The key to maxing out the return on investment (ROI) from your gym session lies in stripping out anything superfluous. You should focus on five exercises, sometimes known as the 'Big 5'. Nothing else.

Year after year, one of the most common New Year's resolutions is to lose weight. Hitting the gym is a great way to keep active, but joining a gym in January means you may encounter high-pressure sales tactics. This is the busy season for gyms, and fitness companies are eager to take your money during the post-holiday gold rush.

Some gyms are better than others. They might have nicer facilities, a better price on membership or more bonus amenities to sweeten the deal. But none of that matters if it's so far out of your way that you'll never go.

Some truly gross stories of bad gym behaviour, an uplifting visit to a tea farm that's been operating for over 600 years and how to get over the whole "X years experience required" in a job application in this week's Thinking Cap!

You walk into the gym for a weight lifting session and you're immediately given a choice: do you grab the free weights or hop on one of the machines? Here's an explanation for when you should use both.

Your gym culture can often make or break your fitness experience, so it's important that you go to one that suits you. There's a reason CrossFit appeals to so many fitness first-timers and veterans alike: It's more of a community than it is a place where you splash around in a puddle of your own sweat.

We've written about a lot of workout options here on Lifehacker: from quickie options to gamification theory. But the best workout of all, according to experts, is simply whichever one you enjoy -- because that's the one you'll stick with.

You know you should go to the gym, but it's easy to talk yourself out of it, or run out of time. The problem often isn't with your schedule -- it's with your mind. Here are our best tricks for making the gym a more regular occurrence.

iOS/Web: Despite increasing competition, gym memberships are expensive -- especially if you don't use them after signing up for a lengthy contract. GymBetter locates nearby gyms and lets you visit them for a fixed fee.

Australia is seeing an increasing number of 24-hour gyms. Even if exercising at 2am isn't your thing, there's a positive outcome: regular gyms are becoming cheaper as a result.

We've talked about saving on a gym membership by playing hard to get, but you can also save by asking for your membership to start the next following month.