Gyms around Tuscaloosa
Everyone knows the gym you choose to go to can potentially change the whole trajectory of your fitness journey. As someone who has changed gyms multiple times, there are definitely ones that I have had better experiences with. A gym can really change someone’s whole mood when working out. It has more effect than one would think. In this blog I will be talking about mainly gyms around Tuscaloosa, Alabama that I have personally been to. It is hard to make an assumption about a gym if you have never been to it. I will be basing a lot of this off of the equipment, the price, and basically just the friendly environment. The most important thing to me is being able to get in and out of the gym as quickly as I possibly can while getting in a good workout. A big pet peeve of mine is not wanting to stand around and wait for the equipment to open up. In previous blogs I have spoken about the “pump” that you get from working out and how that is essentially my favorite part. That happens when doing a lot of reps in a short amount of time, so standing around waiting for a machine to open is essentially the way to kill that so-called pump.
The first gym I am going to talk about is Crunch Tuscaloosa. Now, before I completely get into this, I want to reiterate that these are the only gyms around the Tuscaloosa area that I have been to, so this is going to basically just be my personal experience. Some may agree, some may disagree, but this is what I have experienced in the past. To get back to the topic at hand, Crunch is currently the gym that I go to now. When I first started my fitness journey down here at the University of Alabama, I went to the rec center where I was able to get in for no cost. I enjoyed the machines at the rec, but there were always a lot of people there throughout the day so I wasn’t able to get in the workouts that I really wanted to. Therefore, I had to combat this by going at crazy times, either really early in the morning, or really late at night, so I did not fully enjoy it. Then I transitioned over to Crunch where I go now. Crunch is a great gym in my opinion. Its big, friendly, and has good machines. It is also relatively inexpensive which is good for college students. The basic plan is only $10 a month, which is about as good as you are going to get for a nicer gym. Then you can also go up to either the peak membership which is $25 a month and includes more things, or the peak results which is $30 a month and includes everything. Some of the things the peak memberships include are things like tanning, hydromassages, red light therapy, more guest passes, etc. It’s all up to you! If those things sound enticing then go for the more expensive packages. I promise you can’t go wrong with Crunch in Tuscaloosa. There are even showers and a sauna if you desire to use any of those as well. Multiple cardio machines, a lot of squat racks and benches so you do not have to wait. Once again to me, the most important part of any gym, is being able to get a good work out in a short amount of time. After all, I do prioritize the gym over a lot of things, but the gym cannot be your whole life, so spending copious amounts of time can take away from other important things.
The next gym I want to talk about is Planet Fitness. Planet Fitness is practically the same everywhere. The reason I would compare it to Crunch is just because there is never a lot of people there. It is also the same $10 dollars a month for the basic plan, but can get up to $25 if you want the black package. That package includes basically the same thing that the $25 Crunch plan includes. Planet fitness just does not have barbells, which is the main reason that I do not go there. I have worked out there before and enjoyed it, but I am someone who needs barbells to get the work that I want done in. They do have free weights and smith machines though so it’s not like you can’t get a good workout in. I also cannot stress enough that it is important that a lot of the time it is not too crowded, so you can get a lot of work in a short amount of time.
Last gym I wanna talk about is the YMCA. I would love to be able to share my knowledge on other gyms in the area, but I have never been and do not want to give any false information just based on stuff that I heard. The YMCA is the most expensive gym out of all of these however, it has the most to offer. I have been a guest a few times. As a guest I enjoyed working out there. The rate for college students is $31 a month. The facility is really nice, it is not just a gym it is essentially a community. You can hangout, get work done or do whatever you please there. Also not many people are there and the gym is spacious enough, so when there is a lot of people there you can still get all the work that you need. In my opinion, if you are looking for a place that you can do more than just workout then The YMCA is the best option for you. After all of that, now it is time for you to decide which gym you want to go to. Personally, I really do enjoy Crunch, and I am about to be leaving Tuscaloosa so I plan on staying there for the rest of the time here. However, you cannot go wrong with any of the choices that I have mentioned. I am also sure that there are other gyms around the area that suffice as well as the ones I spoke about above. Thank you for reading this blog, and go and kill it in your fitness journey!
