Definitely, and actually you would be surprised. A lot of places introduced no-contract memberships after covid. Lots of places went out of business too, then all that equipment went up for sale for cheap and lots of new places ended up opening.

But the main thing to look for is small, privately owned gyms. I can really only speak to my area, but I have several. The most common arrangement is simply that you pay monthly, can cancel any time you want, but every time you sign up again there’s a sign-up fee. One other place I know simply charges an extra $10 per month for a no-commitment membership.

Keep an eye out, again for smaller privately owned commercial gyms in general, but also for specialized gyms such as those that cater to powerlifting, olympic lifting, or strongman. Usually they are lacking in “amenities” that drive the price up, and are less likely to have predatory subscription schemes in general. The only downside is that these places can seem very intimidating at first, but the community is likely to be very welcoming

If you have a community center nearby, you can see if they have gym equipment. Those memberships should be simple to get and cancel.

Honestly I would say consistency is somewhat overrated in the grand scheme of things

ALERT. ALERT. OVERRATED DOES NOT MEAN BAD

Consistency is obviously extremely good. I used to preach it. But honestly, I took on a client with severe intermittent health issues which results in them having about 50% adherence (meaning they miss, on average, about half their training sessions)

And they ended up progressing just fine lol

Actually I feel like a far bigger risk is for people to assume they need to have perfect consistency, then drop training altogether when they aren’t able to meet that high standard.

The critical thing to understand is that resistance training is EXTREMELY potent for beginners. Even inconsistent effort will do pretty amazing things for your health

Resistance training is not bodybuilding

Correct. Bodybuilding is a presentation sport with a variety of rulesets and judging criteria. Resistance training is a form of exercise with many proven physical and mental benefits

Most athletic people I've seen (especially runners) often look like they have no muscle

Usain Bolt was phenomenally muscular when he was competing, as are most sprinters. Many recognized Olympic sports reward larger physiques

Biceps have nothing to do with longevity.

You have my permission to skip direct bicep training.

Just make sure, assuming you want the full spectrum of proven benefits, that you hit your pulls (such as rows and pull ups, or appropriately scaled variations). This will heavily involve your biceps just so you know, but the main focus is the back.

In fact, extra weight is extra load on heart.

Dangerous medical misinformation, you should delete this. Resistance training has proven cardiac benefits. There is zero risk of acquiring “too much” muscle mass

Bodybuilding is a form of resistance training. And there are multiple forms of bodybuilding, some healthy and some significantly less so. The above trainer seems to be talking about a sort of general fitness and casual bodybuilding that is indeed good for health and longevity.

Running is great, in moderation. But having reasonable amounts of muscle mass is also great. Most people are going to have better health outcomes looking like Brad Pitt in Fight Club rather than Edward Norton

Who mentioned bodybuilding? Did you mean to respond to someone else?