This is a really nice sports facility where you get a welcome as soon as you enter. There is ample…read moreparking facilities on site and the opening hours mean you have little excuse not to go and utilise your membership. The reception staff are fantastic, I really feel that nothing appears to be too much trouble for them. The facilities on site are good, occasionally, I have found the water in the pool to be a little cool, but thats maybe me. The changing rooms are always immaculate and they offer good facilities, there are lots of hairdryers and it reminds me of a spa in there. The gym itself is well laid out and is a comfortable temperature for your workout, it has never been too busy and I have never felt that I have been looked down upon for my poor physique - whereas some gyms you feel uncomfortable. The staff are all really friendly and helpful and after your workout there is a really nice restaurant which serves really nice food and really tasty coffee.

The best value gym i have ever found. I paid for my membership up front when i first got to…read moreBristol, spending the £300 was one of the best decisions i have ever made, although it may seem expensive you will be saving money, no matter how you look at it. The gym is big. It is spread across three rooms; the main room has all the cardiovascular machines and a few weights machines. The next largest room has a large area for stretching etc. Finally the smallest of the three is a free weights room. The machines are not looked after especially well however this does not matter much as there are so many of them. So many in fact that you can literally feel the floor pulse the the steps of the running machines.

If you're brave enough to enter the different dimension known as the gym, then Pulse will have you…read morefit as a fiddle in no time. Open to student and non-students alike, the annual price is very reasonable. Parking may be difficult for those who live further afield but I guess the walking will do you good as a warm-up! There is a separate weights room for the hunky men who spend hours pouting at themselves in the ceiling-size mirrors and a fitness suite full to the brim with cardio machines. A quieter, more welcoming weight room is round the corner for those not quite ready to join the Hercules wannabes. Trainers are on-hand to assist you and also make good eye-candy whilst you're sweating it out on the treadmill.

I come here for my turtle tots baby swimming classes so can only comment on certain aspects of the…read morehealth club. To start with you have to pay to park in the hotel car park, as a turtle tots goer this is half price and only £1 for an hour but it's practically impossible to get in and out within that time. The clock is also about 10 minutes out and despite complaints has been this way for months, so it's easy to get caught out. The staff are all really friendly and the changing rooms are fairly modern and always clean. The pool is pretty small but that's quite common for a health club so no real surprise. Everything is okay about this place but nothing to make you go wow!!

I am a member in this gym for a long time now. I pay the same monthly fee for using the gym, pool,…read moresauna, spa - than I had paid in the welshback only for the gym! A very nice gym and pool and a brilliant place to relax if you only want to go to swim and sauna. They also have various treatments such as massage, facial etc. brilliant friendly stuff, and they always have special offers for members.

Phenomenal gym that is always looking at ways to improve. The rooms were redesigned some time ago…read morealong with the implementation of a new 'High performance zone'. They have recently installed a new 'Functional zone' that now caters for every part of my training. The individual areas are spacious and make you feel like you are training in your own personal space. BS7 Gym is the best kept secret in Bristol.

This is a pretty average gym, it's basically made up of 4 rooms 2 with cardio machines and 2 for…read moreweights. There's also a class studio and squash court. They do offer a pretty good class timetable with all the usual classes such circuits, boxercise and yoga, which are all included in your membership. Squash is also included although you need to pay to hire rackets and balls. The gym is looking pretty tired and good do with a bit of TLC and a tidy up, maybe an upgrade of machines and certainly needs the air con sorted out. Membership is £34 a month for individual or £54 for joint. You are primarily a member of the county cricket ground which is home to Gloucestershire cricket club. Your membership gets you into the home games for free and although I'm not a cricket fan there is possibly nothing better than soaking up the rays and atmosphere whilst enjoying a glass of something fruity on a summers evening!

I friend of mine, who is a member of the Bristol Council's gym group, gave me a free pass to go to…read morethe Horfield Leisure Centre. I fancied going for a swim and had been warned against the Bristol South Swimming Pool so thought I'd give the Horfield option a try. I was really impressed, a nice big pool, with good changing facilities (clean showers!). After my swim I visited the gym which was just lovely, well lovely in a gym kind of way. It had plenty of cardio options and a real good selection of weight training options. The classes on offer there are fantastic, if you can't find something you like, or at least don't hate the thought of, I'd be really surprised. The other good thing about these council run gyms is that you become a member of all of them, so you can mix it up a little bit and go to other pools or centres to keep you from getting bored with exercising!

For swimming, Horfield Leisure Centre is far better than most public pools I've been to…read more The main pool is big - 25-metres long, with eight lanes, and the only thing I am not keen on is the mixed sex changing rooms. Obviously there are private cubicles, but it still feels a bit weird legging it from the pool into a cubicle past blokes in Speedos. On the other hand, at least they're kept clean and they're quite spacious. I haven't tried any of the other leisure centre facilities myself, but the gym looks well-equipped with rows of new-looking cardio and weight machines, and there are several classes offering aerobics, yoga, spinning and other types of exercise. There are also squash courts and a big sports hall for team games such as 5-a-side. If you're not going to get to the gym regularly and get your money's worth, this looks like a good budget alternative to joining a private gym.

