About gym contracts…

It’s not about Wellington but the TV show Fair Go has done a story today on breaking a gym contract (read my recent post on gym contracts). 

It’s really quite sad - a World of Fitness gym wouldn’t let a woman who was awaiting a kidney transplant, and had to leave the area to be near her hospital, out of her contract.  The manager came off like a right idiot – and ironically his last name is Rood. 

I heart my gym, but too often gyms can be awful.

Gym contracts

I hate contracts.  It’s the worst thing about gyms.   And if you’re locked into paying, well if something goes wrong what impetus does the gym have to address your concerns?   A blog reader who is looking for a gym in Wellington sent me this about contracts:

I am surprised by the cost and the lock-in contracts of gyms in New Zealand. Wellingtonians have been ripped off and have been locked-in to very abusive contracts and no one does anything about it. It is an absurd.
 
I understand that gyms need more certainty to run the business and I also understand the lock-in contract idea… However, what happens if you get injured? Or if you move to another city? Or another country? Well, they ask you to do the job that they should be doing in the first place…finding another member. There should be minimum laws in NZ against abusive contracts as such. In Australia a first class gym costs $35 fortnightly. In Wellington you pay that per week (twice as much). Any justification for this abusive price? In Australia, if you get injured or move to another country or city you are able to cancel it. Shouldn’t be the case in NZ?
 
In a country rated as the second in the world with the highest number of obesity amongst its population shouldn’t the government play a role to give incentives to people to exercise? Shouldn’t the government intervene to avoid abusive prices and contracts happening in first place? Shouldn’t the population just say “No” this is abusive and I will not join it?

Okay, so i don’t personally think it’s that bad, nor do i think the government needs to intervene, but i understand the point. 

Although i’m often critical in this blog, the situation with gyms and contracts isn’t that bad compared to say, in the US or Canada.  Why does buying a gym membership have to be like buying a car?. Check out the comments on gym contracts on my3cents.com.  It’s horribly difficult to get of a contract  there and the gyms are rude. Mean. Downright evil.  There’s a lot more consumer protection in New Zealand i think.

The Ministry of Consumer Affair’s gives a basic primer about what contracts can contain.

All i can offer from experience is looking in the contract for how you can leave early (you usually can’t under any circumstance) and for when and how the gym raise their prices.  Every single gym i’ve been a member of in Wellington has raised my weekly price about two months after i’ve joined. Real nice.

I don’t know if this is helpful in relation to contracts but FitnessNZ represents both fitness facilities and individuals. If your gym is a member and you think they’ve violated the code of ethics they signed up to, then you can lay a complaint.

I’d like to see more reasonable options as a gym member.  A Les Mills consultant tried to get me to buy a membership i was reluctant to commit to by saying that i can keep it for the period i want it, then sell it on TradeMe.  Uh that doesn’t really address my problem does it? Why don’t they, the business, offer something i would commit to?

What do you think about gym contracts?

Les Mills gym sucks and is boring

That was actually a search term someone used who landed on my blog.  I’ve never said that.  But i’m going to say it now….

Yesterday i checked out the open day (free use of the gym) that the Les Mills extreme gym in Wellington had on.  I used to be a member there and didn’t think much of it overall – read my review.  But they’ve had a load of renovations on and i thought i’d have a look.

And it sucks.  The renovations weren’t really to the gym.  You used to have to walk up to the first floor of the building to access the gym.  Now their sign-in desk/cafe etc are on the ground floor and the next floor up is the gym and they’ve used the extra space for a fitness room up there.  I can’t tell any difference to the gym itself, it’s just how you get in. And it sucks. The equipment is the same, i swear the stupid MUSIC VIDEOS ARE THE SAME AS WHEN I WAS A MEMBER OVER TWO YEARS AGO, the locker room is as run down and grimy as ever and…hold on i’ll write it out.

I get changed etc and hang out outside the new fitness room on the first floor for a minute as some people are being given a tour (something that wasn’t offered to me) and the guy is really selling their new team training and the benefits of joining now and getting a prize.

Prize? Specials? When i walked in to the gym, the guy at reception shoved a piece of paper to sign my name to the 15 odd others, when i handed it back it said ‘open day waiver’ on it but with no text.  I have no idea what i signed away and i was too silly not to check.  He told me to just go upstairs and that was it.

I had a look at a brochure for the team training.  It’s $260 for a month (twice per week) of 30 minute sessions with three other people of whatever program takes your fancy.  Someone needs money…

I tried out my old haunt the cardio cinema room first.  It was stupid.  I was on the elliptical and i kid you not, some bored staff member started spaying the equipment either side of me to clean it.  Spray, spray, spray, SPRAY. All over the equipment and air.  While i’m working out. Can you work out with fumes from spray in the air? I can’t.

