Gym dilemma

I have quit my gym (With a great struggle, never join fitness first!) and looked into every other gym local and amazed at what i see really.
Whenever you see gyms in America or elsewhere you see big sprawling places with ample equipment, 5 flat benches with racks, 4 squat racks, countless dumbbells with 10+ adjustable bences, etc.
Here in the UK (West Midlands at least) we enjoy cramped gyms with only one of each piece of equipment.
 
Waiting to use things: I have no choice but to go at peak times (6pm onwards) and sick to the back teeth of waiting in a queue of 5 people for 25 minutes to use something. Turning workouts that were 40 minutes (When i was unemployed and i could go any time of day) into 2 and a half hour cortisol filled annoyance fests..... and this was at the biggest gym round here, looked at a load of local smaller gyms but they are all lacking in equipment as well. I made sure i visited them at peak times to confirm what i thought, yep packed to the roof, 10 guys standing round the only flat bench with rack in the place, 4 round the incline, 5 teens curling in the only squat rack, etc.
 
Any entrepreneurs/franchisees out there open a gym in the west midlands, you will make a killing!
Is it this bad in other parts of the country?
 
So the other option is a home gym, it would be ideal and could buy a power rack, adjustable bench, olympic barbell and dumbbells with enough weight to last me a lifetime.
Only problem is my ceiling isn't high enough.....im 6'5 and enjoy my power cleans
Also not a good idea in a 2nd floor room....don't fancy killing the person below if i drop something!
 
So i'm stuck, anyone had this dilemma before?
 
 

Where abouts in the West Midlands are you?  There's a great Powerlifting and Strongman gym in Sheldon, Birmingham.  No contracts to tie you in.

I don't think you have looked very hard. The west Midlands is a massive area. On my one prior visit to Birmingham for example when I stayed on the main street there where al the night life is (can't remember the street name) I walked into Banatynes fitness I think at 5pm and found it was fine, I could have also gone too Virgin Active further done the road or Dorian Yates gym in the town centre I think. I found that out from 5 mins on google! Surely it would be the same in Wolverhampton or West Bromich for example?

Yep, sounds like you stayed on Broad Street.  Birmingham has got loads of decent gyms.

I agree, may need to look a little harder/travel further..

Near Walsall, going into Birmingham is too far (13 mile away), although i'm sure the gyms are much better there the rush hour traffic in and out of the center would not be worth it either.
When i used to work near Broad Street (the one you were thinking of) it took me 2 hours get home a lot of the time.
 
I probably shouldn't have said west midlands really as anywhere outside a certain radius is pointless.
 
I'll keep looking anyway for now, know any good directories for things like this? Yell.com and google seem limited.
 
Thanks fellas
 

In my experience if you compare any bog standard British gym against the likes of an American one you are going to have serious problems.  The real estate cost/business rates in the UK are what tends to make a big gym over here too expensive to run. 
 
I would suggest make a list of what the basics are you expect from a gym and stick to them - its pointless saying the dumbbells don't go up to 60K (I see this all the time, even on here) yet the perso in question cant even shift the 30s.  Stay within your range and as you progress and outgrow the gym, then move, that is the sensible thing to do and I am sure you will find an excellent gym for your needs in your area.  Even a contract one for a year would give you time to find your feet before you move on. 
 
Good luck, I only wish I had a choice.

In my experience if you compare any bog standard British gym against the likes of an American one you are going to have serious problems.  The real estate cost/business rates in the UK are what tends to make a big gym over here too expensive to run.

 
Yea which is a shame really, this health and fitness drive in recent years has pushed more and more people into the gyms but there has only been 1 gym open up locally ever since i've lived here (all my life). As a result they are strained well over capacity, the fitness first i was going to you couldn't actually park anywhere remotly near it. The car park was full, the surrounding streets were also full, reminded me of a football match day.
 
Low waiting time is my only need really aside from the standard free weight equipment, not even fussed if it's a run down old boxing gym as long as i'm not standing around waiting an age for my turn to use something.
I mean i don't mind waiting for a one or two guys to finish their sets, even if they have just started, that's no problem at all i don't expect to hop from one thing to the next but when i'm 7th in the queue that's just silly.

Many reasons for new gyms not popping up. 
 
D2 leisure consent for 1, banks not lending, those with funds to invest see it as a poor investment (it is!!), lack of suitable premises, geography of competitors, budget chains springing up everywhere. 
 
Just to name a few!!
 

There is a worlds gym in queen street & I think it's 24 hour . I'm from the area myself & there are loads of good little gyms around .

Looks good on the pics anyway, will check it out tonight see what it's like, thanks!

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In my experience if you compare any bog standard British gym against the likes of an American one you are going to have serious problems.  The real estate cost/business rates in the UK are what tends to make a big gym over here too expensive to run.

Yea which is a shame really, this health and fitness drive in recent years has pushed more and more people into the gyms but there has only been 1 gym open up locally ever since i've lived here (all my life). As a result they are strained well over capacity, the fitness first i was going to you couldn't actually park anywhere remotly near it. The car park was full, the surrounding streets were also full, reminded me of a football match day.

Low waiting time is my only need really aside from the standard free weight equipment, not even fussed if it's a run down old boxing gym as long as i'm not standing around waiting an age for my turn to use something.
I mean i don't mind waiting for a one or two guys to finish their sets, even if they have just started, that's no problem at all i don't expect to hop from one thing to the next but when i'm 7th in the queue that's just silly.

 
You have lived in Walsall all your life and never saw/found World's Gym... It looks MASSIVE with great equipment:

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Very nice looks a bit "American" to me actually.

Dav


Very nice looks a bit "American" to me actually.

 
Yep, but their are no gyms in Walsall remember

Worlds gym is not local it's the other side of Walsall, being patronising helps nobody.

Sorry your right, I should have understood you wanted a 30,000 sqft US open plan gym in the street you live... My Bad..

Not been to Walsall but surely if its not the other side the M6 it would be worth a little trip, if you can get on the equipment when you want to extra time spent getting there would be compensated for by the time you save working out.
 
I was happy to commute from Essex to London or drive to Harlow when I was in serious training for the pleasure of a good gym.

Bently bridge pure gym ( from 5pm till 10pm, you wont get in the weights section though) or the Swimming/fitness centre over the road any closer?
Worlds Gym looks wicked !