Bannatynes is located in a very residential area in the Redland/Cotham area of Bristol. It makes an…read moreodd choice for such an exclusive club, however it does mean that they can spread out offer a much broader selections of facilities than the more central gyms. Bannatynes boasts a 20 metre swimming pool, state of the art gym, over 80 classes a week and 1:1 personal training. Do expect to pay much more for your membership than the likes of Fitness First, but you are paying for a more exclusive experience. If you are not fussed by luxury then it's probably not worth the extra money. Take note, if you don't have a GPS or Googlemaps, them you may find it hard to find as it really is tucked away amongst lots of houses.

Situated by Cotham Gardens with a fair sized car park, a 25m pool, well equipped gym and two…read moreexcercise rooms for yoga, Spin, Aerobics, Pilates and other classes. The staff are really good- helpful and friendly, and the bar/cafe makes a nice place to relax after a workout or to meet with friends or clients for business purposes. Hot snacks and drinks, juices, wine, spirits and bottled beer are all on sale. The sauna is nice enough if a little small, the steam room and changing rooms are often grubby. Can't say I've been for any of the beauty treatments at 'The Sensory', but they seem to do a good trade which can't be a bad sign. The range of classes is good but you need to book well in advance for the most popular ones. There is also aqua aerobics on a regular basis and swimming training on Tuesday evenings that can do wonders for your front crawl. Kids are allowed in the pool on weekends only, for which I believe their parents pay a premium.

I have walked passed Bubalu so many time but for some reason never given it a second thought…read more Health food and non alcoholic drinks weren't really my thing until recently. But last week I read some Yelp reviews and decided to give it a go, and I am so glad I did. Now, I want to give Bubalu five stars, but I haven't used the gym or fitness facilities, so It wouldn't be right. But, based on the food and drinks, I will definitely be going back. And when I'm full of January fat blues and post Christmas over indulgence, I'll definitely be back to check out some classes. I ordered the B-Boost Smoothy which had Coffee, Banana, Honey, cinnamon and ice in it. It was by far the best smoothy I've ever had. The coffee had a real punch and all the other flavours stuck to the pallet. I never wanted it to end. When I first arrived there was nobody else there, but within half an hour it was half full with a really nice buzz and atmosphere. The food being served looked great and I really wanted to some, but I couldn't unfortunately. Gloucester Road is always full of surprises, but this has been one of my recent favorites - event though I've known about it for several years! That's the beauty with yelp, I suppose!

I've known Mike for years and was so pleased to see how the place turned out for him…read more Great coffee, good smoothies!

If you're checking out Crossfit Avon, chances are you've already got a good idea of what Crossfit…read moreis, but what makes Crossfit Avon special? For me it's the level of commitment and care shown to each and every member. It's a true community spirit here. Everyone is supported, encouraged and spurred on by coaches and members alike, regardless of ability or fitness levels - the last person to finish usually gets the biggest cheer. There's little room for elitism or ego here with every achievement and performance celebrated and congratulated. The programming is well thought out with structured strength and skill work carefully dovetailed with high intensity conditioning workouts. You will find that the general focus of the training moves in broad cycles, focussing on different aspects of strength and fitness at a time. General strengths and weaknesses among the member base are constantly assessed and the programme adjusted to work on those weaknesses accordingly. This approach is not random yet it is exciting and unpredictable and there is great anticipation before each class to see what's in store in the Workout Of the Day(WOD). Beginners will find a warm welcome as well thorough instruction and assessment in the fundamental movements before moving on to the main classes. Specialist classes are provided twice a week for Olympic Weightlifting as well as ad hoc sessions such as Boxfit, Strongman and Mobility. For the more advanced members there is a dedicated Competitors programme to take strength and conditioning to the next level in preparation for competitions. Before I joined I felt fit but was bored of the repetitive, predictable and impersonal classes at the local leisure centre and frustrated by the lack of free weight equipment available in the gym. Then a friend told me about Crossfit. I was intrigued, if a little intimidated, especially seeing a class in action! Nevertheless, I took the plunge and signed up at Crossfit Avon and the transformation in my fitness in the last 15 months is unbelievable and I think I actually spend less time working out now - it is just so much more effective than the alternatives. Get involved!

This is no ordinary gym with a pool and showers and coffee or any of that stuff. This is crossfit,…read moreso expect an environment more like a lockup garage. Everything is done in classes of no more than eight, supervised by teachers who train you in the proper techniques. The crossfit ethos is based on old-style exercises like situps, pressups, squats and pullups. There's also quite a bit of work with weights and kettlebells. You never know what they're going to hit you with from one day to the next as there is a huge variety of workouts, performed either against the clock or to a set number of reps. Typically the workouts provide a short sharp shock to the system rather than endless repetition. Sounds scary I know but whether you're a superfit young fire fighter or just an average person of more mature years like me you can do it as they set your weights or number of reps according to your ability. It's all great fun (really!) and the atmosphere is genuinely friendly. You'll soon notice big changes in yourself, like thinking nothing of lifting a weight heavier than you are off the floor. This morning I even climbed up a rope something I could never do at school. CrossFit Avon is a gym you'll keep coming back and back to.

There is nothing like taking a yoga class and feeling so good afterwards. I've been taking classes…read morewith Clara for a while and enjoy her friendly style and way she accomodates you in to her class even when your feeling a little less than energetic to start with. I'd highly recommend her classes and a friend of mine also recommends her pregnancy classes too.