In defence of Pure Gym

There seems to be two types of gym goers these days. Those who go to the uni gym and those who go to pure gym.

From my personal experience there is some sort of stigma about going to Pure Gym. Apparently there is no reason for me to go to Pure Gym because I am university student. Apparently it means that I must be pretentious because I think that I am too good for the uni gym.

No – I am actually just lazy.

This argument is slightly counterintuitive considering I am talking about going to the gym. However there are some very practical reasons as to why this isn’t a ridiculous statement.

Closer to university

Location, Location, Location.

Pure Gym is on quarter mile. Which is so much closer to George Square and all of the joys that it entails. The university gym is so much further away in comparison. I can easily wake up in the morning, go to the gym, quickly change and head straight to lectures without batting an eyelash.

The university gym is far away from everything. It is inconvenient at best. That extra distance served as an incentive to stay in bed and munch on some pop-corn. Pure Gym is so close that I can not make a feasible excuse as to why I shouldn’t go.

There’s an app

There is a Pure Gym app. You can book onto classes with the touch of a finger – it is so easy and convenient.

It’s 24 hours

The uni gym closes at 9:30pm on weekdays and at 6:30pm on weekends. For me, and many others, that is really annoying. I am one of those people who tend to sleep later and do more in the evenings.

I am known to go to the gym at 9:30-10 in the evening because I am doing my normal daily activities until later than what is considered to be ‘normal’. Every body has a personal code which you input in order to access the gym. So it is safe during the late hours of the day.

You don’t bump into people

When I go to the gym I get really really sweaty. I don’t the entire of the university population to see me red-faced, sweat dripping off of my face, and with the biggest sweat-patches known to man-kind. The great thing about going to Pure Gym is that there aren’t as many students there – and whilst there are students who go due to the 24 hour opening times I never bump into people because I am virtually nocturnal.

Classes and facilities

The classes are so much easier to get onto – as there are less people vying for all of the places and there are loads of classes – the majority of which are free (if you want to go to yoga you have to pay £2 – it doesn’t exactly break the bank). The actual gym is really easy to use and the equipment is really great too. Admittedly it isn’t as big as the uni gym. But that is the payoff for being so central.

These pods are how you get in and out

One of my favourite features of Pure Gym is that you can see how many people are in the gym. As you have to type in your code in order to access the gym they can monitor the amount of people there. So if you are afraid of people or just self conscience you can find the best time to go for you.

Monthly contract

Unlike the uni gym you pay monthly. Meaning that if you are trying to get a nice layer of insulation for the winter after shedding it all for the bikini pics then you can freeze your account. This is great for the holidays where you are definitely not going to be coming up to Edinburgh to make your yearly membership worthwhile.

However, what about the cost?

A lot of my friends say “Isn’t it really expensive? I have the off-peak membership for the uni gym and that is only £60 for the year”. I see that this is an attractive option. £60 for the whole year is a pretty good deal. But that limits you to going between 6:30-14:30. I don’t think I have ever been to the gym within those time parameters.

Pure Gym is £24.99/month. Yes, it is a little pricier. However, for us students we get a nice little discount. Making it affordable. Also due to the nature of monthly contracts. For me it has worked out roughly at the same price. Also due to increased gym attendance since changing to Pure Gym I have definitely made the most of every penny spent.