As a fitness writer who has never spent more than £35 on a membership (and I even thought that was pretty steep), I am here to defend the budget gym. In my experience, they are the most accessible spaces – and I’m not just talking about the price.

I confess to finding fancy gyms intimidating, often drenched in a sense of elitism that makes me feel as though I don’t belong there. Maybe that’s because the people have all the designer activewear that they can afford alongside expensive memberships. Or because everyone in there has perfect technique while performing their impressively heavy lifts thanks to expert training programmes that I could never afford. Sometimes, the classes are designed with big, noticeable results in mind (I mean, wouldn’t you want to look and feel fitter if you spent three figures on a membership?) so they’re really bloody hard.

That anxiety is very much a ‘me’ thing – I’m sure in reality all the members are perfectly lovely. But I’m not alone in this inferiority complex that comes with not being rich.

In defence of budget gyms: “Why I’ve never spent more than £35 on a gym membership”