I left the room for an adjacent cardio/weights room.  I was two minutes in when i remembered that i’d been banned from running for a week by my physiotherapist.  So i just do a five minute mile, and then try to figure out how to stop the treadmill.  You see i didn’t think i had stopped it, as the treadmill is in a row of other treadmills. The vibrations from all these other treadmills was so bad i thought i was still moving.  It is really bad, it’s like a baby earthquake or one of those vibration machines. 

I high-tail it down a floor to the women’s room.  It looks the same as when i left.  I decide to row for 15 minutes while staring ahead at a brick wall.  The rowing machine was encrusted with dirt and dust in the corners. The equipment is old.  There’s a stack of weight machines a meter in front of the three treadmills.  Who wants to workout out while someone is staring at them (where else can they look?). Severely obese women are walking on the treadmills.  No one is down my end with the rowers. Maybe that’s why they are so dirty?

I leave. I re-enter the locker room and pass a life-size sign stating that ‘theft is not our responsibility’. I thank the locker gods that no one took my stuff as i didn’t think to bring a lock.  I haven’t used a lock in a gym since i was originally a member at Les Mills - everyone else has a PIN system on each locker nowadays.  I brush aside the trash on a bench to get my stuff and i think that the person who Googled “les mills sucks and is boring” is totally right.

Coolest fitness website ever

Like really. I got emailed this link in some advertising for Women’s Health magazine (the US one, not the kinda moronic NZ one. Actually the US one is kinda moronic too now. Anyway…).

I thought this would be the most crass, commerical website (look in the top right corner of their site to see who it’s by – crass).  But it’s not.  Well a little bit as it’s covered in advertising to sell a car.

But i think it’s the COOLEST fitness website i’ve found.

It has workouts in both PDF and on video for you to follow from some of my favorite atheletes, Ryan Hall (he’s a super runner), Chris Carmichael (he’s a cycler – famously trained Lance Armstrong), Eddie George (an NFL guy) and Tara Stiles (super yogi chick). 

Each has their own area with various workouts and ‘channels’ which focus on different things like core, endurance, speed etc.  And you can download the video workouts.  They don’t do all the workout as one, just snippets showing you the how and what to do…but it’s enough.

I think this website is awesome.  What do you think?

Les Mills and Exodus October specials – $1 a day

Les Mills is running their ‘21 days for $21′ promotion again until 25 October.  The flyer i have says their Extreme location in Wellington has an open day on Saturday October 10 (on Taranaki street in Wellington).  I think i might try them out again (its been 12 months since i was a member so i can do the offer) – i want to do splits training and they are closer to me for a late night session plus they’ve had a lot done recently to their gym, i might write an updated review…

Exodus are offering a ‘30 day for $30′ special until 31 October.

50% off gym membership of your choice from Fitness NZ

I just came across an offer by Fitness NZ – they will subsidise 50% of a gym membership of your choice.

Basically: there’s a bunch of memberships available at certain gyms in the Wellington region (and nationwide) and if the membership is still available it’s yours – you need to pay online to secure it immediately.

Check out the offer.

Habit gym review

Habit is my current gym.

I initially did this review shortly after joining, and it’s one of my top blog hits so i wanted to update it now i’ve been a member for some time.  I bought my membership off TradeMe with just under two months remaining on the seller’s contract. I’d tried out the gym already 3 times by using free passes i was given when i inquired about membership.

I’ve listed some observations below, then a list of pros/cons and the prices are at the bottom of this post (which is what we really care about).

Habit has two locations in Wellington and one in Auckland.

The one i go to is quite small, it has a cardio room with five TV screens at the front, to the right it looks onto the 33m two lane swimming pool, plus there’s a weight room, and upstairs a group fitness room.

Cardio room

It’s fairly small, i.e. not much equipment, but i find it totally okay. I especially like the treadmills, they seemed quite dinky when i first used them but now i’ve played around with them i like them-  they are new enough models to have negative inclines for my hill intervals. There’s 3 or 4 elliptical type machines but only two of those are where you can move your arms. 3 rowing machines are at the front and there’s 3 exercise bikes plus a spin bike to the side. Not much, huh?

Weight room

It’s bigger than the cardio room but they’ve packed a lot in there. It’s got everything you’d expect and i like the brand of weight machines they use (you can do more motion with them).  The only downside is that there aren’t many spaces to use, there are a couple of mats along part of one wall and a couple of areas you can sort of hang out in to do random exercises but if it’s busy or the trainers/physiotherapists are working with clients it’s hard getting a space.

