What Is Included in a Gym Membership? A Checklist

What is included in a gym membership depends entirely on the gym. Two memberships at a similar monthly price can give you very different things: one might cover classes, a pool and a sauna, while another gives you a quiet, well-equipped gym floor with coaches on hand. Knowing exactly what you are paying for is the only fair way to compare.

Use the checklist below when you look round any gym, then see how Dowe Dynamics, the old-school gym in Archway, measures up. We have kept it honest, including the things we do not offer.

The Gym Membership Checklist

Work through each section and note what the membership actually includes, not what the leaflet suggests.

1. Access and opening hours

• Which days and hours can you train?
• Is access limited to certain times, such as off-peak only?
• Does it cover one site or several?
• Can you bring a guest, and how often?

2. Equipment and space

• How many machines are there, and what condition are they in?
• Is there enough for every body part, plus whatever else your goals need?
• How busy is the floor at the times you will train? Will you be queuing?

3. Coaching and support

• Is there an induction, and who runs it?
• Are coaches or staff on the gym floor to help with technique?
• Is a written training programme included, or is that a paid extra?

4. Classes

• Are group classes part of the membership or charged separately?
• Do they need booking, and how far ahead?

5. Facilities

• Changing areas, showers, lockers and towels.
• Pool, sauna or spa areas, if those matter to you.

6. The contract

• Monthly price and any joining fee.
• Minimum term and notice period.
• What happens if you need a break.

What Is Usually Not Included

At most UK gyms, a standard membership rarely covers:

• One-to-one personal training. Structured PT is almost always a separate service.
• Nutrition plans. These normally come as part of a coaching or PT package.
• Treatments such as sports massage. These are usually booked and paid for separately.
• Body composition scans. Where gyms offer them, they are often tied to a programme.

None of that is a trick. It is just worth knowing up front so nothing surprises you later.

What Is Included in a Dowe Dynamics Membership

Here is our own answer, using the same checklist. The Elite Membership is £45 a month plus a £10 joining fee.

Included

• Full use of the gym floor during opening hours: Monday to Friday 7am to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm.
• 44+ custom-built and classic Olymp machines covering every body part.
• Coaches on the floor, so help with a machine or your technique is never far away.
• A capped membership, so the floor is never crowded and there are no queues for machines.
• A focused, old-school atmosphere: Mr Universe posters and signed golden-era photos on the walls, no neon, no smoothie bar, no gimmicks.
• Flexible terms: a 2-month minimum, then rolling, with 30 days’ notice to cancel.

Not included

• Group or circuit classes. We do not run them.
• A pool. We do not have one.
• 24-hour access. We keep set opening hours.
• Structured personal training. One-to-one PT, including our 12-week programme, is a separate paid service.
• Sports massage. This is offered on site by Treatments 4 You, a separate business inside the gym.

If you need a pool or a full class timetable, we are honestly not the right fit. If you want a serious gym floor with room to train, run by people who have been doing this since Ian Dowe opened the doors in 1994, we probably are. Anything else on your own checklist, just ask on your trial and we will give you a straight answer.

Extras You Can Add at Dowe

One-to-one personal training

Our 12-week programme includes two PT sessions a week, a training plan, a food plan, a supplement protocol, weekly check-ins and full accountability. Clients on the programme also get an InBody body composition scan. Read more about working with a personal trainer in Archway.

Sports massage

Treatments 4 You offers deep tissue massage, cupping, assisted stretching and a Full Body MOT on site, from £25. See the Treatments 4 You page for details.

FAQs

Does a gym membership include personal training?

Usually not. Most gyms include an induction or some help on the floor, while structured one-to-one PT is a separate service.

Does Dowe Dynamics run classes?

No. We are a gym floor plus one-to-one personal training, with no group or circuit classes.

Can members ask the coaches for help?

Yes. Coaches are on the floor, so you can ask about machines and technique while you train.

Is an InBody scan included with membership?

No. InBody scans are only for clients on our PT programme and cannot be booked on their own.

Check It Off in Person

A checklist only goes so far. Book a free gym trial and you will get a full session plus a complimentary session with a coach who shows you round and walks you through the machines. Bring trainers and a water bottle. Still weighing up price against what you get? Our guide to cheap gyms versus real value may help.