It's decided, at the beginning, we move!

But not anywhere: in a gym.

An ideal place to be followed and accompanied by a coach, but also find training partners with whom to have fun during group lessons.

But before you start, here are some tips for choosing it.

• The accessibility of the room will be checked

The first criterion for choosing your gym is its location. When you start the sport, it's even more important to make sure you choose a club that is not too far from your home, so you do not have to apologize for drying out.

The ideal is a room that is on its way, between home and work.

In addition, we must ensure accessibility: can we come by public transport? Can we park without problem?

• Broad opening hours will be requested

Whether you are very early or rather late-night, it is important to join a room whose schedules are convenient for us.

Some clubs are open late, which is ideal because if you train in the evening, after work, it must at least provide an hour of effort, without the pressure of the closing time. provide at least some nocturnes on certain evenings of the week.

Conversely, if you prefer to train in the morning, we check that the room opens early, in order to benefit from its services.

Most gyms also open on weekends, a sizeable choice criterion.

• The number of members will be observed

Some clubs accept a lot of members to make their equipment profitable. In practice, it's a real constraint. When we train, we do not really want to wait a quarter of an hour in front of the machine that we covet ... at the risk of losing motivation and stop our session.

If possible, we inquire with the commercial who welcomes us during our first visit on the number of registered.

And if you plan to go to the gym rather in the evening, we visit the schedule at which we will come to train, to check the availability of machines, lockers in the locker room and the number of people present.

A medium-sized room will be preferred to an overcrowded or deserted room.

• Collective courses we will seek

The possibility of doing group lessons is often a little more popular, especially when you start the sport.

We inquire about the courses offered as well as their schedules and conditions of access to courses (must I pay a supplement or should I register beforehand?).

If we like the classes and the schedules are interesting, that's a good point.

In general, all gyms that have the same types of courses: abdo-glutes, zumba, yoga ...

On the other hand, if you are looking for a specific category of courses, you make sure that the gym you are looking for has the license to deliver them.

• Quality material will be required

We seek the essential and we are wary of the superfluous. What is needed for successful sport sessions?

A good gym should include, at a minimum, a free weight zone, where you can do weight training. It is important that this room be equipped with mirrors to control and correct our posture.

The room must also include a machine area, which must be adaptable to best meet our specific needs. It is very important that there are coaches available on the set to teach us how to use these machines.

We also ensure that there is a cardio zone, where we must find at least treadmills and bicycles. We check that they are in sufficient number. Everything else, elliptical, steppers ... is optional.

Finally, a zone of relaxation and stretching guarantees the reliability of a good gym, since one must be able to find floor mats to stretch.

• Hygiene and safety will be monitored

We will sweat (a lot) and we will have one desire after our session: showering! The hygiene of a gym is paramount. She must be irreproachable.

We must not tolerate hair packs in doubly clean showers or toilets. To check the hygiene of our (future) gym, we ask to go to the bathroom during the visit. We can get a quick and very representative opinion. You have to be uncompromising about the cleanliness of the place.

Similarly, security is very important. Upon registration, we must be asked to provide a certificate of fitness for sport issued by a treating physician (or sign a waiver).

• The atmosphere we will test

Training in a good atmosphere is very important. And that motivates. But beware, a gym is not a nightclub.

When visiting, you must be attentive to the atmosphere in the club. Is the music too loud? Does it suit us? Is the staff friendly and available? Are those present only to chat or remain serious in their training?

A happy medium is better, we come to play sports, but if we can do some dating, it's a plus.

• Additional services will be analyzed

It is up to us to determine whether this part is important or not. Some gyms offer additional services. Most are charged a bit more, but sometimes it is interesting for what you are looking for.

For example, rooms can be found where personalized coaching is offered at an additional cost. It is necessary to ask if the room is correct even if one does not pay this service in addition (do I still have a follow-up?)

The majority of the rooms offer a complete check-up with the establishment of a suitable program during the first session, but what is the proposed follow-up without going through a personal coach who costs us an arm already sore by dumbbells?

In addition, we must ask ourselves if we are willing to pay more for access to additional services such as a steam room or sauna. If the answer is no, we are looking for another room, cheaper and simpler.

• Rates will be negotiated

Of course, the price of the gym membership is one of the most important criteria for choosing it.

We take our time before signing and compare the different rooms available to us.

We do not hesitate to negotiate with the commercial who will make us sign the contract: we ask for a month of free subscription or a reduction during the first quarter. We must also learn about the different formulas that exist.

Some rooms only offer annual subscriptions, but it is often possible to register for the month, quarter or semester, which can be good for trying a room before finally adopting it.

• Conditions of engagement we will worry

We just chose our gym, it's good, we're sure. However, before signing and signing up, we check one last criterion, no less important: the conditions of engagement and termination.

Indeed, we are not immune to a blow, a health problem that requires us to stop the sport for a while, a pregnancy or a move. We therefore check the conditions of cancellation or postponement of the subscription.

In the case of a move, having opted for a chain of gyms can be a good solution because, even in another city, we will probably find a club where our subscription is valid.

We have to ask ourselves the right questions before committing ourselves to a room, but, if we sometimes feel a little trapped by the subscription, we must also say that this is what keeps us motivated and put us - for good - to the sport!