wvcourier
Expert Expediter
Thats an exception not the rule...
Dont steal, the government hates competition. ~Ron Paul~
Gyms and Health Clubs
- Thread starter ATeam
- Start date
Thats an exception not the rule...
Dont steal, the government hates competition. ~Ron Paul~
We are really interested in joining one of these fitness clubs. I searched the internet and there are so many choices and it is confusing. It looks like Anytime Fitness might be a good option since they have so many locations and we are all over the place. I would hate, though, to invest the money in a membership that will not meet our needs. From the looks of it, you can't trust the sales people at these businesses. I like the idea of a place being located in a shopping center for parking (although we are in a van now).
Phil, I imagine you and Diane did a lot of research before you made the investment. What club did you end up with? Thanks for this thread - it is so informative!
Phil, I imagine you and Diane did a lot of research before you made the investment. What club did you end up with? Thanks for this thread - it is so informative!
twentyhigh
Seasoned Expediter
I don't know what the big deal is about getting exercise. I walk EVERY morning. I walk to the bathroom, and I walk back. LOL!!!!!
Bob Perry, The Trucker Trainer has been working with Snap Fitness to get deals for truck drivers and also gyms located in Pilot and Flying J's. Here is an article in Landline about this endeavor
Snap Fitness, Rolling Strong launch truckstop program | Overdrive - Owner Operators Trucking Magazine
Here is the link to Bob Perry's website:
http://www.snapfitness.com/rolling-strong
Snap Fitness, Rolling Strong launch truckstop program | Overdrive - Owner Operators Trucking Magazine
Here is the link to Bob Perry's website:
http://www.snapfitness.com/rolling-strong
We chose Anytime Fitness for their many locations, private showers (most locations) and the overall attitude they presented. On their web site you will see advertised a free seven-day pass. You can try before you buy.
Discounts may be available through your health insurance company. We got that and an additional discount by paying for a full year. You will be obligated to pay monthly for a year anyway so we just paid for the full year and got the substantial discount.
We have only used one location so far but found it to be very nice, very clean and filled with modern equipment. Xiggi says he has been to other Anytime Fitness locations. Perhaps he can say more about what he has found.
Each gym is a franchise, so, much will depend on the local owner. The owner we visited with is well acquainted with the two founders of Anytime Fitness since their world headquarters remains in the same town in which they started the company and that is just a few miles away from him (Hastings, MN, near the Twin Cities).
He said the two founders could have cashed out of this very successful franchise long ago but have not done so because they continue to be interested in helping people. He spoke with other companies before settling on Anytime Fitness and opening his two gyms. He said Anytime was the only one that actually talked about helping people. The others only talked about the money.
He also talked about the requirement franchisees have to remodel their facilities every five years (new carpet, paint, etc.). Again, we have only been to one gym and it was recently remodeled and expanded. We will be interested to see what some of the other locations and older gyms look like.
Attitude was a big selling point for us. We don't need juice bars, gift shops, big swimming pools and ten thousand square feet of floor space. We need a clean, safe place to work out with private showers. The gym owner told us of a woman he signed up recently who was thrilled to realize that she would not have to buy new clothes to work out.
At the gym we visited, I was especially glad to see an old fat person using the gym. Each time we have been to the gym, there were only two or three people using it. They come and go without striking up conversations with others. It seems they are there to work out and that's about it. Very few people use the showers. Not living and working on the road like expediters do, they work out and then go home to shower.
All clubs have security in place, the owner explained. Member photos are on file and technology is in place to make sure only one person enters each time an electronic key is used. Video cameras record what goes on in the gym. The facilities are available 24 hours a day but are not staffed that long. I don't know if all gyms have them but I was surprised to see panic buttons available. They are buttons you can wear around your neck that summon the police when pushed.
It takes 30 days for your membership to populate to other locations. Our local gym owner, now aware of the disadvantage that creates for people like expediters, is talking with headquarters about getting that changed.
So far, we are pleased with our choice but we need to visit several gyms in various states to offer a final verdict.
wvcourier
Expert Expediter
Some are alot better then others, alot of them are within walking distance of a Walmart( Burlington IA, Monticelo MN, Nitro WV, many others) the one in Fargo is directly across the street from Petro Stopping Center. Some in the smaller Towns and the one located in business districts you may have to Park and walk a little bit...but that could be a good thing. The showers are convienant, but truck stop showers are a little better, also B.Y.O.T
Dont steal, the government hates competition. ~Ron Paul~
wvcourier
Expert Expediter
Anytime Fitness ranges from 30 to 40 a month. Also, just because your GPS says there isnt any around, dosent always mean its true..check on your laptop or smartphone for latest info.
Dont steal, the government hates competition. ~Ron Paul~
gospelriders
Seasoned Expediter
this has been one of the tough things for me since being on the road. having been a personal trainer and competitive lifter for years it has been a challenge to improvise a challenging workout in the sleeper of our truck. have been getting by with a 25lb. dumbell and the wife sitting on my back for pushups. having adapted to this routine we have decided to get a set of 55lb. adjustable dumbells,adjustable bench and a jump rope to use in the cargo box when we are not on loads. also will use load bar for pullups. i have a gold's gym membership,but have trouble finding these close to our p/u and drops.
i am glad to see that some of you understand how important exercise is. it is not to look good on the outside,that just happens to be one of the benefits of what is happening when you get the inside healthy. train hard, train smart, train for long term benefits.
i am glad to see that some of you understand how important exercise is. it is not to look good on the outside,that just happens to be one of the benefits of what is happening when you get the inside healthy. train hard, train smart, train for long term benefits.
