Bally Total Fitness is going bankrupt for the second time in little more than a year.

Clark has long trashed the health club over their suspect business practices. Bally's is known to use high-pressure sales to get you to buy a membership. Once they have a contract, they do what's called "moving paper."

The club sells off the contract to a finance company that will take the paper on and pay them pennies on the dollar. That creates additional incentive for the club to sign up more members -- and hope none of them ever show up and all try to exercise at once!

In a recent SEC filing, Bally's disclosed that the average member visits the club one-half of one time per week. You'd be hard-pressed to find any fitness expert who recommends a workout once every 2 weeks!

There is, however, a better way for health clubs to do business. It's where you pay month-to-month or quarterly with no real contract. That creates incentive for the club to help keep you on a healthy regimen so you'll keep coming back. They win and you win!

One final thought: We as consumers fool ourselves into thinking that by signing a contract we'll be more apt to work out at a health club. But it doesn't work that way; usually within 6 weeks, the average person stops exercising altogether after joining a gym.