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Ophelia gives her opinion on local gyms posted Thursday, December 28, 2006
Hi everyone out in Ophelia-blog-reading--land! As y'all know Ophelia is a big gym goer. I've joined/visited most gyms in town and have an overview of them below.
A note - I enjoy classes, weights, squash, and the odd cardio machine.
Executive summary - right now I belong to GoodLife and Exclusively Women's along with visiting Popeye's occasionally with my pay as you go. I used to belong to the Y and Northfield. I left the Y 'cuz they are just too far away and Northfield 'cuz they are too expensive and the classes (other than spinning) suck.
Exclusively Women's
(Waterloo location)
The good:
Can't beat Exclusively for number and variety of classes available. They have classes available every day and pretty full schedules on the weekend. They are also rated way up there for their step classes. I also like the fact that they have classes at different levels.
The facility is shiny and new. The instructors are generally good - though the few duds are exquisitely bad. Rates are pretty good but there does not seem to be any rhyme nor reason to what people pay.
The bad:
They bug you all the time about getting your friends to sign up. Some classes are overcrowded, notably in September and January. It would be nice to see new classes added on a more regular basis. No towel service whatsoever - yuk!
Exclusively Women's
(Kitchener location)
The good: Same classes as EXWloo but not offered as regularly. Generally less crowded so a good option during the busy times of year.
The bad:
You need to pay extra to get other EXW or Family Fitness locations added to your plan.
Goodlife
The good:
You can access any goodlife club as part of your membership. Waterloo has squash which is inclusive with your membership. I have four clubs available to me in KW - Waterloo, Highland hills, Market square and Fairview. Generally, I can find something at one of them. Goodlife also has movie rentals which is kinda fun. The instructors are a bit too peppy for my liking at times but they are generally good. Body Pump is a great weight class which kicks the snot out of similar classes at the other gyms. They've got nice lockers - I can actually fit everything in them!
The bad:
The step classes just suck!!! It is a pain to have to sign up for spinning in person - classes are often full and I never know when I will be able to take a class so I have a hard time signing up early for anything.
Popeye's
The good:
They have the best weight room in town. The atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable and the people are friendly. The classes they have are very good. They have a pay as you go card so you don't have to get a full membership to try it out or to go occasionally.
The bad: They don't have a huge selection of classes. The real issue is that they only have the one location which is not so convenient for Waterloo people.
YMCA
The good: The Y has a good selection of classes. The bonuses are the pool and indoor track. They also have squash available as part of your membership.
The bad: Only one location in KW and the Kitchener location is less convenient for Waterloo-ites. This is a family place so there are lots of rug rats running around (probably a plus for family people but a thumbs down for me).
Northfield
The good: Racquet sports - if you are into them and you have coin then this is the place for you. Best Spinning classes in town and by far the comfiest bikes!
And...there is a bar!
The bad: The aerobic classes are not great and are often cancelled due to low attendance. The machine weights and free weights are split up so it is a pain if you are doing both. You have to pay extra for everything that you do. The atmosphere is not really welcoming and the people are very clique-ish. Expensive!
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