A Change of Gyms

ave been going to the same gym for a couple of years now. I call it a ghetto gym because well, let's be frank, it's pretty ghetto there. I signed up when they were running a special of $300 for a two year membership with an option to renew yearly at $150 per year. I renewed back in March when my contract was up but haven't been happy there for a while. The place is far from what I would call clean. It's often stinky, which I can somewhat overlook because it is after all a gym, and the bathrooms are pretty gross as in I wouldn't want to step on the floor barefoot. Sometimes in the summer the air conditioner will go out and it will take weeks for it to be repaired, and the staff isn't really all that friendly. It's rare that the person at the front desk will say hello and I've been taking the same spin class from the same instructors for over two years and they still don't know my name... and one of them has even been to my house to watch a cycling race when he was without cable!

To top it off, most of the people that go there get on my nerves. I don't know any of the people who just come to lift weights or whatever but the people in the spin class are rather snobby with the exception of about four older men who are always nice and say hello and can carry on a conversation that doesn't revolve around booze. The instructors, you see, are all in their late 20s or early 30s and are still living it up like they are in college, which is really not very appealing to me. Plus, they all drink energy drinks like they are going out of style which says to me, I drank too much last night and I need a boost to teach this spin class. I am of the belief that energy drinks are terrible for you so it's a little disconcerting to see a physical trainer pounding one every day. Oh, and did I mention the parking lot is full of pot holes and isn't located in the loveliest part of town?

OK, I think that does it for my complaints about my old gym, at least that I can think of right now. When I signed up I mainly wanted to see if I would actually go to the gym before actually delving into something more expensive. Needless to say, I've become a little un-enamored with the place as of late; not that I was ever over the moon about it before; and, after seeing the lovely facilities at D1 recently I came to the realization that I should do myself a favor and move on to a better gym, even if it does cost me more each month.

So, after lots of thought and lo, even budgeting, I decided on the YMCA. There is a downtown location which opened a few years ago and I had toured once with Erika. I knew it was a nice facility and is located less than two miles from my house - I can ride my bike there! I was originally planning to get the membership for the downtown Y only, but after talking it over with some co-workers who are Y members, I decided to go for the whole kit and caboodle. We get a (very small) discount through my employer and since I work in South Huntsville, which is close to one of the other two locations, it made sense to have access to all Y locations.

Monday night I took a spin class at the downtown location and was one of two students in the class. The instructor said it's been a little odd lately with people being out of town for vacation and what not. I think they usually have a bigger crowd. The class was completely different from the spin classes to which I am accustomed. The way they do it at the Y will definitely take some getting used to. I'm used to techno music and having a set track for each song (mountains, terrain, sprints, intervals, etc). The class on Monday night was really random. The instructor just played some music and there wasn't any structure to the songs. It was a lot different; hopefully I will get used to it and not hate it.

Tuesday night I tried out a class at the Southeast Y that was called HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training - and it was really great. The class was pretty hard core and similar to the sessions at D1. Each week the class is different so you never know what to expect. There was some running and I just trotted or walked during the running parts because 1) I was exhausted and 2) I DO NOT want shin splints again any time soon so I am going to take it easy on the running for quite a while. The instructor was upbeat and enjoyable. I will definitely take this class again and have plans to make it my normal Tuesday afternoon routine. It starts at 4:15 so if I leave work about 10 til 4:00, I have plenty of time to make it to the Y, change clothes and have a breather for a couple of minutes before getting started - and I get home before 6:30, which is an added bonus.

Other than some slight disorganization with the front office at the downtown location I have so far enjoyed my experience. The Y offers a large variety of classes and the Southeast location has a pool, racquetball courts, and basketball courts. Both locations offer childcare, which comes with the membership; but sadly, no canine care. I guess that's how it goes.

I shall keep you posted on how things are going but as of this moment, I think the Y and I are going to have a very lovely and long-lasting relationship.