$30 to $40 is the ballpark figure but discounts apply that can be significant. It is smart to check with multiple gyms as each gym owner will have an offer to make. We talked to a couple on the road and both wanted us to come in and talk about "our needs." When we called the one close to home, he told us what we wanted to know over the phone and signed us up because of it.
He was also running a promotion where one month was free for signing up in the summer. On top of that, we got two more months free for paying for the whole year up front. Our health insurance company will give us each a $20 per month credit if we use the gyms 12 or more times a month. That's a lot of money off the ballpark price. If we earn the $20 credit, it works out to fifty cents a day each, after the first three months free.
Shop around. Talk to multiple gym owners. Ask about sales, incentives and credits. If they know you are going to buy somewhere and that you are talking to others, offers may be made that might otherwise not be.
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xlman78
Active Expediter
I have joined Lifetime Fitness few months ago and it's just sick, huge huge, very very high standards, many locations, all of them close to major highways, always located in good neighborhood, so no problem stay on large and quiet parking (sprinter), 24h, outside-inside pool, free towels, 2 basketball courts and more more ... Gold Clubs have Lounge rooms with tv,s, free wifi ... it is just awsome.
Only minus is monthly fee, (70$) and i have Gold Membership that gives me acces to about 90 % clubs in the country.
So i you have 70$ to spend a month avoiding nasty truck stops (not all the times), i highly recommended.
Only minus is monthly fee, (70$) and i have Gold Membership that gives me acces to about 90 % clubs in the country.
So i you have 70$ to spend a month avoiding nasty truck stops (not all the times), i highly recommended.
You know it!
Joining a few weeks ago, Diane and I have now visited a number of Anytime Fitness gyms in various states. Truck parking must be researched ahead of a visit because some of the lots are small. We use Google Maps for that. For the most part, parking has not been a problem.
All of the clubs have been excellent. They are clean, the equipment is in good shape and the private showers work (one exception one time, clogged drain, during non-staffed hours with no one there to fix it).
I came across this video on the ATF web site. It is for prospective franchisees but it illustrates well the inside of the clubs and the kind of people who use them. What you see on the video is what you will see in the clubs.
The video talks about the trainers that are available but we have made no use of those. Our home club owner oriented us to the equipment at no charge and we have operated on our own since then. There is no pressure to work with a trainer (extra charge).
The members leave each other alone. While some people come in with friends and work out together, members generally do their own thing. You go in, work out and leave. There are usually a few others in the club (zero sometimes, two or three usually, sometimes as many as six by our count), but they pay you no mind and you return the favor.
Diane and I have no dramatic weight-loss stories to tell. It's early. But I have noticed a significant improvement in mobility and pep. It's easier now to climb in and out of the truck. I don't sleep as much as I used to and I feel better all day long (and night when driving).
It was never hard for me to climb in and out of the truck but it is easier now. It feels good to see progress like that and we are looking forward to more.
Progress is also seen in the length of time we work out. At first, a half-hour was a major accomplishment. Now it is very comfortable to be on the equipment with an elevated heart rate for 90 minutes. Endurance is improving.
Another benefit is reduced worry about sustaining an injury while handling freight. Some loads tax the body. Working out now on machines that exercise various muscle groups, I am less concerned about injuring a muscle or tendon.
While there are body builders in the gyms who are working to be the next Hercules, that is not me. My routine is about fitness and my body is more limber because of these workouts.
We made a good decision joining the is fitness club. The many locations and 24 hour availability meet our needs. We have tried to exercise in different ways in the truck or at layover locations. None of them worked as well as these gyms are working now.
I encourage all expediters to think about joining a fitness club. Using a gym while laying over between loads is a positive way to spend that time. It provides physical and psychological benefits like CharlesD describes.
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Because of the fuel discounts that are available through our carrier, Diane and I go to TA/Petro truck stops almost exclusively, but we are pleased to hear that truck stop fitness centers are appearing at Pilot Flying J too.
In August, 2011, Pilot Flying J published this press release saying they planned to open 960-square-foot workout centers at some of their locations. No new workout center locations have been published on the snapfitness/rolling-strong page (link above). No new press releases about the workout centers have appeared on the Pilot Flying J web site.
Have any expediters seen new fitness centers showing up at Pilot Flying J locations in the last few weeks or months? Our Anytime Fitness membership is working but there are times when we're under load that a truck stop fitness center would be useful when an on-route, full-fledged fitness club is not easily found or when a TA/Petro truck stop can be found but it does not have a fitness room. If there is workout center location info on the Pilot Flying J web site, it is not easily found (at least not by me, am I missing something?).
What are y'all seeing at Pilot Flying J regarding workout centers (fitness rooms)?
mxzane933
Seasoned Expediter
this has been one of the tough things for me since being on the road. having been a personal trainer and competitive lifter for years it has been a challenge to improvise a challenging workout in the sleeper of our truck. have been getting by with a 25lb. dumbell and the wife sitting on my back for pushups. having adapted to this routine we have decided to get a set of 55lb. adjustable dumbells,adjustable bench and a jump rope to use in the cargo box when we are not on loads. also will use load bar for pullups. i have a gold's gym membership,but have trouble finding these close to our p/u and drops.
i am glad to see that some of you understand how important exercise is. it is not to look good on the outside,that just happens to be one of the benefits of what is happening when you get the inside healthy. train hard, train smart, train for long term benefits.
cargo box lol. expediting showed me to.enjoy the simple things in life like back.body friction press =laying on my caboose , but I use the parking lot but when to cold out i go a gym and what better excuse is there than "theres no gym close"
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