Matt Wilkinson's Blog

I am now officially free.

Free from something which had no interest in my well being, was thirsty for my money and played god awful music. That’s right I have at last left my gym!!

Is it just me? I have been a member of two well known countrywide gyms within the last 3 years and both are identical. They have absolutely zero customer service and only want you for your direct debit at the start of each month.

Now I’m not as stupid as I look, I do realise these clubs are businesses and yes they do need money but surely a little common sense wouldn’t go a miss – along the lines that ‘if we treat are customers well there’s a very good chance they will enjoy coming here and keep renewing their membership’. Rather than ‘ooh here comes another fool willing to sign a 12 month contract, doesn’t he realise we don’t care about him?’

What’s more, and this may seem like a minor point, is your gym stuck in a musical time warp? Every time I used to go it felt like I was trapped in a Eurovision song contest after show party. I would regularly break sweat on the treadmill to the sounds of cheesy 90s euro-dance-pop. They always seemed to play speeded up versions of great eighties songs further ruined by a hand clapping sound effect pumped along to every other beat. More often they would play a selection of songs that time had (thankfully, I thought) forgotten. It was like the gym manager had decided to save money by grabbing a handful of CDs that were lurking at the bottom of his glove compartment, the sort that never have their cases. Do you remember Cotton Eye Joe or Alice DeeJay?? (No? Exactly). No one wants to hear those when their completing their fourth mile on level 9 of the cross-trainer. I got to the point where I was ending my weight training sessions early and making a b-line for the changing rooms not because of fatigue but instead to avoid hearing the second verse of DJ Otzi’s ‘Hey Baby’!

Whoa! This blog is starting to read like a transcript from an episode of Grumpy Old Men. The point I’m making is that it has taken two bad experiences to realise that gyms really aren’t worth the money they charge.

Walking to and from the high street carrying the weekly shop; cycling to the cinema and back, that’s all the work out I need. Maybe I’ll get myself Wii fit and practice Yoga at home. Furthermore I read last week that the government is going to make all public swimming pools free of charge in time for the 2012 Olympic games. What a great idea?! Who needs exercise bikes, steppers and rowing machines? It’s all on our doorstep. I’m turning over a new leaf starting today… I’m going to be fitter than ever.

Now you’ll have to excuse me, all this ranting has got me into a bit of sweat I think I need to relax and take some time out. I’m going to sit on my sofa watch a film and eat a whole tub of Häagen-Dazs.

Speak to you tonight at 7.

M x

Posted by Matt Wilkinson on June 09, 2008 at 14:24PM

back to blog index

---