Gyms require membership. There are rules. There are private golf clubs and such (not my cup of tea either). In this year 2026, when we are already being inundated with such gremlins as an unwelcome skinnification resurgence which creeps into otherwise healthy fitness spaces, I say no thank you to a new trend that seems to be peeking into my social feeds – boutique gyms that require you to “apply” to be accepted as a member.
Many years ago, I found out that I prefer smaller gyms that provide group fitness classes where the coaching is more personal, careful, friendly, and very important for me, not snobby. I don’t want to feel like I have to prove myself while I’m doing push presses. I don’t want to wonder if I am “enough” while I stabilize my hips for step ups.
Clearly, I am not the target audience, but it really bothers me that the “wellness” industry is finding more ways to lose the point of fitness. In a world where people often do not feel confident when approaching fitness for the first or tenth time, we don’t need more barriers to inclusiveness. In a time when we all could use as much strength as possible to support us as we age, we do not need to feel like we need to fit a certain profile to be accepted into the weight room. There are so many ways the current “content” culture tries to make fitness into something new that needs special instructions and private doors to walk through – with the right expert influencer to help you through the door – when it is just not necessary. It infuriates me because fitness should be accessible and welcoming to all. I was reminded of (good) information from a coach I read the other day, that actually does make sense – keep to the basics – practice “push”, “pull”, “hinge”, “squat”, “press”, “lunge”. You don’t need to be accepted by application to a secret club to do these things. I can only imagine what other crap lurks behind that secret door.
What about you dear readers? How do you feel about applying to a private gym for membership?
Oh, I totally agree. Ick. But as an aside, this reminded me of the days when my daughter proudly told us she had been “invited” to open a gmail account. That turned out to be a clever marketing strategy: suddenly, everyone wanted in. Imagine how you’d feel if you liked the idea of an exclusive gym & joined, only to find out it was steadily expanding. I’ve seen that happen, too. Not my gym, of course. It was already wide open.
That was exactly my initial reaction – ick!