The United Kingdom is a beautiful island nation in northwestern Europe and home to many world-renowned ex-pats. All the major Multi-National Companies have offices here. The most preferred choice for people interested in this part of the world is London. It is said that the average person in the UK enjoys relatively higher pay as compared to other developed countries. However, the key thing to note here is that the UK is also one of the most expensive places on this planet. You have to shell out relatively higher on everything from food to fitness. The modern-day lifestyle in the UK is filled with corporate world challenges. The professional life requires you to be active and available 24×7. Although these things are great for your career, they do take a toll on your overall health in the long run.
The popular belief says that the surest way to attain good health is to join a gym. It is easier said than done. Most of the gyms in the UK are priced insanely high. The gym membership will make you sweat even before you lift your first weights. After all, the gyms are also in some way a money-making business concept. There is a myriad of tricks and hacks that you can deploy to get the best gym membership contract. Having said that, the effectiveness of the following tricks to work in your favor totally depends on your haggling skills.
- Call First
The salesperson sitting at the reception of every gym is a highly skilled professional. It is always better to make a call and then visit the gym. Over the call, you can briefly discuss the contract terms and the costs involved. The receptionist will try to allure you into enticing deals if you visit them upfront and have not done any homework. It is better to be prepared before your visit. - Visit The Gym
Brad (Six Pack Workouts UK contributor), a professional trainer at a number of PureGyms across east London is known for his free-spoken attitude. You need to interact with such righteous staff on your visit to the gym. It is probably a good idea to see every corner and meet all the key persons in the gym. This gives you a holistic view of what you will be facing every day if you enrol. - Don’t Ever Take The First Offer
There is a reason why gym membership plans are not openly displayed in the gym. The first offer that is presented to you is always the worst offer for you. Every person in the gym is paying a different price. It all depends on how skilled you are at bargaining with the manager. If you take the first offer in excitement than it is highly likely that you will be paying much higher than your other friends at the gym. - Never Pay The Sign Up Fee
The gym fraternity has made the sign-up fee as a made-up bargaining tool. If you haggle and insist on reducing the membership charges than as a courtesy to your request they waive off the sign-up charges. First thing first, the sign-up charges are not legitimate. It does not make sense to pay extra bucks for feeding your biodata into the system especially when you are already paying exorbitantly for the contract. You must not fall prey to these tactics. - Avoid Signing Up For Over A Year
The kind of lifestyle we have today, nobody is sure where he would be in the next 2 or 3 years from now. People change professions and homes very often these days. Your gym also knows this hard fact. They try to trap you by signing you up for a long term contract at a lower membership fee. It is also a well-known fact that about 30% of the members are rarely seen in the gym. You can actually avoid wasting your money by signing up for not more than a year. - Ask For Discount
You can avail discount off your corporate card. Many gyms offer significant discounts to professionals. Never forget to ask for discounts especially if the gym is close to your workplace. The gym manager will be more than happy to offer you a great deal as it also benefits them over time. A happy client is likely to bring more customers to the gym and at no extra marketing cost. - Visit In The Off-Peak Period
January, April, and August are considered to be the best times to crack incredibly low membership fees. You can ask for special discounts during the off-peak period and the gym manager will be forced to offer you a mouth-watering price. This simple trick is one of the best ones with high chances of landing you in your dream gym without burning a hole in your pocket.
I highly recommend you check out PureGyms across the London area for attractive offers. They do not have any weird charges plus they have highly flexible payment plans. The staff is also courteous and the presence of professional trainers like Brad is a pretty strong reason to be working out here.
Sean Boone
Sean is currently studying Sports Science. He has contributed to a number of fitness blogs including our sister site Bodybuilding Gold. Focused on helping you get the best results during your fitness journey.