What gym do you frequent?

JBApplebee

I don't go to the gym much except to stretch or to work out Saturday night or Sundays. I joined 9Round & I couldn't be happier. It's a kickboxing themed workout & it's the hardest I've ever worked & I'm addicted.

There are 9 Rounds (hence the name) & the only constant is round 1 - the jump rope. You spend 3 minutes at each station & when the buzzer sounds @ 2:30, you increase your effort for the last 30 seconds. Then between each round there's a 30 second "active rest", which is a bunch of different exercises to keep you moving, like burpees, push ups, jumping jacks, etc. So you work out for about 35 minutes each time. It's strength & cardio

Cons: There aren't any locker rooms & no place to shower afterwards & it's a little expensive. Prices vary, but I started for one month @ $49, which includes 1 month, a pair of hand wraps, a water bottle, a heart rate monitor & a bag to carry it all in. I quickly paid the difference to $699 for a full year. There also might not be a location near where you live/work.

Pros: 1 - I work harder & burn more calories in 35 minutes than I do in over twice as long lifting at the gym. I burn 475-575 calories during each workout. 2 - It's never the same routine (other than the jump rope), I don't think I've repeated the same exercises at any of the rounds ever, so your body can't adapt & hit a plateau. 3 - There's ALWAYS a trainer to work with you & show you the exercises at each station. 4 - There's a new round starting every 3 minutes, so if you're running late, you won't miss anything. 5 - Their music is through Rockbot, so if you download the app, you can always put some of your favorite tunes in the queue. 6 - It's FUN! It doesn't matter if you're new or you've been there 50 times, you don't have to keep up with anybody, just push yourself. 7 - They have incentives. You get a free T-Shirt after your 50th & 100th workouts & they have weekly challenges where you might win a free pair of hand wraps or leaderboard challenges. I won the 1st leaderboard challenge & I won a bottle of supplements.

HoneyBadger302

I go to my local Crunch where I live now.

Pros:
Cost (about average but I got my first year on a special, so that helped)
Location - about a mile from my house
Available equipment and classes
Cleanliness

Cons
Hours - wish they'd open an hour earlier in the morning
Size - this one is small, it's okay first thing in the morning, but can get pretty dang crowded at other times, haven't even bothered trying an afternoon/evening
Amenities - I really wanted a gym with a pool, but none nearby had one (unless the price was outrageous)

goatg

I have 2...

One in NY. It’s a pretty special facility. Then I also belong to equinox since I travel enough.

goatg

MostlyWater wrote: »

Equinox. It's the best.

I won’t ask which one you go to for privacy reasons....

I’ve only been to a couple in nyc but I never loved the energy.
I honestly hate the crowd that frequents the Cali equinox gyms.

darrenbeckworth

Cal Fit

Pros: Extremely Close 2 min drive
Next to the best ice creamery in town

Cons: Weekend Hours closing at 9. Those are the days I can stay up late
Next to the best ice creamery in town

mrsloganlife

LA Fitness

Pros:
Multiple convenient locations by my house and work
Opens at 5 am so I can do AM workouts
Not too crowded in the mornings--sometimes I have to get creative with my strength training or ask to work in, but it is few and far between
Ample space
Plenty of dumbbells, racks, and machines
Locker rooms are some of the better I have seen
Sauna, hot tub, lap pool
Full length basketball court and 4 racquetball court
Studio and spin room for classes--or some people will go in to box in the studio (equipment provided minus gloves)
Free Wifi

Cons:
Personal training is pretty expensive
While the locker room is nice, the showers could use some improvement
Some people with poor gym manners
Equipment goes down and sometimes it can be down for a week or 2--but plenty others around
The staff at the location by my work are sullen and not friendly in the mornings

gamerbabe14

My city (Chicago) has fitness centers in many parks. Very basic equipment but no one is ever in there. $150 a year. Worth it.

JennJ323

Planet Fitness

Pros: inexpensive, tanning, hydrobeds, massages chairs are included if you have their Black Card membership, lots of machines, good location for me (within walking distance of my house), open 24/7 and I believe every day of the year, with the Black Card membership you can use any location

Cons: sometimes overcrowded, staff isn't overly friendly (which is fine, but it wouldn't kill you to say hello as a member walks in), doesn't offer group classes, no child care

Tacklewasher

erockem wrote: »

Tacklewasher wrote: »

I want to swim so I joined the Y.

Cons. Not cheap and they don't have enough squat racks.

LOL. I joined the Y to swim also.

It's cheaper than any other gym in the area with a pool.

I see the other place I can swim (the place I take lessons at) is cheaper than my Y. Just not closer.

My Y is ~$65 per month (Cdn). The place run by the city is $424.30 per year.

Now I'm wondering what they have for hours. They are a bit out of the way, but.....

Unknown

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Francl27

I went to a local gym because I needed babysitting. The Y had it, but the area was TINY and my kids didn't like the ladies that worked there...

