Why I Still Pay for Fitness Memberships (Even as a Personal Trainer)

(Please note that this post is not sponsored or associated with an affiliated partnership with Peloton. I am a member who pays for my own memberships, and I am simply sharing my current routine with specific examples of how you can tailor group fitness programming for maximum results. I hope this helps!)

As a certified personal trainer who knows how to program workouts that create results, I get this question more than you’d think:

Why do I pay for workouts when I could just program my own?

And honestly, I get it. On paper, it probably doesn’t make much sense.

I’ve spent over a decade learning the science behind exercise fitness, designing workouts for clients and for myself. I’ve created countless workout graphics and templates to share here and on social media, and I search the archives to repeat them from time to time.

I know how to build strength programs, how to structure progressive overload, and how to periodize training so you actually see results. I could walk into a gym right now and put together a really solid plan without thinking twice.

And I’ve done that before … for years.

But I’m not in that season right now (and this post is all about why!).

These days, I’m juggling a lot more than just my own training plan. Between motherhood (and lots of solo parenting), content creation, and helping support my husband’s business, I spend most of my days in “decision mode.” I’m constantly planning, organizing, thinking ahead, pivoting and switching gears.

So when it comes time to work out, I really don’t want another thing to figure out.

While I’m very able to lead my workouts on my own (and yes, I still train clients in the city and program those sessions!), I’m in a season of needing to work smarter, not harder for myself.

I don’t want to think or motivate myself during my own workouts – I simply want to show up, press play, and be told what to do for 30–45 minutes. And I’ve realized this is completely normal and okay!

That mental shift alone has changed everything for me, so I hope this message helps you if you’re in a similar spot or feeling overwhelmed by staying on top of workouts and not quite sure what to try next.

Lately, most of my strength training has been at home with dumbbells and a yoga mat with weight sets ranging anywhere from 3-30 pounds. I subscribe to Peloton and have been following programs with their coaches over the past year. We have the original Peloton bike, and I typically complete a 20-45 minute ride about 1-2 times per week.

(I still enjoy long walks and jogs outside, but I wouldn’t say that I *love* running anymore. Because of this, my preferred method of intentional cardio has naturally changed from running to sessions on the bike!)

I regularly checked into a local gym to use the weight machines until about six months ago, but I paused that membership once I realized that I barely wanted to use it. Eventually I found I wasn’t excited to go anymore. Between crowded workout areas and constantly adjusting my plans around equipment availability, my workouts at home became more enjoyable and more realistic for this season of life.

So I decided to put my money elsewhere and haven’t regretted it at all!

While any movement is better than no movement, many of us also want our workouts to produce measurable results. That’s where having some sort of plan in your fitness routine becomes important.

Random workouts feel fun in the moment, but they’re not always the most effective if your goal is real strength that actually builds and progresses over time.

If you want to see maximum results in your workouts, you need more structured programs (ideally progressive overload) – workouts that actually build on each other over time instead of just randomly picking something different every day.

This means that you’ll repeat a series of workouts for no less than 4 weeks, and ideally 6-8 weeks. In a perfect world, you want to repeat the same 2-4 strength workouts every week and tweak the following along the way:

• Increasing weight
• Adding repetitions
• Increasing sets
• Slowing down the tempo
• Reducing rest periods
• Improving movement quality and form

This is exactly how personal trainers program templates specifically catered to YOU, and I was beyond thrilled when I saw that Peloton rolled this type of programming out in 2023. They also offer a series of programs that repeat workouts week after week, and I have tried more than a handful of them, some more than once.

Knowing my habits, I always pick a program that includes 2-3 strength workouts that are 30 minutes or less, and this allows me to show up consistently and include other cardio and low-impact formats along the way, too. It’s my sweet and happy spot.

What actually works is repetition with progression by doing similar movements over a few weeks, gradually increasing weight, improving form, and adding challenge. It really is the foundation of getting stronger.

So when Peloton started offering that in a more intentional way, I was all in on transitioning into a season of letting go of what I thought I “should” be doing and embracing what I actually enjoyed doing. It made me realize I didn’t need a traditional gym membership right now, at least for a little while.

Instead, I focused that energy (and money) into something I’ve really been loving and always show up for: reformer Pilates.

I go twice a week, and it’s become such a nice complement to my strength work. It’s slower, more controlled, and completely different from lifting or cardio. It challenges my core in ways I don’t always get from other workouts, and it feels like a reset for my body and my mind.

It’s not about intensity, it’s about balance.

And that’s really what my routine looks like right now – it’s not perfect, but it features a few structured strength sessions through Peloton each week, some cardio mixed in, two Pilates classes, and at least one or two full rest days. Nothing extreme, nothing overly complicated, just something I can actually stick to!

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That’s the piece I keep coming back to, both as a coach and as a human living in this season of life and motherhood: the best workout plan is always the one you’ll actually follow.

Not the one that looks perfect on paper. Not the one you feel like you “should” be doing. And definitely not the one that requires so much planning that you end up skipping it altogether.

Consistency always wins, and consistency usually comes from enjoyment.

If you hate biking or swimming, you probably don’t need to force yourself into training for a tri-athlon. If you love group fitness, lean into that energy. If home workouts make your life easier, that counts just as much as a gym membership ever could.

There’s no single right way to stay active, and for me right now, it looks like turning my brain off, following a fun and motivating coach, and letting someone else lead the way.

Will this be the answer forever? Probably not. But it’s what I’ve been enjoying and sticking to consistently for over six months, and I don’t see it changing any time soon.

Fitness doesn’t have to look the same in every season of life. Right now, my flexible routine works because it fits my life … not because it’s perfect.

Thanks for reading today, and I hope this helps you try something new and go into your own fitness routine with a more realistic approach!

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What does your fitness routine look like these days?

Are you a fan of group fitness classes or membership subscriptions?

xo, Heather