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Inside the World’s Most Expensive Gym: NYC’s $10,000-a-Month Continuum — Luxury Fitness or the Future of Human Performance?

Walk through the brass doors of a landmark building in the West Village and you don’t step into a gym—you step into a thesis about human performance. Continuum calls itself a precision wellness club, and the pitch is audacious: unify training, recovery, and biological data into one adaptive system, then wrap it in velvet-rope exclusivity. Membership is capped at roughly 250 people, it sits inside the historic Federal Archive building on Greenwich Street, and multiple reports peg the price around $10,000 per month (with a reported initiation fee)—putting it in the running for the most expensive gym membership on earth.  From the minute you’re onboarded, the vibe is less “pick a locker, hit the tread” and more “check into a lab.” New members go through deep testing: aerobic thresholds, sleep and recovery metrics, body composition, and other biomarkers that feed a software layer Continuum says uses AI to build a living profile of how you should train and recover each day. (Staff eve...
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Filming in the Gym: Motivation, Madness, or Modern Discipline?

Let’s be honest — walk into any gym today and you’ll probably see at least one person setting up their phone, checking the lighting, and hitting record before a single rep is done. Some love it. Some hate it. But one thing’s for sure — recording yourself in the gym has become part of the modern fitness culture, whether we like it or not.

As someone who lives and breathes training, I’ve seen both sides up close. I get why people record. I also understand why it annoys others. The debate runs deep — so let’s break it down.

🎥 The Case FOR Recording: Tracking Progress & Building Confidence

For many, the camera isn’t about showing off — it’s a mirror that tells the truth. You can convince yourself that your form is perfect, that your squat depth is solid, or that your bicep curls are smooth, but video doesn’t lie. Recording allows lifters to see mistakes they can’t feel.

It’s feedback on demand. Athletes have been doing this for decades — analysing footage to improve movement, power, and performance. The only difference is that today, everyone has access to that same tool in their pocket.

Then there’s motivation. When you can look back and see your progress, it fuels consistency. You start realising that every drop of sweat adds up. You watch your own growth story unfold — and that can be incredibly addictive in the best possible way.

And let’s not pretend social media isn’t part of this. For a lot of people, posting clips online keeps them accountable. You build a following, people cheer you on, and suddenly you’re training not just for yourself but for the community that’s watching. For some, that’s the spark they need to show up every day.



🤨 The Case AGAINST Recording: Distraction & Performance Theatre

But there’s another side — the one we all see too often. The camera isn’t just watching form anymore; it’s watching performance.

Instead of focusing on the lift, people start thinking about angles, filters, and views. The session stops being about strength and starts being about show. And when that happens, the gym becomes less of a temple and more of a stage.

I’ve seen people block equipment just to get their tripod in the right spot, or redo a set not because they failed the rep — but because they didn’t like how it looked. Somewhere in the middle of all this, the raw passion for training gets lost.

The gym is supposed to be a place where people disconnect — not perform. Some old-school lifters even say cameras ruin the sacred focus that’s built under the bar. They believe you should be too busy grinding to even think about pressing record.

And they have a point. There’s something deeply personal about lifting — about fighting the weight in silence, with no one watching. That solitude can be powerful.

⚖️ Where I Stand: The Balance Between Purpose and Ego

Here’s my take — recording isn’t the problem. It’s the intention behind it that matters.

If you’re recording to learn, grow, and track progress — that’s discipline. You’re using modern tools to sharpen your edge. You’re holding yourself accountable. That’s not vanity — that’s progress.

But if you’re recording just for validation — if every workout becomes a content opportunity — then maybe it’s time to ask what you’re really chasing. Because the best moments in the gym aren’t always caught on camera. They’re the ones that happen when no one’s watching — the quiet PRs, the gritty sets, the internal battles you win without posting a thing.

Filming can build confidence, or it can build ego. The difference lies in how honest you are with yourself.

🔥 The Bigger Picture: The New Era of Gym Culture

We’re living in a time where content creation and fitness collide. Gyms are now digital stages where effort meets exposure. Some hate it — others thrive in it. But one thing is undeniable: it’s changing how people train.

Maybe that’s not entirely bad. Cameras have pushed people to perfect form, stay consistent, and build communities. But they’ve also invited pressure, judgement, and comparison.

The real challenge now is to train for yourself first — and record second. When the camera becomes your coach, not your critic, you’ll find balance.

At the end of the day, training has always been personal. Cameras come and go, trends shift, and social media will always find a new obsession — but the feeling of walking out of the gym knowing you gave everything never changes. That’s the real reward. Whether someone records it or not doesn’t matter half as much as the effort that went into it. If you’re there to better yourself, you’re already ahead of most people scrolling through highlight reels pretending to do the same. Keep your focus on the grind, respect the space, and remember that no lens can ever capture what true discipline feels like.

— John Levesley, PrimeBulk

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