classes!  Yoga, Pilates, Spinning, Body Pump, etc.

Commercial Gym Cons –

1. Can be crowded sometimes.
2. Can be noisy sometimes.
3. May be intimidating to a beginner.
4. May not have the one on one attention you feel you need or deserve.
5. Hard to keep large traffic gyms clean all the time.

Private Studio Pros –

1. Most are by appointment and one on one, so chances are you are in the facility with no more than one other person.  This cuts down on the intimidating feel that sometimes comes with large facilities.
2. Most private studios revolve around private training, so there are no memberships or hidden fees, only the training you wish to buy and use.  This adds to the bang for your buck principle, you only pay when you come for the most part, where as larger facility will keep drawing whether you are there or not.
3. Most studios are small.  9 times out of 10, when a fitness center is small, it is also very clean, very quiet and very accommodating.
4. Most small studios tend to attract more educated and experienced trainers.  This is not a cut on trainer’s at large facilities; I was one for years and years.  It is simply the way of the business one makes almost all its money of memberships, one make almost all their money of training.  Which one do you think would have the better trainers?
5. Extras!  Believe it or not most small centers are not self standing; they are connected with another business.  Be it a diet center, chiropractor, doctor’s office, massage therapist, physical therapy center or a host of other related businesses.

Private Studio Cons –

1. Normally sticks to one protocol or way of training with very little or no deviation.
2. Because of the smaller size of the average studio they do not have the amenities that larger gyms may have like locker rooms, sports courts, and child care.
3. Small rooms normally mean limited equipment.
4. Normally no classes.
5. Can’t come in whenever you wish.  Most studios are by appointment.

So there, in my opinion, is the short and sweet of both sides of the fence.  Funny an article like this even exists on a studio web site, but I just call it like I see it!  The simple irrefutable fact is, if you show up and keep yourself accountable at either type facility you will live a longer, stronger, leaner, healthier life!  Happy training!

Stay Strong,

Joshua Wehrmann

Josh has a Masters Degree in Exercise Science from Kaplan University, as well as training certifications from the National Personal Training Institute, and the American Council on Exercise.  Josh has logged over 10,000 hours of training in the northern Virginia Area.

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