How to Choose a Gym in DHA Phase 5, Lahore: A 7-Point Checklist

To choose a gym in DHA Phase 5, Lahore, check seven things before you pay: the full first-month cost including registration, the opening hours against your routine, the equipment you will actually use, the coaches’ certifications, how ladies-only hours work, how long it takes you to get there, and whether you can try it for a day first.

We run Fitnation Gym at 147 CCA, Sector C, DHA Phase 5, so we have used our own numbers as the worked example below. The checklist works the same way for any gym you are comparing, and it is worth asking every gym on your list the same questions.

1. What will the first month really cost?

The monthly fee is only part of the price. Many gyms in Lahore also charge a one-time registration fee, and that is what makes the first payment much bigger than the number on the poster. Ask for the full price in writing: membership, registration, and anything charged on top, such as personal training or a diet plan.

At Fitnation Gym, DHA Phase 5, every membership carries a one-time PKR 6,000 registration fee. This is what each plan costs:

Plan	Price	Works out to	First payment with registration
1 month	PKR 11,000	PKR 11,000 a month	PKR 17,000
3 months	PKR 30,000	PKR 10,000 a month	PKR 36,000
6 months	PKR 55,000	about PKR 9,167 a month	PKR 61,000

If you know you will stick with it, a longer plan costs less per month: the 3-month plan saves PKR 3,000 and the 6-month plan saves PKR 11,000 compared with paying monthly. The 3-month plan is the one most of our members choose. Every price, including personal training and the women’s group class, is on our membership prices page.

2. Is the gym open when you can actually train?

A gym is only useful during the hours you are free. Write down when you will realistically train, on weekdays and at the weekend, and compare it with each gym’s timings, not just the opening and closing time.

Fitnation Gym is open Monday to Saturday from 7 AM to 11 PM and is closed on Sunday. If Sunday is the only day you can train, we are not the right gym for you, and it is better to know that before you pay.

Also check for reserved hours. Our ladies-only hours run Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM, so male members train from 7 AM to 9 AM or from 2 PM to 11 PM. The full schedule is on our gym timings page.

3. Does it have the equipment you will use?

Ignore phrases like “world-class equipment” and look for the specific things your training needs. If you lift, that means squat racks, a proper deadlift platform and enough free weights. If you are starting out, it means well-maintained machines and someone to show you how they work.

Fitnation Gym has squat racks, deadlift platforms with calibrated plates, a Yanre machine floor, a cable crossover, plate-loaded machines, free weights, and cardio machines (treadmills, ellipticals and bikes). The whole gym is air-conditioned, which matters in a Lahore summer.

It is just as useful to know what a gym does not have. Fitnation Gym has no sauna or pool, and we do not run group CrossFit, spin or HIIT classes. HIIT and functional training are available one-to-one through personal training with Coach Silvia Shoukat.

Best test: visit at the time you would normally train and see whether you would be waiting for a rack or a bench.

4. Who are the coaches, and what are they certified in?

“Certified trainer” can mean almost anything. Ask for the name of each certificate, the level, and how many years the coach has been training people. A good gym will tell you without hesitation.

These are the coaches at Fitnation Gym, DHA Phase 5:

• Abdul Rehman, Senior Coach: 14+ years of experience. Active IQ Level 3 Personal Training, Level 4 Diploma in Diet and Nutrition, and QLS Level 5 in Sports Injury Rehabilitation.
• Toqeer Khan, Coach: 7 years of experience. PSCA Strength and Conditioning Level III, REPS UAE Level II and PBBF Level III.
• Silvia Shoukat, Female Coach: IFA Certified Fitness Trainer (Level II), TRX Suspension Training certified, and DNA-Based Training Workshop certified.

Also ask how personal training is billed. At Fitnation Gym it is billed monthly on top of your membership (PKR 15,000 a month for Personal Training, PKR 20,000 for Senior Personal Training), and your coach sets the number and schedule of sessions with you directly. Read more about each coach on our coaches page.

5. If you are a woman, what does “ladies-only” really mean?

“Ladies timing” is used loosely in Lahore. Before you join, ask exactly who can be on the floor during those hours, including staff.

At Fitnation Gym, both floors are reserved for women Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM, and male members do not train during these hours. Male coaching staff are present for personal training sessions, and the reception desk is staffed by a female receptionist.

We also run a women’s group class with Coach Silvia Shoukat, Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 11 AM. It costs PKR 13,000 a month with full gym access included, plus the PKR 6,000 registration fee. Details are on the women’s group class page.

6. How long will it take you to get there?

The best gym is one you will keep going to, and travel time is the first thing that stops people. Time the drive at the hour you would actually go, not on a quiet afternoon.

Fitnation Gym is at 147 CCA, Sector C, DHA Phase 5, above the Bank Alfalah Islamic Penta Square branch and beside Imlaak, about two minutes from Khayaban-e-Jinnah. The entrance is on the ground floor and there is lift access. Directions and a map are on our contact page.

7. Can you try it before you pay the registration fee?

A single session tells you more than any brochure: how crowded it is, how clean it is, whether the coaches actually walk the floor, and whether you feel comfortable there.

At Fitnation Gym a 1-day pass costs PKR 1,000. If you want a starting point to measure your progress against, a body composition test costs PKR 500.

The checklist in short

1. Get the full first-month price in writing, including registration.
2. Match the opening hours, and any reserved hours, to your routine.
3. Check for the specific equipment you use, and ask what the gym does not offer.
4. Ask for each coach’s certificates, levels and years of experience.
5. If it matters to you, ask exactly how ladies-only hours work.
6. Time the journey at the hour you would really go.
7. Try a day pass before you pay the registration fee.

Have a question about Fitnation Gym that this doesn’t answer? Message us on WhatsApp at +92 333 1111951, or come in Monday to Saturday between 7 AM and 11 PM.