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Our Guide to Gyms in Missoula

YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MISSOULA FITNESS

Article by City Lifestyle

Photography by Stock Images

A good way to start down the path of a healthier lifestyle is to find a place that helps you meet your fitness goals and keeps you inspired to stay on course. There are a number of choices of gyms in Missoula that will help you do just that. 

The options range from more traditional fitness centers/gyms like Bullet Gym that provide weights and cardio equipment to get in shape to the more specialized facilities that focus on different physical activities like boxing, CrossFit or rock climbing. 

Before deciding on a gym membership, define your fitness goals and identify what type of activities interest you.

Are you looking for a family-friendly gym or would you like a fitness center that offers athletic activities that brings you together with others who enjoy healthy competition?

It might also help to understand what time works best during the day for your workout. If right before or after work is preferred, you may want to choose a gym near the office. If you have a long commute to work, a gym near your home might make more sense if you like the convenience of a workout on the weekend.

Fitness Options in Gyms in Missoula

With nearly 20 gyms in Missoula, you can easily find the perfect place to help get back into shape or to maintain that healthy lifestyle you've already started.

Many of the facilities like Schreiber Gym offer the typical fitness equipment used for cardiovascular health, like treadmills, stationary bikes and elliptical. You can also find free weights, dumbbells and other equipment to help with strengthening and sculpting that perfect tone you're looking for from a workout.

Some of these facilities like Peak Gym also offer fitness classes and specialized instruction that can help you take your workout to the next level, including activities like yoga and nutrition instruction. There are also other options to consider if you're serious about changing your unhealthy behavior, like a personal trainer or life coach who can tailor a safe and healthy routine that works best for you.

Some of Missoula's gyms also offer more than just the expected workout options. If you're looking for a different challenge, consider those facilities that offer activities like climbing, CrossFit and athletic courts for other ways to stay in shape. 

Strengthen Your Legs: Climbing Gyms

An exercise routine that can help build stamina and strength is climbing a wall or simulated rocks at a climbing gym in Missoula. This fitness concept is growing fast, part of a larger workout trend nationally that is gaining in popularity.

A bouldering gym offers a different type of workout that allows members to safely test their physical abilities by climbing. With members tethered safely so they don't injure themselves, a rock climbing gym helps keep the challenge of a great workout interesting and fresh.

With help from instructors, the climbing gym in Missoula is an option for beginners and experienced athletes.

Intensity and Calorie Burn with Crossfit Gyms

Another alternative to more traditional workouts with free weights and equipment are CrossFit gyms around the city. While most of these gyms also offer members access to workout equipment and weights, the CrossFit experience is designed to blend cardio and strength conditioning in a series of physical exercises that push members' limits. Most of the exercises are designed for group participation, although some can be done solo.

Many people turn to CrossFit because of the variety it brings to an otherwise predictable workout routine. The classes can replace the more traditional exercises or they can be added to the mix of a fitness routine during the week.

There are other activities you can look for in a gym that go beyond the traditional workout. Consider those locations that also have athletic courts for sports like basketball, racquetball and squash.

The games are a fun way to enhance your gym experience and can help you meet others with similar workout interests who may need a partner for competition.

Several fitness centers also offer features like a swimming pool or a track for running if you're tired of the treadmill grind. There are also options for childcare for parents who may want to bring their children along for the workout, and some gyms even offer children's programs that help introduce the good habit of physical exercise at an early age. 

The choices for gyms in Missoula include national franchise facilities and those opened by locals who want to offer something different in the fitness business. It's a good idea to visit a location before committing to a gym membership.

Many fitness centers will offer a trial period at no charge or a reduced feel to allow you to get a sense of everything offered. But whatever you decide works best for you when it comes to working out, make sure you stick with it and stay motivated to maintain that new health lifestyle.