We've all had the discussion- which gym should I join? There are limitless options for fitness, both online and on-site, that claim to be the best. Since you're here on SPENGA's website, we're pretty sure you already know who is the best in The Upstate! When making this decision, and it is a big one, the factors to consider are actually very simple. Read on to find out what 4 things make sense to think about when picking a studio or gym to help you reach your goals!
- Location
Picking a gym or studio that's in close proximity to home, work, or a common errand location (think groceries, school drop off, etc.) will go a LONG way in ensuring you can stick with your regimen. Driving out of your way may seem "doable" in the short term, but consider month six, month 12, and so on. Can you really justify consistently driving 10-15 minutes out of your way (one way!) to work out? Especially when time is short before work and after work! SPENGA Greenville is located just off 85 on Pelham Rd in the Pelham 85 Plaza. We guarantee you drive by the studio location almost every day! - Effectiveness
You've seen it. The huge gym floor filled with treadmills, dumbbells, squat racks, and ellipticals. They're all basically the same gym with different color schemes, right? You think to yourself, "Yeah, this has everything I need", and sign up. But does it? Sure, it has equipment- but what are you supposed to do with it? How often? What's safe to do? What's right for what YOU want to accomplish? So, you hop on your treadmill and start walking. Then 5 minutes later, you pump it up to a jog. You're probably smiling at this point. Then 3 minutes later you're winded so you cool it down to a walk. After you've recovered, you jog for another 3 minutes. 15 minutes down! But that's not "long" enough, and of course you better go do some strength training, so you go check out the pin loaded machines. Uh oh. How do you adjust them? How much weight do you use? How many reps? Ew, there's sweat marks on it, and probably some torn upholstery. So you grab a spray bottle and paper towel, clean it, and "start". Whatever it is you're doing, it probably didn't come prescribed by a fitness professional! You do about 10 reps on maybe 5 machines and think "I'll hit the other ones next time". Hey, you should stretch! So you do some toe touches, trunk twists, and quadriceps stretches for a total of 3 minutes. Rinse, repeat for about 2 weeks until you start to lose motivation. What's the lesson? Yes, you bought access to a TON of equipment at a gym- but what's the point if you can't use it to reach your goals? At SPENGA Greenville, each workout includes the perfect blend of spin (cardio), HIIT strength training, and yoga (flexibility), and the programming changes EVERY day to ensure your workouts at SPENGA are plateau-proof. An instructor is with you every step of the way to demonstrate movement, subtly correct you, and most of all encourage you for all 60 minutes. At SPENGA, it's You vs. You and each part of your workout is personalized, whether it's your own Sweet Spot in spin, modifications in strength, or using blocks in yoga! Yes, studios are smaller. No, we don't have cardio theaters and spray tanning. But the coaching, varied programming, and atmosphere keeps you coming back for more! Consistency is key! And speaking of atmosphere...... - Atmosphere
It makes a huge difference! Think of a gym- you walk in the door and a front desk associate frantically looks up from their phone as you approach the desk to check in. "Last name?" they ask. It's the 6th time this person has checked you in, and they've made zero effort to even learn your name! Then, the smell hits you - The gym smell. Yes, we know you know what that smell is. But okay, it'll "go away" in a few minutes when you're nose-blinded. Remember, you're "saving money" though, so you'll just put up with it. Now contrast that with a studio! You walk in and after your 3rd visit, every desk employee knows your name and the instructor you had on your free session comes up and says, "Hey there (first name)! So glad to see you back, I see your Sweet Spot went up after my last session with you. Ready to crush this workout together?" If you joined SPENGA, you notice the eucalyptus, lemongrass, and lavender aromatherapy that is always pumping through the HVAC. You see staff cleaning the equipment you just used after every use! After your 7th visit or so, you are recognizing a lot of the same people in the session times you like as well. Studios like SPENGA also frequently host member events inside and outside the studio, support each other's businesses, and encourage each other in their progress because we see each other so often! - Value
First, let's get something out in the open. Yes, you can pay $10 a month (that's not the real cost every month, by the way) for a gym membership pretty much anywhere! But as you learned above, what results are you really going to get in that atmosphere with what's offered in those places? Most likely, by month 3, you'll be going less than once a month, and just letting them charge you because it's "so cheap" and "you don't want to pay the setup fee again when you come back". While that's an absolutely genius business model, it costs you WAY more than $10/month because there are costs to being in poor health (Think about buying a car- you don't just buy the cheapest $500 junker you can get your hands on every time you shop, right? It's going to be at the mechanic every month!) Health insurance premiums are higher and deductibles go up when we're overweight or have bad blood numbers in our physicals. Heart disease kills more Americans than almost anything else, and statistically speaking, it's usually entirely preventable with a healthy diet and consistent exercise regimen. It's also well documented that people who are in good health and have a healthy body weight are more confident; and that translates to better production at work, and more success when requesting raises and going for promotions at work; cha-ching! None of these are "measurable" in a single case, but the more data we put together, the more these things become obviously true! Boutique studios, for all the reasons mentioned above, help you actually get the results you're looking for! Gyms offer personal trainers, but at $40-100/hour, it's not long before your once-a-week meeting with a trainer (who isn't with you the other 167 hours of the week) becomes WAY more expensive monthly than an unlimited membership at any boutique studio. Yes, the dollar amount you see will probably be higher each month- but on the back end, the dollar value is immeasurable at a studio compared to the "cheaper" gyms! Plus at SPENGA there's no contracts and no set up fees, so you are never trapped in a long-term agreement. Being month to month forces boutiques to work hard for you EVERY day because we can lose your trust any time we don't. Check out our Founders Rates and see what option may be best for you!
