Okay, I think I'm ready to sign up at a gym to get some cardiovascular stuff going on. I went to 24 Hour Fitness at Potrero Center in SF and turned around and walked out when they guy wanted my name, address, and phone before even talking to me. Another salesman chased after me and convinced me to come back in and look around. He gave me a bunch of prices, and when I told him that I never make a decision of this kind without waiting at least 48 hours. He kept harping on Scientology-like questions such as "If you were to choose between these two plans, which one would you want?"

Well, after it was clear that I was going to walk out unsold, he then offered me a monthly plan of $31 with a processing fee of $80 and no initiation fee. I wrote that one down (they never have brochures listing prices) and left.

That price sounds okay, EXCEPT that I think they require a monthly bank account debit ("for your convenience"), which looks like the only payment option according to the website. That's a deal killer for me.

The YMCA seemed to have the same thing with the debit of the bank account thing.

Nope. I want to be able to simply pay up front each month.

Are there any gyms out there that aren't run by crooks trying to sign me up forever with automatic payment plans?

Which gyms do people recommend?