LIKE A GIANT NEON "OPEN" SIGN.
Here's the good news...finding a great gym is actually easy. Before you even walk through the doors, you'll know.
If you called, did they answer?
Did they ask about your previous fitness experience? Your goals?
Or did they just tell you prices and hang up?
The best gyms lead with a help first mentality. If you called a good one, it's likely they asked you to come into the gym to meet you and learn more about your goals to offer you the very best membership and plan to help you actually achieve them.
It's like a giant neon "open" sign, before you even walk through the doors, you know this place is open and ready to help.
Coaching + Community.
Inexperienced gym goers may think that amenities or brand new state-of-the-art equipment are what make a great gym.
But, if you are looking for help with fitness goals, the two biggest things you need are COACHING and COMMUNITY.
Walk through the doors.
Did the coach run up to you and say "hi"?
Did others in the gym come up and introduce themselves? These are early signs of a great community.
These are the people you'll be working out with daily. You'll celebrate wins together. Bounce nutrition questions off each other. Hold each other accountable. A great community is greater than the sum of its parts. This is why it's so important to find one that you love.
Coaching should happen both in and out of the workout.
Great coaching starts with setting a 90 day goal and then following up every 90 days to help you adjust and set new ones if needed.
Look for a coach the educates, entertains, and inspires during workouts.
Can they make tough concepts easy to digest and understand?
Do they follow their own advice?
If you answer yes to all of these things, you've found an exceptional coach and gym!
