Would you support this idea?

**jmattbassplaya** · #1 08-10-2011, 12:43 AM

I was doing some thinking a few minutes ago about my general level of fitness and the progress I've made over this summer just by using simple free weights. For what I've had to work with (just two 15 and two 25lb dumbbells and some imagination) I have made some incredible progress. That said, I couldn't help but realize how much more I could of done had I had access to an actual gym.

I started my summer looking at possible gyms to join, and while there were some decent deals out there, most of them wanted to charge me $40+ just to join, charge me $20+ a month to use their facilities, and then charge me a quitting fee of about $30 when I was done for the summer. While some places were cheaper, the bare minimum I would of paid for any gym would of totaled around at least $90 when it was all said and done for the few months I was home - and this was a 'summer deal' aimed for kids coming home from college.

I got to thinking about how the general health of the US populace has been going to the dumps over the past few decades, and I was wondering if perhaps one way we could help fix this problem would be to start public gyms. This would be similar to public libraries in the sense that anyone could use them and that they'd be paid for through taxes. This way everyone would have access to gyms and wouldn't have to pay outrageous fees just to maintain their health.

Now I know our current economic situation isn't great, but let's try to ignore that for the time being. Let's also assume that these gyms would be simple. They wouldn't be the ones with tanning beds, spas, saunas, and all that other nonsense. They would just have a couple dozen treadmills, stationary bikes, benches, and a large selection of free weights.

So yeah. Good idea? Bad idea? Would you use a public gym?

ShredderMaximus · #2 08-10-2011, 01:07 AM

Find a buddy that lives at an apartment complex with a gym, thats what I did.

chuck norriss · #3 08-10-2011, 01:21 AM

Fantastic idea! How considerate !
Some parks have exercise stations
I've seen those around but public gym while it's a benevolent idea I wouldn't use it myself I ge tgrossed out easily gyms are creepy & gross enough
You boys night use them but can't see girls going
Sorry

**colcifer** · #4 08-10-2011, 01:55 AM

Add ballet and I'm in (requires next to no equipment, is great exercise, and adds culture).

Bongolation · #5 08-10-2011, 01:59 AM

Non-starter.

Gym access is incredibly cheap to begin with, costing just enough to keep out the worst riffraff who would take over any free and open gym as their hangout.

Anyway, lots of Parks & Recreation Departments already have public gyms, as does the Y and innumerable apartment complexes, etc., etc.

ShredderMaximus · #6 08-10-2011, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuck norriss

Fantastic idea! How considerate !
Some parks have exercise stations
I've seen those around but public gym while it's a benevolent idea I wouldn't use it myself I ge tgrossed out easily gyms are creepy & gross enough
You boys night use them but can't see girls going
Sorry

its not like i was just using them like that, we both wanted to work out but we were fairly poor, so we would use his free gym and keep each other motivated.

PSPookie · #7 08-10-2011, 07:08 AM

Hmm . . . good idea!

I think I'll start a club and call it the Young Men's Christian Association and make any fees extremely reasonable.

By Jove, I think this notion's got some traction!

Musiclogic · #8 08-10-2011, 07:41 AM

Anyone who builds a free access "anything" in this society is going to be disappointed. It will be trashed, become a dump.
People today have no respect for anything, and kids won't show up unless there are video game lounges.
Idealism is always great in the "thought" stage, but rarely effective in the real world.
Good luck with the fitness program, and good for you on the improvements over the summer. Keep it up.

**nutdog** · #9 08-10-2011, 07:57 AM

Gyms stink. Literally. I hate going in health clubs.

Pay to exercise, then take the elevator and pay someone to cut the grass. Weird.

**jmattbassplaya** · #10 08-10-2011, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSPookie

Hmm . . . good idea!

I think I'll start a club and call it the Young Men's Christian Association and make any fees extremely reasonable.

By Jove, I think this notion's got some traction!

Actually, my local YMCA was the one with the 'summer deal' that I was talking about. That was as cheap as I could find.

**jmattbassplaya** · #11 08-10-2011, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bongolation

Non-starter.

Gym access is incredibly cheap to begin with, costing just enough to keep out the worst riffraff who would take over any free and open gym as their hangout.

Anyway, lots of Parks & Recreation Departments already have public gyms, as does the Y and innumerable apartment complexes, etc., etc.

Cheap isn't the word I'd use. Most places in my area are around $25-$45 a month, and there are starting and closing fees. And pay as you go deals usually run $8-$10 a visit (my local community center being the cheapest at this price). For someone who plans on going eve twice a week that's expensive.

Also, I've done the apartment complex thing three different times, and on three different occasions the apartment complexes eventually caught on to what I was doing.

**jmattbassplaya** · #12 08-10-2011, 08:19 AM

Also, buying your own equipment is extremely expensive. With dollar per pound pricing on just simple weights, it's nearly impossible to even start the most basic of home gyms - and I'm talking just about some free weights and a simple bench setup.

R. Laevinus · #13 08-10-2011, 08:26 AM

I don't see that it's necessary. I'm of the opinion that one can do all the excercise one needs to do to stay healthy at home and without any equipment.

That said, I do use an EZ-curl bar; it and the weights on it cost me about 60 bucks, and I'm sure I could have gotten it for a lot cheaper.

