Gym advice needed

[stillhungry]

My training partner and I are close to the limit on our current gym's dumbbells. This gym is a local chain, and the location where we train has DBs up to 125. This is what I'm pressing right now for flat bench. All the other locations of this gym only go up to 100. We're thinking about switching to a Golds, where the DBs go up to 150.

Current gym PROS:
* The one we use is close to work. There is another one close to home. By "close" I mean walking distance in both cases. This is important because we're both car-challenged (one-car family for me and I don't get it usually, and he has no car).
* The chain has a new VP of operations. There is an opportunity here to persuade her to add new equipment. Her predecessor refused all such requests.

Current gym CONS:
* Dumbbells too light. Gym has resisted adding heavier ones previously.
* Missing other equipment we'd like, such as a real squat rack with adjustable horizontal bars and a hack squat.
* Location we use is small and cramped.
* Location we use is not inspiring. That is, we are probably the biggest guys there. No one there is interested in getting on stage--or even in following the bodybuilding world at all. They go to "stay in shape" and so on. I am certain my partner and I are the only ones who use the DBs over 110, and most of the guys max out their flat bench with the 70s or below.
* Owner is said to only care about money.

Golds PROS:
* DBs go to 150.
* Hack squat: check. Real rack: check. Space to lift: check. Rubber floor: check.
* Better-quality lifters working hard.

Golds CONS:
* Not conveniently located.
* Owners are apparently major asshats.
* Filthy dirty. Mold in the locker rooms: check.
* Unscrupulous billing practices. Reviews on Yelp of this particular Golds are almost all one star and almost all indicate it took months of unwanted charges before they could convince the accounting office they they really really really wanted to cancel. Also, apparently random fees for "cleaning" sometimes appear on credit card statements (why isn't that included in membership fees, and how can such a filthy establishment claim to have been cleaned?).


So what do we do? I should add that we have tried the "build-your-own" DB posts and didn't like them.

If anyone has suggestions about how to convince the current gym to add heavier DBs and other equipment, it would be very welcome.

Thanks!

[stillhungry]

I wrote above that the location we train at is close to work, and that the clientelle is not serious. I should add that at the location of our current chain that is close to my home (but not to my partner's), there *are* bigger guys who are more serious lifters and who would use heavier DBs. It's a testament to how out of touch the gym is that the DBs at the less serious location go up to 125 and the ones at the more serious location stop at 100.

[Anotherfling]

Speak with the decision maker at your current gym, and see if they'll add the dumbbells. It might help to find some prices on line, and do some math. If you guys are asking for $600 worth of dumbbells, you each pay $30 a month, and you're leaving if you don't get them, they have to decide if they are willing to invest that money, because it will take 10 months for the investment to turn into positive cash flow. Mention how you know some people at Golds are unhappy, and that if your gym had heavier equipment they could steal some customers. I'd try that several times before thinking about moving to a nasty gym.

The other option, is ask if you can purchase them and store them at the gym. Once my gym open another room, I may do the same thing with a heavy bag... I'll take the risk of other people damaging it in exchange for not having one at all.

The last option, is do you have space for a home gym? If you use a lot of equipment it isn't cost effective, but if you are a barbell and dumbbell lifts kind of guy, an adjustable bench and a power rack might be worth it in the long run.

[stillhungry]

Thanks--I'll do some research for the persuasive letter.

Originally Posted by Anotherfling

The last option, is do you have space for a home gym? If you use a lot of equipment it isn't cost effective, but if you are a barbell and dumbbell lifts kind of guy, an adjustable bench and a power rack might be worth it in the long run.

LOL. I don't have room, but this brings up a notable tale. The Golds I'm talking about is a franchise whose owners also own other Golds locations in Seattle (but not ALL the Golds here). They had a location downtown that closed because the owners let it go to hell. Too much equipment in disrepair. Too filthy. Same owners. They ended up selling off the equipment they could when they closed. A lot of the freeweights were bought up by a local competitive bodybuilder for his home gym. That bodybuilder trains at...that's right, the other chain that hasn't added heavier dumbbells! I think he might cancel that membership, though, now that he has his home gym.