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This Is the Worst Gym in America

Gym members say this fitness chain fails to get results.

Woman in exercise clothes giving a thumbs down
Shutterstock

If you're like many Americans, you may have vowed to get healthier in 2021. After all, 26 percent of people who make New Year's resolutions include exercise at the top of their list, according to a survey on 2021 resolutions from Offers.comNot to mention that, according to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association, 12 percent of new gym memberships for the entire year are activated in the first two weeks in January. And while the pandemic has certainly impacted the amount of people who are signing up right now, Best Life set out to find which gyms are worth the effort and which you should stay away from, counting down to the worst gym chain in America.


To determine the worst of the worst, we looked at 20 of the biggest gym chains and fitness centers in the U.S. to see how they stacked up against each other. To start, we consulted the Better Business Bureau to see what grade each gym was given (we assigned a numeric value to the letter grades), as well as how many stars they got based on customer reviews. Next, we gathered the customer service rating for each gym from Comparably, a site focused on workplace transparency and accurate brand assessments. Finally, we incorporated the average number of stars given to each brand based on consumer reviews published on the widely used platform Trustpilot.

After gathering all the data, we gave each of these four metrics* a weighted value before running them through our exclusive algorithm to see which fitness brand scored highest on our 100-point scale Failed Fitness Index. Read on to discover the worst gym in America and see where your favorite fitness destination landed in the mix. And while we are on the subject of bad brands, This Is the Most Hated Restaurant Chain in America.

*In several instances, certain data was not available for some brands, which we indicated with "N/A". This was accounted for in the algorithm to ensure accuracy in each brand's score.

Read the original article on Best Life.

20 | SoulCycle

exterior of a soulcycleShutterstock

Better Business Bureau grade: A+

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: N/A

Comparably consumer review stars: 4.7 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A

Failed Fitness Index Score: 0.00

And to learn more about another business consumers aren't happy with, This Store Has the Worst Customer Service in America.

19 | Snap Fitness

Snap Fitness exteriordigitalreflections / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: A+

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 2 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 4 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 3.2 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 13.99

18 | Wellbridge Athletic Clubs

iStock

Better Business Bureau grade: A+

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars:1 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: N/A

Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A

Failed Fitness Index Score: 37.5 

17 | Lifetime Fitness

Lifetime Fitness exteriorEric Glenn / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: A+

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.32 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: N/A

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.8 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 38.46

16 | Curves

Curves gym exteriorMartha Almeyda / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: A+

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 4.7 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 3.7 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 42.13

15 | World Gym

World Gym exteriorAlamy

Better Business Bureau grade: B-

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: N/A

Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A

Failed Fitness Index Score: 52.08

14 | Lucille Roberts

Lucille Roberts exteriorlev radin / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: F

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.5 out 5

Comparably consumer review stars: N/A

Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A

Failed Fitness Index Score: 56.25

13 | Orange Theory

Orange Theory fitness exteriorBrandonKleinPhoto / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: D-

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.41 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 3.9 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A

Failed Fitness Index Score: 58.78

12 | XSport Fitness

white woman and white man giving each other a high five by the weights at the gymiStock

Better Business Bureau grade: A+

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 1.5 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A

Failed Fitness Index Score: 59.12

And for the place where shady business is the name of the game, This Is the Most Corrupt State in America.

11 | Anytime Fitness

Anytime fitness location exteriormelissamn / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: A-

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 3.6 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.6 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 66.00

10 | 24 Hour Fitness

24 hour fitness gym exterior and signShutterstock/Philip Arno Photography

Better Business Bureau grade: A+

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.17 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 2 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.3 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 66.96

9 | LA Fitness

LA Fitness exteriorEric Glenn / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: A+

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.13 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 2 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.1 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 70.31

8 | Gold's Gym

Legendary Gold's Gym, Venice, California, USAiStock

Better Business Bureau grade: F

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.67 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 2.7 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 3.3 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 71.72

7 | Vasa Fitness

woman with her gym membership, over 50 fitnessShutterstock

Better Business Bureau grade: B-

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: N/A

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 1.5 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 77.08

6 | Town Sports International*

New York Sports ClubRoman Tiraspolsky / Shutterstock.com

*Owner of New York Sports Club, Boston Sports Club, Philadelphia Sports Club, and Washington Sports Club

Better Business Bureau grade: F

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.03 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 4 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A

Failed Fitness Index Score: 78.60

5 | Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness exteriorKen Wolter / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: F

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.06 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 3.7 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 4.2 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 79.51

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4 | Crunch Fitness

Crunch fitness exteriorRaymond C. Eichelberger / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: B-

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.1 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 2.1 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 2.1 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 85.35

3 | YouFit Health Clubs

YouFit exteriorFelix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: F

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1.2 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 1.5 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A

Failed Fitness Index Score: 89.12

2 | Equinox

Equinox fitness club exteriorMichael Vi / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: F

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 3.7 out of 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: 3.2 out of 5

Failed Fitness Index Score: 91.02

1 | Retro Fitness

Retro Fitness gym exteriorRosemarie Mosteller / Shutterstock.com

Better Business Bureau grade: F

Better Business Bureau consumer review stars: 1 out of 5

Comparably consumer review stars: 1 out 5

Trustpilot consumer reviews: N/A

Failed Fitness Index Score: 100.00

And for the place where people are all about themselves, check out This Is the Most Selfish State in America.