Fitness First

They are the more basic of your nationwide gyms.
But thats what I wanted from my gym so thats why Im a member.

Depending on where you work/live theres generally a few about too which is cool. When i used to work in london there were 3 within walking distance.

If you can afford the better ones virgin/canons then go for them as everyone loves the jacuzzi/sauna after a work out ;) but to me there a waste as i like to hit the gym then get the hell out of there!!
 
Was with my local one for 2 years until it went downhill (disgusting showers / broken equipment / useless staff etc ) - so eventually left (and they were so unprofessional, they never even bothered to ask why...)

They phoned me last year again, asking if I wanted to rejoin (and stated I had to pay a joining fee again) - I agreed to come down to chat with one of the employees to see if they could reduce the joining fee for both me & wife..... once in the gym, the guy I was upposed to meet wasn't there, and there was no one else to greet me :rolleyes: As well as that, some blond bimbo on the front desk just handed me a bog standard joining leaflet (even after me explaining I already had been a member, had my card in my hand and had the welcome pack etc)

They then phoned me up 3 months ago to say they had been taken over (and were now a "Fitness First Express" Gym)...so I told them to phone back the next day...when they phoned back - I told them I was too busy...and asked them to phone back the next day again.....

I did that 4 days in a row....then explained why I did it (because they had wasted my time) - Also asked them to remove my details under the Data protection act and too never phone me again ;)

Needless to say - I think they are Overpriced and Useless (although this could just be our Local Gym) - and both me and the Wife joined a far better gym (with a pool) for exactly half the price we would have paid at Fitness First (who do no Husband/Wife reductions)
 
Last edited:
Been with my local fitness first for about 5 months now, the staff are friendly, helpful and pleasent.

I agree with the showers can be a bit grotty sometimes but i tend to go at 9pm (just got back now) so it can be a bit understandable at the end of the day, the guy was cleaning them as i was leaving.

I would recommend it, by the sounds of it you can get better but you pay for the luxuary.

Some peoples personal experiences with staff at gyms can often infulence their view of the place, luckily mine whenever i have asked a question i have got a helpful and enthusiastic responce. Therefore guess what i think of the place, i suppose it can vary by location.

Go for the tryout day that they advertise, take a mate, i did. Just to see what its like to get a feel for the place. Even if you never sign up, just be warned at the end of the tryout they try to sell.

divosuk - i do agree with them being a bit unprofessional though, i meen i am still paying the student rate, 2 months no longer being classed as a student and when i asked the manager about this she said forget about it :D
 
Last edited:
Been with mine for about 2 years, its decent, It doesnt get busy and you I can get on all the machines and weights I want when I want, the Sauna and Steam Room are decent but the steam room always break when people poor water onto the thermostat, sometimes it can be dirty but I think they employ agencey cleaners.
 
I think each branch of Fitness First must be judged individually. They cant all be tarnished with the same brush. Some are good, some are bad and not all are the same.

My local Fitness First is extremely busy during peak times. It gets hot and sweaty in there. In fact it has a club like atmosphere with bodies all in close proximity to one another. I also feel that a lot of customers there are there to admire members of the opposite sex. Another point was that the toilets were filthy. They have a lot of equipment which is good, but I dont particular want to pick anyone up. Hence, I chose to join Gold's Gym which is more expensive, but is a lot more spacious and doesnt have that nasty club like atmosphere.
 
There is one near me that I looked at when I joined a gym. They turned out to be twice as expense as an independent one (which also has free classes and a swimming pool/sauna).

So now I only pay £20 a month to sit at home feeling guilty for not going, rather than £40.
 
I used to get a reduced price for Fitness First through my work at the time (£6 per month rather than £40 or so) which was excellent, it is far from a proper weights gym but if you just wanted to keep up a basic level of fitness it wasn't bad. My job was in Edinburgh so it was magic going for a jacuzzi looking out onto the Castle ;) although the fact that the windows were at the height of the top deck of a bus was mildly off-putting but no-one could see in due to the mirrored windows. :)
 
Theyre not too bad a gym, the only problem I had was the sales techniques but then again I used to work there so saw it constantly...
 
Clipsey said:
They are the more basic of your nationwide gyms.
But thats what I wanted from my gym so thats why Im a member.

Depending on where you work/live theres generally a few about too which is cool. When i used to work in london there were 3 within walking distance.

If you can afford the better ones virgin/canons then go for them as everyone loves the jacuzzi/sauna after a work out ;) but to me there a waste as i like to hit the gym then get the hell out of there!!
Click to expand...

quoted for truth

I harbour no desire to sauna/shower with people I don't know.

Lose the fat, get the hell outta there.

My mate went to a gym where they had a pint in the gyms bar after a workout.. thats like going to a drive through macdonalds on the way home.
 
my local one is rubbish

full of machines and running track things, cant remember their name at this mo!

hardly ANY free weights and no squat rack or proper bench to bench press with, so totally rubbish!
 
matt100 said:
quoted for truth

I harbour no desire to sauna/shower with people I don't know.

Lose the fat, get the hell outta there.

My mate went to a gym where they had a pint in the gyms bar after a workout.. thats like going to a drive through macdonalds on the way home.
Click to expand...

I must admit a lot of people in my gym just go in and get out, the sauna and steam room is always empty.

Only problem with mine is that its 40 yards away from the JJB stadium, so on match days its no go area, like today :mad: :mad:
 
Cheers for all your opinions im still wanting to join a gym and i think ill have a look at nearest one which is a 15min drive. It does look pretty posh as its build around a castle and has lots of fancy stuff by the looks of it, plz check this link out and tell me what you think.
This is what im expecting from my gym experience:
use any equipment i want
stay there as long as i want
take part in all the classes of my choosing
be able to have my own personal trainer that gives keeps records on me on how im doing and everything about my fitness.
And from reading fitness first site i believe they can provide that am i right in thinking that the only problems you had could differ from gym to gym.

I really do want to get fit and i need to make sure ive choosen the right gym :)
 
Is that the closest gym to you? The reason why I ask is that if you are starting out the main problem will be motivation and consistency (in going to the gym). Now if you have a 15min drive, this is an additional hurdle that you will have to jump just to get to the gym. The best way is to have your gym a 5 minute walk away from either your house or place of work. As an example, I can walk to my local gym in 4 mins.

The gym facilities of the link you posted look fine to me. Make sure you visit it and get a free workout before you hand them over money. Make sure you go at a time that you will normally be going. This way you will get to see how busy it gets when you will be visiting it for your workouts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom