GYM VERSUS PERSONAL TRAINING STUDIO, WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

The first thought that typically pops into someone’s head who has decided to get into shape is, “What gym should I join?” After all, if you’re going to try to get into shape, why not go somewhere where there’s an environment for you to succeed. Equipment, classes, music and more can make your workout more successful than going about it at home in your living room. But how do you know if you should join a gym or a personal training studio? What’s the difference? Is there a difference?

A gym, or a fitness center, is typically on a very large scale (tens of thousands of square feet) with a large amount of machines, both strength training and cardio equipment. As long as you have a gym membership, you can walk in whenever they’re open and use any piece of equipment you’d like. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, there are many cons to going to a large gym. To be a profitable business, a gym typically needs about ten times the amount of members as they can fit at one time in their space. This has a two pronged affect, neither of which benefit the member. First, that means the gym doesn’t actually want you to come consistently. It’s in their best interest to have people who pay and don’t come. Secondly, this means that at peak times, the gym can be extremely crowded. The crowds can be so immense that it can cause wait times for certain pieces of equipment. And if you’re waiting behind the guy who sweats a lot and doesn’t clean up after himself, you’re out of luck. Most gym goers don’t feel confident that they know what they’re doing in a gym. So when the crowds reach these levels, being intimidated and having the fear of looking foolish while doing an exercise, only increase. If you’ve had enough and you decide it’s time to cancel your membership, it can turn out to be an extremely stressful experience. The contracts that gyms can make you sign can be several pages long, full of legal jargon that you may not understand. Worse yet, these gym contracts can be very difficult to break and usually require you give them at least 30 days notice to cancel. 

Personal training studios are on a much smaller scale. Typically, a studio will be several hundred to a few thousand square feet, full of more versatile equipment. Every person in the studio is either a personal trainer, or a client with a personal trainer. This means that the crowds are reduced and that every other client is in the same boat as you, which means you won’t feel like you’re being judged. At The Summit Fitness Studio, we exclusively offer one on one training, which means one trainer, one client. We don’t offer group training or boot camps because we feel like each client is unique and deserves individualized attention and a unique program made just for them. Not only that, but by only having one on one sessions, it cuts down on crowd sizes even more, which means you get the most private workout experience in Philadelphia. Because you’re meeting with a trainer one on one, there’s no class schedule that remains rigid. Scheduling is done between you and your trainer, so you can come up with times that work for both of you if you need a change. While gyms may want to lock you into a long term contract, we at The Summit Fitness Studio believe the only way to keep you as a long term client is to give you the best quality service. All packages are month to month, so if the client were to feel they weren’t getting the best possible service, or they had to stop training due to a change in job, schedule, etc., they can easily cancel, without needing 30 days notice. Of course, the quality of a personal trainer is important, whether it’s at a gym or a personal training studio. We are the only personal training studio or gym that requires our personal trainers to have a college degree in exercise. This means you get a trainer that not only has a top certification, but they have years of additional education that you just won’t get from a trainer at any other location.

Why go to a gym and be left on your own to get the results you want? At The Summit Fitness Studio, you’ll get the accountability, the service, and the one on one attention you need to reach your fitness goal. Whether you’re looking to lose weight, gain muscle, or recover from an injury, our staff of qualified personal trainers can help you safely reach your goal. To work with one of our personal trainers on staff, contact us today for a free consultation, where we’ll discuss your goals and figure out a program that will work for you.