It was way too expensive though so I just bought a treadmill and canceled (I have dumbbells too), now that my kids are old enough that I can leave them alone for 2 hours while I work out upstairs.

It was nice though, pool, classes etc, 20 minute walk if I wanted to, next to my dentist and the place where I take my car for oil changes, but not enough benches and they frowned at using the heavy lifting area if you were not with a trainer... But honestly, I just didn't want to wait in line anyway... and yeah, $70 a month, yikes.

I do miss having Solitaire on the treadmill, but at least I can watch stuff on my tablet still.

They also had 2 free training session every 6 weeks (but again, frowned about heavy lifting and pushed machines/body weight stuff), and nurse appointments that used an inaccurate device to calculate your body fat...

malibu927

Everybody Fitness (local chain that bought out the one I joined)

Pros:
-cheap
-free weights

Cons:
-they close early on weekends (if I want to work out after work on Saturday I have to go straight there)
-older equipment from when it was Ballys 10+ years ago
-the weights on the women's side are seriously lacking (Smith machine, one bench, sled, then machines)

deetails26

I use the local high school weight room

pros:
cheap
usually empty
close to home
I can drop my kiddo off at wrestling practice and its literally the room next door, so I don't have to sit in a smelly wrestling room full of boys lol

cons:
its always a mess because the teens never clean up
its full of machines and not much in free weights
old equipment
only open m/w/f from 6-8 but that works for me so its all good

Alidecker

Anytime Fitness
Pro: Cost, Cleanliness, Lots of space, not overly crowded, new owner just got some brand new equipment and added things like battle ropes and TRX straps, open 24/7

Cons: Only one power rack, but I can usually work around that, no pool

Local Community Center
Pro: Cost (because I get a discount for working in the same city), pool, lots of equipment - basically joined for the pool
Cons: weights and cardio is crowded all the time, classes when an average 8-5 job person could go are not ideal

9Rounds
Pro: the trainers push me pretty hard, great cardio workout in 30-40 minutes, different everyday, no class times (can start every 3.5 minutes)
Cons: cost, not open on Sundays (generally doesn't bother me though), no showers

AlainaKayy

Thank everyone for your answers!

1houndgal

1houndgal wrote: »

AlainaKayy wrote: »

Any pros or cons?

YMCA. It has everything.

My YMCA has pool, Jacuzzi spa, steam room, dry sauna, resistance machines, top of the line cardio machines , free weights, indoor track, large gym, all sorts of classes, child care, trainers, and more.

Machka9

What gym do you frequent?

Mainly the one in my basement ... because it is convenient.

Occasionally the university gym ... more equipment, nice to get out once in a while, relatively inexpensive

CharlesS6730

The advantage of working for a fitness company (Bowflex) is our employee Gym. It includes locker rooms and showers. Plus my desk is about 100ft from the entry of the gym so I may pop in there between projects for a little lifting and some cardio on lunch.

Sp1tfire

1houndgal wrote: »

1houndgal wrote: »

AlainaKayy wrote: »

Any pros or cons?

YMCA. It has everything.

My YMCA has pool, Jacuzzi spa, steam room, dry sauna, resistance machines, top of the line cardio machines , free weights, indoor track, large gym, all sorts of classes, child care, trainers, and more.

The pool, hot tub, and pre-cor machines sold me on my local Y!

callsitlikeiseeit

Been a member of 3.

Planet Fitness - i loved. the one i went to (and i know some are different) was always immaculately clean, the equipment working properly (or repaired quickly when it did break down) and the staff was knowledgeable and friendly. only reason i left was because it was no longer on my 'path' and 30 minutes away. cons - for me, none.

Anytime Fitness. HATED it. Dirty, staff was NEVER there (they worked something like 11-3. really????), bathrooms were gross, trash bins always overflowing, the same boken equipment that was there when i joined, was still broken when I left. oh, you want good too. ummmm 24/7 and lots of locations i guess.

NOW, I am at a local gym. I really enjoy it. Very clean, staff is friendly, lots of classes (I dont use them but they seem popular), large weight section and mix of machines and free weights, also 24/7. Cons - none that I can think of.

Kst76

XSports here in Chicago. 9.99 a month. A great weight room and lots of cardio equipments!

CircleJerkk

Planet fitness
Pros: cheap, can bring a friend, tanning, open 24 hours 5 days per week (good for those of us who work the night shift)

Cons: sometimes it's really packed and can be hard to find parking, but I just avoid those hours.

MelanieCN77

I also go to Anytime Fitness and it is small BUT my town is small, so it's never been a problem. Exactly one time I went early on a weekend to treadmill run and all five were occupied, but we all seem to manage to work around each other the rest of the time.

lorrpb

Y
I go for swimming, also do weights, but it's 35 min drive.

collectingblues

LA Fitness. Only gym within a 10-minute drive of my house that has a pool. And a pool is the primary reason for joining.