[MrZ]

Wanted to see opinions about different gyms and different locations as I might be changing mine soon. Write good and bad things about your gyms =)

So far for me:

1. GoodLife @ Yonge&St.Clair. Been going there for 1 year.
+ Always neat, clean, weights in place.
- No free parking, could be very busy after 5-6pm

2. Goodlife @ Markville Mall. Was a personal trainer there for 1.5 months %)
+ Not that organized as #1, but still very good. Lots of room in free weights, as majority of people there are seniors/women/ppl doing cardio, free parking.
- Not that much equipment for weight training.

3. Premier Fitness @ Islington&Queensway. Been going there for 1.5 years and still there.
+ Free parking, very close to me... hm... that's it. Well, maybe that "working out" atmosphere also.
- Free weights are never in place. NEVER. Can take me 3-5 mins to find dumbbell I need, seriously. Some equipment is loose (including dumbbells). And with all that their monthly membership fee is the same as GoodLife's one. But it's closest one that also has free parking...

Your experiences?

[Balzz]

Extreme Thornhill (my "home" gym) I've moved twice and stayed in the area for this gym alone (don't tell management that)
+ clean
+ 3 squat racks, 1 power rack
+ standard oly barbells and ring spacing, round plates
+ dumbbells up to 150lbs (not that I ever use them lol)
- parking is tremendously busy during primetime
- levels of nudity in changeroom that I am perfectly happy never being comfortable with eg. men talking face to face inches from each other completely naked except for shoes and socks...how the hell does one get completely naked with your shoes and socks on anyway???

Extreme Woodbridge
+ a lot of cardio machines if you're into that
- octagonal plates
- crappy barbells

Extreme Sheppard
+ none
- squat racks by the pool (squatting and deads suck while sucking back the smell of chlorine)
- place is a maze

[normancw]

I've only gone to one gym in GTA (when visiting my in-laws), but it's was very nice.

GoodLife @ Lawrence & Victoria Park
+ huge with a very high ceiling and very bright (lot's of windows) - it used to be a movie theater complex
+ very large RPM (spinning) room with good bikes
+ a lot of cardio machines
+ a lot of free parking (the mall it's in is not that busy)
+ lot's of equipment
- incline benches are a bit old and they could use a couple more for the amount of space available
- dumbells are always out of place

[Hedges]

Originally Posted by normancw

I've only gone to one gym in GTA (when visiting my in-laws), but it's was very nice.

GoodLife @ Lawrence & Victoria Park
+ huge with a very high ceiling and very bright (lot's of windows) - it used to be a movie theater complex
+ very large RPM (spinning) room with good bikes
+ a lot of cardio machines
+ a lot of free parking (the mall it's in is not that busy)
+ lot's of equipment
- incline benches are a bit old and they could use a couple more for the amount of space available
- dumbells are always out of place

+1 Thats where I frequent!

[icandie]

Originally Posted by normancw

I've only gone to one gym in GTA (when visiting my in-laws), but it's was very nice.

GoodLife @ Lawrence & Victoria Park

I agree. I used to go there as well. It was worth the drive from downtown Toronto..

I also used to go to Goodlife at Kennedy/401..
+ the area upstairs was really good for weights (lots of hammer strength machines, tons of free weights).. felt pretty hard core. It wasn't pretty, but it got job done.
- the downstairs part (with the cardio equipment, spinning and other classes) had low ceilings, and no windows.. felt a bit cramped

[nikku]

I use to go to the Extreme fitness at Yonge and Sheppard. Great facility but it does get quite busy. The salt water pool is a great bonus although I personally would not use the salt water hot tub lol. It doesn't look like it's cleaned very often.

I'm not particularly fond of premiere fitness as I was a member of the Yorkdale facility and lets just say there was mold and a lack of customer service to resolve many issues including not admitting to stalling issues when it came time to cancel membership.

[Balzz]

Originally Posted by nikku

I use to go to the Extreme fitness at Yonge and Sheppard. Great facility but it does get quite busy. The salt water pool is a great bonus although I personally would not use the salt water hot tub lol. It doesn't look like it's cleaned very often.

It's a salt water pool??? The chlorine smell is overwhelming around the pool area...weird.

[doctor_vino]

The only gym i've been to, other than when i was at school.......the YMCA over by T&C...... its a pretty new facility and they've got this Fitlinxx thing hooked up to all the machines, where u can monitor your progress electronically.....

busiest from abt 5-7 in the evenings....otherwise its pretty empty
lots of cardio machines, lots of free weights (always organized), indoor track........plus they've got a pool.....not sure if other gyms have that

only negative i'd say is.......depending on what time u go.....u'll have kids running around trying to use free weights and machines which can be annoying at times

[MrZ]

Oh yeah, forgot to add YorkU gym. Been there 2 times, that was enough.
- huuuge line ups
- diiirty
- guys in xxs t-shirts walking around, occupying equipment and pretending to be "big guys"
+ cheap, like $5-10/year for York students.

+ 3 squat racks, 1 power rack

You actually have enough people in your gym that use them? Mine has 2 and you hardly see those racks being used at the same time. Most of the time both are unoccupied %)

[Balzz]

Originally Posted by MrZ

You actually have enough people in your gym that use them? Mine has 2 and you hardly see those racks being used at the same time. Most of the time both are unoccupied %)

Well that's the nice thing about it...there's almost always a rack free even during primetime.

[dpwr]

extreme @ thornhill - way too busy but nice girls
goodlife @ hillcrest mall - like it a lot but equipment is old
wynn fitness @ elgin mills - not that big but pretty much brand new equipment

[Two Sheds]

For the last year I've been using the Goodlife at the north end of the eaton centre. I enjoy the spin class every friday morning. Plenty of machines (I don't use free weights too much, but are always the dumbells I want).

I always go before work (7 or 8am ish) and it is nice a quiet at that time and never need to wait for equipment to be free. I tried it a few times at lunch (incredibly busy) and after work (very busy) and haven't bothered at those times since.