Newbie: Best gym to join?

[HealthyFit34]

Hi all, I’m new to the workout game as far as joining a public gym. This would be my first time and I want to get the best value for my money. I plan on working out mainly in the mornings and some times in the afternoons. I would be doing mostly cardio exercises. What gym would you suggest for someone like myself?

[SuffolkPunch]

You should do some resistance training always. If your goal is to lose fat, trying to do that without resistance training can result in muscle loss which is bad for many reasons. I would say it's one of the principle reasons people get disappointing results and often regain weight.

So choose a gym that has plenty of free weights, including barbells and power racks. Look at the routines shown in the sticky threads at the top of the page. If you look up the exercises that each of those routines prescribes then that will indicate what equipment the gym needs to have.

[SamFisherN]

I suggest you don't bother about the brand of the gym. Your aim should be to check if whichever gym offers you what you want.

I've seen people who'd by brand new pairs of workout clothes, a fitness band, new shoes, new bag, choose the best gym brand and enroll for a personal trainer.
But don't show up after just 2 weeks.

Don't be that person. Don't worry about the gym. Just check if it has a large number of treadmills and exercise bikes. You don't want to wait to get on one.

[mncrew952]

Most gyms offer a trial period. It may be a day, week, or certain number of visits. Take advantage of these and check them all out to see which gym in your area offers what you want out of it. Go at times you normally would during those trials, you may find out its too busy or there's a class going on that takes up half the equipment you want to use.