Sit-ups, push-ups, chin-ups, and some walking are all anybody needs to get healthy and stay that way. My routine is 20 pushups every weekday morning around 10:00 (I use the supply closet in my office), a 6-km walk every weekday evening (I get off the bus a few stops early - it takes me 30 minutes), and 145 reps of various upper-body excercises with the EZ-curl bar when I get home, or twice on weekends.

Since I've started this routine in April, I've dropped from 235 lbs to 215, while also gaining a noticeable amount of muscle. Perhaps more tellingly, my waistline has dropped from 44 to 34, and I no longer have a double chin.

I thought about signing up to a gym; but I found that the mentality of the people who frequent those places wasn't up my alley. They kept talking about 'goals', and 'achievement', and weight loss and gain.

My goal was, and is, to live a healthy active lifestyle; I'm not interested in being super skinny or super buff or whatever. I don't need a gym to be healthy; all I need is some motivation.

LSquared · #14 08-10-2011, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I got to thinking about how the general health of the US populace has been going to the dumps over the past few decades, and I was wondering if perhaps one way we could help fix this problem would be to start public gyms. This would be similar to public libraries in the sense that anyone could use them and that they'd be paid for through taxes. This way everyone would have access to gyms and wouldn't have to pay outrageous fees just to maintain their health.
?

I don't think that most of the folks with dumpy heath are that way because they can't afford a gym mmebership. I can't imagine the value for the people who might actually use it would offset the cost of doing it.

macaroni tony · #15 08-10-2011, 08:37 AM

I like it

Chebass88 · #16 08-10-2011, 08:40 AM

Absolutely - this is a great idea. It would be great to be able to go to my local park & lift for free. There are a couple of considerations, though.

First, what are the goals of the facility? The general gym-going public, strongman/strongwoman, powerlifter, competitive athletes, bodybuilding, cardio bunny, etc.? This will drive equipment purchases & funding requirements.

Location - a public facility? New vs old? Indoors / outdoors?
Equipment & means of securing it? Funding source? Staffing - do you need it?

In the meantime, though, I would HIGHLY recommend searching around your area. There are cheap gyms around, which can meet your needs. Find ones that have a big strongman / powerlifter / bodybuilder culture - these tend to be cheaper than Planet Fatness, Ballys, Golds, etc. CrossFit gyms are exceptionally expensive (up to $200/month). By the way, $20/month is a GREAT rate for a gym.

I've seen some of the "Fitness Tracks" which have various stations around a pond or river. These are great - some resistance & cardio, no equipment to manage, and everyone can use them.

macaroni tony · #17 08-10-2011, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuck norriss

Fantastic idea! How considerate !
Some parks have exercise stations

That's right; the park I used to frequent when I lived in Long Beach had a pretty comprehensive exercise station. You may want to utilize those, if there are any in your town, Matt

Smokin' Toaster · #18 08-10-2011, 08:44 AM

Sure, Free gyms!

I'll help find the money to finance them - Let's correct these:

The federal government made at least $72 billion in improper payments in 2008.

Washington spends $25 billion annually maintaining unused or vacant federal properties.

Government auditors spent the past five years examining all federal programs and found that 22 percent of them -- costing taxpayers a total of $123 billion annually -- fail to show any positive impact on the populations they serve.

And there you have $220 BILLION to build your gyms!!!

Oh, wait. The same people that ran these programs will be running the gyms. Nevermind.

Martin89 · #19 08-10-2011, 08:58 AM

If you join the military the government will give you free access to fitness facilities, even in the most remote parts of the world

On a serious note, I wouldn't really support this idea as people have been in shape and healthy many many generations before the notion of gyms and "working out". I've worked at a gym and had free membership and maybe only went a couple times a year. You can maintain fitness just as easily on your own, without weights and mirrors. There are plenty of calisthenics you can google at your public library for free, that the government already pays for. Same for the public parks/running trails as already mentioned; much easier to maintain than a public gym.

Chebass88 · #20 08-10-2011, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

Also, buying your own equipment is extremely expensive. With dollar per pound pricing on just simple weights, it's nearly impossible to even start the most basic of home gyms - and I'm talking just about some free weights and a simple bench setup.

Yes & no. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend to get started, and how much you can wait on great deals.

Here is my home setup:

Power rack: $320 on Craigslist, professional grade - I waited on this over a month & watched the price drop & drop.
Barbell & 300# of weights - free (my buddy was getting rid of them)
4x45lb York plates (with shipping): $190
Weight trees: $40 (Craigslist)
Gold dumbbells: 270# for $40, yardsale
Pro-grade clips & chalk bought at retail price, as were my belts and knee wraps, kettlebell, 10 & 25lb DBs.
The plyo platforms were purchased for me as a gift from my wife. (Whenever I am asked for a Christmas list - it usually includes some piece of gear)

So far, I have about $1000 sunk into my equipment, acquired over 2-3 years. It isn't calibrated eleiko or ivanko plates, but I can put it on my back & squat it just the same.

Given the cost of a new bass, it isn't all that expensive. If you are willing to use standard (non-olympic weights), you can often get them for cheaper on CL.