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I come from LA, land of the $35/mo gym memberships. This past summer, I've been able to rely on walking everywhere on the weekends, and just the lack of a car itself to keep up with my exercise. But with winter on the horizon, I know I won't be spending nearly as much time outdoors for the next few months. I checked out Yelp to get an idea of price vs. quality of gyms in New York and my god, it's freaking expensive! I expected it to be since everything here costs a little more, but sheesh.
Back in LA I had a membership to Bally's - definitely not the nicest gym, but for $35 a month I had a decent-sized facility with a pool, sauna, free classes, and no restrictions on days. The most comparable thing I was able to find here was NYSC, but at $79/mo (minimum) and $150+ initiation fee. I looked at reviews for a local Bally's, which was cheaper than NYSC, but with the low rating and horrible reviews, I can already tell the place is a dump and not worth the money. A few other affordable gyms I found were either way out in Queens or Brooklyn, or had really tight restrictions on access days, either limited to weekends or off-peak hours only.
I get seasonal depression so not being physically active this winter isn't much of a choice, and being somewhere where it actually snows will make it even worse this year. My place is too tiny to comfortably work out to a DVD in my living room (plus I've complained enough to my neighbors about noise that I really can't justify my jumping around my apartment at 6am.) I don't want to get stuck with a 1-2 year gym contract, though. I'd only want a facility for a few months until it gets warmer out.
I don't need or want a place as fancy as Equinox, but I would be willing to shell out a *little* more for a place that isn't clogged with several lines for equipment, or that's mostly old, sweaty, broken machines. I'd also be interested in just a fitness class that meets up 3-4x a week instead of a gym membership if it meant avoiding a contract. I've tried googling, but haven't come up with anything that jumps out at me. Any suggestions?
I live a few blocks from the W 137th street station (red line) and work in Chelsea/Flatiron District. I'd prefer somewhere near work since I spend more time down there, but I'd be open to almost anywhere on the west side.
You have Mid City Gym on 42nd st and 49 st on the West Side. There monthly fee is around $57.00. The 42nd st location is brand new with state of the art equipment. The only downside is that it gets crowded after-work. You should try the free week trial pass and decide. I left the gym due to the crowdedness. I need space. Mid City Gym
You have the NYC Rec centers. The cost is $150 for an entire gym. Some of the rec centers are extremely old with outdated equipment. They also get crowded after-work. I used the gym on Chelsea. It was a brand new facility. The downside was the size of the cardio and weight room. They were really small. At the time that i joined, the fee was 75 so it was not bad. I used the location for 3 months and never used it again. Recreation Centers : New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
There's a Ballys on 34st. I have no experience with this gym branch but you have reviews on Google. The membership is low but i always here horror stories about them. Bally Total Fitness
I recommend the West Side YMCA. It's expensive but you get a lot for your buck. 93.00 = 2 swimming pools, indoor track, a big cardio room, a big free weight room, a machine room, an Abs room, boxing and martial arts room, free towels, big lockers, sauna room, a lot of free member classes. You're also right next to Central Park if you like to jog. WEST SIDE HOME - West Side - YMCA of Greater New York
Try your luck with Meetup. They have a lot of exercise based groups.
I work out at the Flushing YMCA in the neighborhood where I live. I pay the yearly, it is $708. I think it's like $60 a month if you go that route though.
^wow...I remember seeing that price for the YMCA when I hunted around for gym memberships. Is it worth it?
Planet Fitness is ok imo...the location I'm at doesn't really have free weights, everything is pretty much machines and I'm more of a free weight bench/squat lifter. But I make due for the $10 a month.
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