How to choose a gym in Rainham

Most people pick a gym on two things: how close it is and how much it costs. Both matter. Neither tells you whether you will still be going in March.

We run a gym in Rainham, so we are obviously not neutral. But we would genuinely rather you joined the right place than joined ours and quit after six weeks. So this is the honest version.

The three types of gym around Rainham

Nearly everything in the Medway towns falls into one of three buckets, and they suit completely different people.

1. Big budget chains

Low monthly cost, long opening hours, hundreds of machines. If you already know exactly what you are doing and you just want somewhere cheap to do it, these are hard to beat on price.

The catch is that you are on your own. Staff are usually there to sell inductions and personal training, not to coach the floor. If you do not know what to do, a big chain will happily take your money for a year while you find out that you still do not know what to do.

2. Specialist and performance gyms

Powerlifting gyms, strongman gyms, CrossFit boxes. Brilliant kit, serious atmosphere, strong communities. If you have a specific sport or lift you are chasing, these are the right home.

They can feel intimidating if you are starting from scratch, though that is often more perception than reality.

3. Small coach-led gyms

Fewer members, a coach on the floor, classes and programmes rather than a room full of machines and a shrug. More expensive per month than a chain, considerably cheaper than paying a personal trainer separately.

This is the bracket we sit in, and it suits people who want to be taught rather than left alone.

Seven questions worth asking on a tour

Any gym will show you around. These are the questions that actually separate them:

• Who is on the floor during the hours I would train? "Staffed" and "someone coaching" are not the same thing.
• What happens in my first session? A good answer involves an assessment. A poor answer is "just come in whenever."
• Do I get a programme, and who writes it? Ask whether it is built for you or generated from a template.
• How often does the programme change? If nobody reviews it, you will stall in about eight weeks.
• How busy is it at the time I would come? Visit at that time, not at 11am on a Tuesday.
• What is the notice period? Get it in plain English before you sign.
• What happens if I get injured or go away for a month? The answer tells you a lot about how they treat members.

Signs a gym will actually suit a beginner

If you have not trained before, or not for a long time, these matter more than the equipment list:

• Somebody greets you by name rather than nodding at a turnstile
• You can see people of a similar age and ability to you already training
• Classes are scaled, so the coach gives different options in the same session
• There is a clear first step, not just "here is your membership card"
• Nobody makes you feel daft for asking a basic question

I belonged to a big commercial gym, it was OK. I went often because I wanted to get fit but I always left feeling like I was glad it was done for the day. I then joined Amazon24 Fitness, I am fitter then I have ever been.

Jen Walters, Google review

What a gym in Rainham should cost

As a rough guide for the area: budget chains sit around £20 to £30 a month, small coach-led gyms around £45 to £70, and personal training is charged on top or by the block almost everywhere.

Our own memberships are £49 a month for classes only and £67 a month for full access including open gym and a personalised programme, with single sessions from £8.50 if you would rather not commit yet. If two of you live at the same address, our joint membership takes 10% off each.

Compare on what is included rather than the headline figure. A £29 membership plus £40 a week of personal training is not cheaper than a £67 membership with coaching built in.

Where we are, and who we are for

Amazon24 Fitness is on Cloverlay Industrial Park, just off Canterbury Lane in Rainham, with parking on site and more along the lane. We are small, coach-led, and open to every age and ability.

We are a good fit if you want to be taught, want to know the people you train alongside, and would rather not be a number. We are probably not the cheapest option in Medway, and we are not the right choice if you want a vast machine floor at 5am and no conversation.

If that sounds like your kind of place, have a look at the class timetable, read the team profiles, or come and see it in person.