[greg]

I'm lucky enough to have quite a few functional and crossfit type places nearby, however the prices are somewhat off-putting.

I just enquired at a new place near me, and they quoted me £90/month, for 1 session a week! Granted they have a lot of equipment, but for that kind of money I could equip my own garage gym, that I could use any time I wanted!

I understand there's a less of a profit margin compared to a globo gym, but there's also other compromises, being able to train outside of group sessions being one.

Contrast this with my regular globo type gym. They have plenty of squat racks, olympic bars, pullups bars, running track, allow chalk, swimming pool, etc. I don't normally have any problems fitting in a CF type workout, though a few more bits of kit would be nice. I can go anytime from 6am to 10pm, and it costs £42/month.

I wonder if there's anything they can do (e.g. allowing use of facility outside of classes), in order to make membership cheaper and hence more accessible.

What are you're guys thoughts on this, both as members and owners of these kinds of facilities?

[FK Pimp]

i guess the question is what extra will you get for that £48 - if you value the coaching experience etc then it would be worth it if not then stick with globo or start buying kit for your garage.

[Gubernatrix]

There are people who are rubbish who charge a lot, and people who are excellent who charge a reasonable amount. And vice versa. But there's no guarantee that higher prices mean better coaching.

I know it can be expensive to rent space, buy good equipment, train your instructors and so on but you can factor this into a business plan, start small and hope to recoup over time as you build a dedicated customer base (as I know many other people round here are doing). Or you do what this facility appears to be doing and simply cater for the wealthy.

£40-something quid a month seems to be pretty standard for most gyms, including my own which is a specialist weightlifting/powerlifting gym with coaching included. If you are going to charge more than twice that for less training time, let's hope you are offering something amazing!

[Franz29]

90 PCM for 1 lesson a week? That seems extremely high; for that amount I would expect unlimited classes. Heck, I could go back to Esporta for 70 PCM and have access to the pool and all their stuff, including classes and I never really had a problem with FF type training in there.

What were they charging for unlimited classes?

[moose]

My tuppence worth:

Don't know if this helps or not - but as a "for instance," here are the prices for a certain CF affiliate in the south east:

1 session x per week = £40 per month
2 sessions x per week = £50 per month
3 sessions x per week = £60 per month
4 sessions + per week = £70 per month

Given the level of support available here - I'd say it's well worth it!

Also, they offer a 2-week trial - I knew they were worth the money before I coughed up. Definitely worth looking for a trial period...
And another point to consider is not to look at the prices for 1x/week - they'll always be relatively high compared to "unlimited" packages.

[greg]

They didn't email me prices for more than 1x a week, but they said it would "only get cheaper" (??!).

I was hoping to be honest they would undercut our local CF affiliates since they don't have to pay for the CF brand and other stuff, but CF is still cheaper, starting at £45 for once a week to £65 for unlimited (and they seem to have similar if not more amounts of equipment), they're further away from me though.

I was going to join up with my friend, but for £180/mo between us I'm sure we can equip a decent home gym.

[moose]

greg, on 11 May 2010 - 04:35 PM, said:

I understand there's a less of a profit margin compared to a globo gym, but there's also other compromises, being able to train outside of group sessions being one.

I managed to negotiate a key from the owner where I train - meaning I can pop in early am when no classes are running.
It's the best of both worlds - the benefits of class training, and getting to do my own thing too.

Might be worth opening a dialogue...

[greg]

i think that's one of the problems my friend has, he likes to train early in the morning, and most gyms don't open till at least 7am.

[moose]

I'm something of a believer in the notion of:
"if you don't ask, you don't get"
It's always worth having a chat with the owners to see if they'd be willing to "give" a little.
They might say "yes" (high 5s all round), or they might say "no" (back to square 1) - but at least you asked...

[greg]

tbh i think i would just rather buy my own stuff now, for convenience and cost saving

[greg]

i got a reply from the guys after i said it was too expensive for me

"Strength & Performance is only for the most dedicated athletes who want to train in the best environment possible. This is why we don't just allow anyone to train here."

[moose]

greg, on 12 May 2010 - 01:55 PM, said:

This is why we don't just allow anyone to train here

LOL - Only the rich then!!

[Gubernatrix]

That elitist crap makes me mad.

I love the way they've just dismissed Greg without knowing anything about his training or level of dedication - other than how much he is able to pay!

In my gym the coaches only get paid for 33 weeks a year (term time). The rest of the time they turn up for free and we each put a pound in the pot for them. Yes, we all have to put up with Giles' singing and rude jokes but it's a price worth paying. I'm not implying every gym can or should do this - but talk about difference of values!

[Mister C]

greg, on 12 May 2010 - 01:55 PM, said:

i got a reply from the guys after i said it was too expensive for me

"Strength & Performance is only for the most dedicated athletes who want to train in the best environment possible. This is why we don't just allow anyone to train here."

Jeez, who did you contact, Gym Jones?!

[greg]

These guys: http://www.strengtha...formance.co.uk/

bear in mind there's 3 crossfit affiliates and at least one other functional gym all nearby.

or maybe people in manchester just have too much money and dedication

[Andy]

I removed my first comment. Anger got the better of me but i still stand by my point that £90 for 1 session is hideouos no matter what kind of gym you run and if they are after dedication the they should remove 1 x per week from their offering and offer 3 + session a week only.

[Red]

Think yourselves lucky you have all these options!

I had no option to open my own barn, as there is NOTHING else in Inverness!

[mrbourgot]

I don't really see what the problem is. If it costs too much then don't go. As you said there's a few options in manchester, so take your pick.

Looks like a good gym, they're affiliated with Zac Even-Esch of underground strength, which IMO is just as valid as xfit

[greg]

As gubes said I don't really have a problem.

For me i like the idea at training at a place, having a social communityof like minded people, and having a good selection of equipment. However the prices can be offputting, especialy when i could put together my own garage gym for similar or less amounts of money.

I like regular gyms for the convenience (choose when you want to go/ what you do etc.), and also the facilities (showers/swimming pool/sauna).

If I'm perfectly honest I could afford to have memberships at both gyms, but I don't like wasting money. My main reason for going would be to give me a kick up the arse with regards ot my training, and also to have a slightly more social aspect to my training.

I've found CF affiliates can be a little too cliquey for my liking at times, which is one of the reasons I continue to use a regular gym.