By The Bold Italic
Most new apps offer an amazing eye workout, in that they make me roll mine so hard they need tiny protein shakes. In my eyes (now with six packs), there are maybe a dozen actually useful apps out there, and anything beyond that is just trying to take whatever models those use and apply them to “problems” we never knew existed. It’s like Airbnb, but for backpacks!
But then, maybe once a year, a new app will come out that’s actually a good idea in real life and just so happens to work best via your phone. And yeah, this is a sponsored post, but if you exercise, wish exercising was easier in this city, or travel a lot, I really, truly think that Gymsurfing is one of those rare, actually awesome apps that makes things, or at least going to the gym, way better.
If you’re a person who really likes wrapping your head around new apps via the “It’s like ____ but for ____” trope, I guess you could say that Gymsurfing is kind of like Hotel Tonight but for gyms. It’s a free app that pulls up a list of gyms (organized by distance from you) and indicates how much a day pass will cost (most are $5, with some fancy options ranging from $9 to $20). You click on the photo, check out the amenities, and then click to purchase a day pass through the app. You can purchase passes as many days in a row as you want and as often as you want, and can go to the same gym as many times as you want. WHATEVER YOU WANT!
Do you get what this means? Whether you’re traveling to a city (where Airbnbs don’t have their own gyms, and hotel gyms are usually the saddest, most poorly lit spaces on Earth) or just want to open up your options in SF, you can just walk right in, flash your phone, and start feeling the burn immediately, bypassing the 25-minute spiel/tour that typically accompanies a one-time free trial of a gym.
This is cool for a lot of reasons.
1. My gym is by my work, but my roommate goes to the gym by our apartment, and I’ve always wanted to be able to go there with him so he can detail all the many ways I’m doing squats wrong. And besides getting squat-scolded, I’d love to just be able to wake up on a Saturday and go to the gym that’s three blocks away from my house instead of re-creating my work commute in order to work out.
2. If you’d like to join a gym but have a hard time committing to one, you can try as many different gyms as you’d like, as many times as you’d like — easy as gym-pie — before you decide. Then, if you find a gym that works well for your everyday life, you can branch out and hit up other gyms, wherever you are in the city. (Anywhere you are in SF will have a gym listed on Gymsurfing that is less than a mile away.)
3. Maybe your gym is on the simpler side, and maybe you woke up super-hungover and just want to spend a day sweating gin and tonics out of your face in a sauna. Or maybe you’re a water sign who really loves swimming, but your gym’s lack of a pool has you riddled with a dark, paralyzing gym envy. You can “cheat” on your gym anytime the exercise spirit moves you. Life is now filled to the brim with quick, close, and cheap options for working out.
4. If you’ve got friends coming to visit for Pride (or any other costumed/nudity-encouraged SF event), you’re going to be hitting up at least half a dozen of SF’s best restaurants/eating your annual clam chowder in a bread bowl. It’s really easy to skip out on your gym routine when you have friends visiting, and it’s difficult to get a solid workout in when you’re paranoid that they’re rummaging through all your drawers after you left them alone in order to exercise. With Gymsurfing they can easily get a pass and go with you. Gym bonding!
5. While there are the most gym listings here in SF, Gymsurfing also exists in cities like LA, NYC, Miami, Boston, and many more. So if you travel a lot, you can easily hit up a real gym instead of trying to figure out the best way to use the sad, incomplete free-weight set at the hotel “fitness center.”
I know a lot of apps SAY they’re “revolutionizing” X, but I really think this could change how we all work out. Really. It’s awesome and almost seems too good to be true. But rest assured, it IS true. Download Gymsurfing (Apple users download here, Android users, visit Gymsurfing.com and click “find a gym”) and try it for free using the promo code “BOLD” for a $5 credit.
What is a sponsored story? Click here to learn more about The Bold Italic’s sponsored content.