Exercise classes

I didn’t ask enough questions when i bought the membership, i just assumed these were included like at my previous gyms but they are not.  Classes cost $10 each for members. They have spin, yoga, pilates, swim squad and a circuit/boxing type class.

I’ve only tried out one class  - ‘flow yoga’.  I usually do hot yoga and vinyassa yoga at yoga studios.  This cost $10 for a 50 minute class.

I think it would be great for people who have done some basic yoga before (the teacher didn’t offer much instruction so knowing how to do a sun salutation may make you feel more comfortable in the class). 

The class was a bit chaotic, people where doing all the poses at different times which isn’t what happens in a normal yogi yoga class.  I was also beside a heffalump who grunted and who seemed to make up the class she wanted to take as she went along.  That’s fine, if i took the class again i’ll choose my spot better. 

The yoga class was overall okay but i didn’t sweat.  Yoga just isn’t yoga unless it’s in a room heated to 40C.

Ick factor – mats/props were nicely laid out for use on our arrival.  BUT we all put them away at the end – ick.  They weren’t cleaned.

Atmosphere

The color scheme of Habit is brilliant, shades of grey and green, with high ceilings and skylights. I love going there in the summer as it truly is like entering a cool oasis. The a/c isn’t fantastic – you can still tell it’s summer as it’s definitely hotter but with one large fan inside the cardio room on constant rotation it really does make working out in summer during the day doable. I’d really like another fan in there guys – hint.

Overall this gym is always very clean (the cleaner is around vacuuming the gym around 2 and 3 pm) and tidy.

Everything, the equipment and locker rooms etc, is well maintained and you don’t see trash in the locker rooms/forgotten water bottles etc on equipment like at Les Mills. But i never see staff cleaning up or checking stuff at all.  I don’t know how they do it.  I’ll also add that when i was at Les Mills and the staff got bored they’d go around the rooms cleaning the equipment.  Fine, but spraying your antibacterial spray all over the machine next to me when i’m doing speed intervals was horrible.  They were idiots. They never do that at this gym.

 Here’s a roundup of the gym.

Pros:

• Looks great and while not spectacular (they could have better a/c) it is actually the best gym i’ve been at for working out in the summer.
• Cardio equipment is new – i’ve rarely seen a ‘not in service’ sign on any of the equipment.
• Has a swimming pool, it’s tiny – only two lanes.
• This is the first time i’ve had a towel as part of a membership, i would have cancelled it to save money but as they recently raised their prices, saving 0.50c a week doesn’t seem worth it – so the towel each time is cool.
• Showers and locker rooms are clean. I wish someone would think up a way to help shower floors dry between use. I take showers in the later afternoon and i hate wading through pools of water and the benches (in the shower stalls) are covered with water. So if you put your stuff down it’s instantly wet.
• I really like the multiple TV screens at the front, you just need to remember your headphones to plug in and listen to the channel you want. I like watching CNN.
• They have anti-bacterial wipes at Habit.  I really like this, i hate it when people go overboard spraying their machines to clean them.  I’m allergic and i need to stop and leave if the fumes get too much. The wipes are cool and easy.
• There are physiotherapists and massage available on-site. I often see physiotherapists with their clients on equipment.
• I personally like that there isn’t this big push at Habit on ’special’ programs i.e. weightloss programs.  That’s most gyms bread and butter and they are a dime a dozen. I like that Habit doesn’t try and lure people in on these things.  You can get programs set up for you to lose weight there but it’s just not their sales push.

Cons:

• The people. This is a gym of suits and they are rude. Yesterday i took the elevator up, and a a short but officious man in a suit (there were two in the elevator) got in and actually pushed past me at the gym so he could swipe his card first and get his towel. He was a d.ck and lots of people are at this gym. People push past you to swipe their cards first and get their towel, don’t hold doors open and generally ignore other members by not wiping down equipment, or being courteous to others with doors, equipment etc. I now ALWAYS wipe my equipment down before using it, honestly these suits sweat all over the equipment and don’t wipe it up. It’s nasty. 
• There’s a plaque about wiping down equipment/wearing shoes etc but nothing about other gym etiquette problems – perhaps there are if you join in the usual way…i certainly wasn’t given any brochures or handouts about their hours, rules or what’s available as part of my membership. I picked up their standard brochure to find out their hours, and found that it’s only under the specific gym locations section of their website that you can find opening hours.
• It can get busy after work and i presume before work. This is the only gym i’ve been to where i go mostly during the day from 9am to 4pm. 12.30pm-1.30pm can be full but not packed. Going in the weekend is fun – it’s like a personal gym it’s so empty. So i’ve never had to wait for cardio equipment but it has been quite full at some times.
• Staff are okay, some say hi and bye. They mostly ignore you though, especially the weekend staff. I don’t really care, i’m not there to be friends with them. If it’s slow and no one is at reception they leave out the towels which is nice.

