Ways to Save at the Gym

To help you get the best health, fitness, and beauty buys possible, we've come up with 25 smart cost-trimming tricks, like how to get a professional haircut for practically pennies, whip up a healthy five-star meal for less than $10, or slice your gym membership fee in half (without having to put the moves on your personal trainer). Here's how to save at the gym:

Train in twos

Personal-training sessions can set you back anywhere from $500 to $1,000 or more, depending on the gym. "But signing up with a friend to share a trainer can slash the cost by more than 50 percent," says William Coker, regional director of personal training for Crunch. Plus, you'll be extra motivated to gut out those last few biceps curls when you see your friend powering through them next to you.

Working out with a partner is a great way to stay motivated. Try these 20 other stick-to-your-workout tricks.

Shop around

Stock up on free weekly passes from different gyms and switch your workout location each week. A month's worth of free workouts can save you up to $100. You'll eventually have to commit, but this buys you time to try out each gym and make a smart choice.

Hey, Y not?

If you think of the YMCA as old-school, you ought to check it out. Most of today's Y's offer the stuff you love, like yoga, Pilates, even belly dancing, as well as fully stocked gyms for a lot less than you'd pay at a chain fitness center. The YMCA in Boston, for example, offers gym memberships based on income. "Our fee is $57.50 per month," says membership manager April Andrew. "But if you have a limited income, we can knock it down to $28.75 a month."

Don't waste that gym membership. Follow these 8 reasons to hit the gym.

Don't write off hoity-toity health clubs

In this economy, they have to offer tempting deals to lure people in the door. (Case in point: Aspen East, a privately owned gym in Montclair, N.J., has a three-month introductory offer of $90.) What's more, some privately owned gyms are willing to negotiate. Haggling can't hurt, especially when it could mean enjoying DVDs on your treadmill and wiping your brow with an organic cotton towel.

Search for perks

Like scoring a good body, scoring a good deal takes legwork. Start by seeing if any of the clubs or organizations you belong to have relationships with gyms. We found a two-year membership to the national chain 24 Hour Fitness for about $300 on costco.com. And that AAA membership Aunt Wendy gave you for your birthday? Thank her. We found a AAA member deal to Full Cycle Fitness in Tucker, Georgia, including 15 percent off regular client fees and $25 off the registration fee.

Can't afford a personal trainer? Download your workouts and take them on the go.

Cram in the crunches

Spy on a trainer giving a session at any gym and you're bound to see plenty of chatting and ample water breaks. Not on your watch (or wallet)? Ask your gym if they book 30-minute training sessions. (Equinox Fitness, which is in eight states and Washington, D.C., offers this option.) "Not only do mini workouts cut the price in half," Coker says, "they're also more efficient." Leaving no time to rest keeps your heart rate elevated, so you burn more calories. (Think of it as free cardio.)

Does your gym have lower rates for off-peak hours? Try working out early in the morning or at lunch with these time-saving, fat-blasting 20-minute workouts here.

Get rewarded for all your hard work

Look for discounts based on how much you work out—so the more you train, the more you save. Town Sports International (a chain of fitness centers in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia) runs a promotion called Train and Save, which adds up your workouts with a trainer and turns that number into a percentage discount on your next package. So 15 sessions means 15 percent off when you re-up.