"​I’ve always enjoyed an active lifestyle, so I was devastated when I injured my back a couple of years ago and was unable to participate in the things I enjoy.

When I was ready to walk into a gym again, I approached Helfi Addiction to discuss membership options. The staff immediately identified my situation and together we created a plan which focussed on building the foundation needed for a successful recovery.

The duty of care exhibited by the staff ensured that my programs and workouts were executed in a safe and effective manner. They have also been very supportive when external influences threatened to derail my recovery.

I was faced with the prospect of undergoing back surgery, which had a profound impact on my motivation and wellbeing. The Helfi team assured me that the work I was doing at the gym will guarantee that the path of surgery will not be necessary. This advice has not only been true, but together with my program it has also given me the confidence to return to the active lifestyle which makes life so enjoyable.
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Helfi Addiction has not only provided the support required to facilitate my recovery, but also the environment. With a friendly and diverse client base, the gym’s vibe is relaxed and comfortable. I’ve always felt welcome here, which was true from the first time I walked through the door. These days I live farther away from the gym, but I continue to choose Helfi because of the support and success I’ve experienced there."

At Helfi Addiction 247 Fitness Gym in Brisbane (Woolloongabba), we ensure our members avoid the crowds while working out.  We have been established for over 10 years, and have a really solid foundation of loyal members that fit in comfortably in our huge 500+ square metre floor space.  Quite simply, we made a management decision from day one that we will never increase our member base just for the sake of cramming in as many bodies as we can - we are about people and community where everyone becomes a friend, not a number.

Even before COVID-19 came around, we were well known for attracting family friendly people into our gym in Brisbane without the large crowd.  Given the size of our floor space, we are fortunate enough to host many workout stations and a large variety of equipment - all 1.5m apart.  What we have done successfully over the last 10 years is that we simply don't allow more people than workout spaces into our gym in Brisbane at anyone time. 

Sadly, the feedback we get from our members who have been to other nearby gyms in Brisbane previously, is that these other gyms may look the part from outside, but they simply do not have a great vibe when you walk in. Its not just the intimidating crammed up equipment or the shady locker rooms that make them feel  uncomfortable; its also the actual way their gym management allow too many people in at one time that makes their workout space uncomfortable, overcrowded and not appealing.  When the issue of wanting to avoid the crowds comes up as a concern, there’s one thing these gym membership salespeople will never admit to - their gym is a practical mosh pit most hours of the day; because all they want to do is sell sell sell more memberships and push their membership base as high as possible.
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The reality for many of these chain style gyms in Brisbane, is that instead of breezing from one piece of equipment to the next, you’ll silently line up behind each piece of equipment and jump on it before others can stake their claim. Sadly, this is the state of many chain franchise gyms in Brisbane around your local area.  Rather than them admitting that you do have an alternative option such as a local independent gym like Helfi without the crowd, they push the focus on trying to make you get used to being forced to endure the crowds, by giving you a few work around suggestions.  Here are the common work around tricks our members have shared with us, based on what their previous gym told them as a way to stop them from cancelling their membership with them due to their concerns:

• Trick 1 - If you can, go during off-peak hours - which obviously means you’ll have to commit to a relatively early or late workout regime. So if getting to the gym as early as 5am or after 8pm suits you, then you might be lucky to only compete with other members doing the same as you are in avoiding the crowds - only to make it crowded again.
• Trick 2 - If you can, train over the weekend - which obviously means you will be faced with the same challenges as in off-peak hours above
• Trick 3 - If you are close enough, they will encourage you to go during your lunch hour - which obviously means you have to be willing to give up most of your lunch break just to fit in a shortened super quick workout instead. The same challenges as above still applies here; you might think the gym may be empty during lunchtime rush, only to find its just as crowded, because others have been told come during lunch hour just like they did to you
• Trick 4 - Before you make your way to the gym, call up the gym and ask about the crowds before coming in - which obviously means you are relying on the staff being present and the crowds not arriving between the time you called the gym and travel time to get to it.  Of course, there are several other things to consider too, given that you may only have up to an hour to cram your workout in - for example, condensing your routine, mapping out the distance from your place to the gym, and any time spent changing into gym gear then showering and changing back into work wear.  If the planets all align well for you, by all means.  Good Luck! 
• Trick 5 - If you want to guarantee you’ll get a workout in, they encourage you to sign up for a group class - which again, this is essentially forcing you to opt to a group of people that may not align with you.  If small talk isn’t your thing, you might resent this option being forced to endure a little group socialisation of differing "full-on" personalities just to get access to a workout space.  It hardly seems right.  The other challenge you will face is that group classes will not give you access to all the pieces of equipment and cardio machines you desire.  So before you get cornered, make sure you are not signing up to something that is simply not suitable for you. 
• Trick 6 - How about not going at the start of the hour to avoid the rushes in and out by members and personal trainers? We find this one amusing, because if the chain gyms in Brisbane are suggesting for you to resort to this strategy to avoid the crowd, then you really need to ask yourself if this this the best place for you.

As you can see, we find it quite unsettling that our members had to be exposed to these type of unrealistic temptations as means for the chain gyms in Brisbane to trick them into sticking with them just to avoid a crowd for a workout.  No matter what the suggestion is, crowded gyms will always be crowded, and if you want to avoid them because you deserve some alone time, then look past their trickery and find a gym such as Helfi that is the exception, instead of limiting your options.

Lastly when you visit our gym for a tour, we are more that happy for you to make the visit during peak hours, or at a time that you would potentially workout, so you can get a better sense of vibe.  We like to be transparent and that's because we have nothing to hide - we are about Real People with Rea, Stories.

P.S. Here's one last tip on how to avoid an overcrowded gym in Brisbane - always try to avoid gyms which hold constant promotions and plenty of free passes to entice new members.  This typically means they have limited regard to existing members by liberally allowing non committed members unrestricted access so their gym won’t ever really empty out while there’s an influx of new people every day.  This is not the Helfi Way!