Their website has coding issues (which i find annoying as i work in IT and like to know everything), it looks good but doesn’t have alot on it. They don’t mention on their website their joining specials or things like gym bootcamps which are for non-members too which is odd.  Hours should be easier to find (they don’t list hours for holidays) and what their memberships are – currently you can only send an email to inquire about joining.

Membership prices

Posted below are their prices based on their 12 month minimum term:

Their standard joining fee is $95.

Weekly price:
$24.50 (no towel)
$27.00 (with towel)

A platinum membership includes access to their other two gym locations and access to group fitness classes (which irritatingly they call complimentary – it’s NOT complimentary as you are paying extra for it!). This costs $33.00 weekly.

To casually use their gym it will cost you $25 a visit.

The weekly price for a no fixed term membership is $47.50.

So did this post help you? Have you tried Habit? What did you think? Leave a comment with your thoughts please.

Competition for Waikato gym?

Not related to Wellington, but the mention of the price of membership at this gym astounded me. 

Anytime Fitness (part of the 24 Hour Fitness chain i think?) are opening in Hamilton in October and had a large sign stolen.  The owner blames the competition. 

But…he has already signed up 200 people for membership – at $12.95 per week . I’d love a 24 hour gym for $13 a week.  Please come to Wellington.

Injuries, gym websites and protein bars

A big blog day, two posts! Okay, mostly because i can’t do much else. Yesterday afternoon i did my ankle in again. Halfway up Mount Vic it flipped over. I actually screamed the pain was so bad.   I still continued my run up the mountain  (but  i did cut my run short – just  50 minutes). Usually i can run most things off.  Just not this one i guess….so  i’ve intensively RICE’ed and am hoping for the best.  But today there is no ankle but a baseball lurking where my ankle once was.

Can anyone recommend a good physiotherapist specifically for runners in Wellington?

New Sync gym website

Onto other things….Sync gym have a grand new website.

I’ve previously complained on this blog about bad gym websites so kudos where due to Sync.  However Sync always had,and continue to have, good information on their website, it just didn’t look so smart (read my Sync gym review).

(Okay, I thought about not saying that their designer just copied his own personal WordPress theme for their site but i can’t resist being smart. It looks good but it’s hardly original. I’m sorry.)

Protein/nutrition bars

Yet again my limited diet has thrown me asunder – The Zone nutrition bars are not currently being supplied to NZ. Damn them! I live off those bars and pink oatmeal.  This morning i limped out and bought up the last ones from a health food store.  I’m trying to replace them with Go Slim bars. Which aren’t the same  (but are cheaper) as i’m more interested in the extra vitamins/minerals The Zone bars had rather than the s.it that appears in most protein bars.

Do you have a favorite protein bar or nutrition bar? Know of anywhere where i can find my beloved Zone bars? Mint is my favorite.

Les Mills calls for a tax break on fitness

Les Mills issued a press release in early September calling for a tax break on gym membership.  Australia’s Preventative Health taskforce has recommended that a tax break be given to people who can prove they attend fitness classes. In response the Les Mills CE says (about NZ):

“With fringe benefit tax on gym memberships paid for by employers up to 64%, it’s an active deterrent for many companies.” says Mr Zondag.

(It can be 64% but i don’t believe it’s common for a company to pay that full amount.)

He also states something i find alarming:

“I know of some companies who do contribute to the employee’s membership, however the contribution can only be accessed if minimum attendance levels are reached” says Mr Zondag. “Almost any gym in New Zealand could supply attendance records to employers if requested to do so”.

He’s right in that you of course have to use the gym membership for it to have any benefit, but is he suggesting that your gym attendance be given to your employer if they are subsidising your membership?  Or provided to prove you got x benefit to offset the taxes on your income tax? I don’t get it.  It is highly unlikely that this would occur (it would be difficult to provide a benchmark across groups that would be fair  – does going 3x a week give benefit, what about 1x? what if you travel? get sick?). 

I find this angle in the press release alarming – that personal information is being offered as a solution to company tax worries.

Rather than raising tax worries as a rationale on subsidised gym memberships –  I think it would be better to sell companies on the potential benefits of offering employee health/fitness programs (fewer employee away days/better morale which is a clearly documented result from in-house health initiatives – read a recent story from CNN on them).

Incidentally, when i tried out the Exodus gym in Wellington i was perturbed that members had to swipe their card to exit – their time in the gym was already being recorded!

What do you think?