I'll get this out first I don't like climbing…read more Awesome has big bouldering room with lots to go on. In fact if your on your own you can pay just to go bouldering. They have everything thing for easy to 'you might have to be able to fly to this one' hard. Thy also have a number boulder problems for kids. In the main room there is lots to go and the routes get reset about one a month. There is a leading ladder well so you might see some climbing gods playing on them. There are 3 self belys, very tall walls and a lot of lead walls to have a go at. There is room for people to sit down a watch, the cafe is quite limited but you get hot drinks. The rooms get very cold in winter and the tolets are clean.

Formally Europe's tallest climbing wall, at 23.5m (77ft in old money) It's a great climbing gym…read more Bouldering, auto-belays, traverse, top-roping and leading all on offer. Fantastic centre, with most setters a little generous on the grading. but everything from F2-F8a and VB-V8 to play on. Great place to learn to climb, or train.

I joined the centre when I moved to Manchester because of its convenience. There are around 5…read moreclasses a night including boxercise, aerobics, LBT, aqua aerobics and body conditioning. It seems to be the same woman who runs them all, so they are quite similar. There is a guy who does the boxing ones and cardio classes. It is a really nice centre set in an old building - doesnt look like a gym from the outside. Inside they have one gym hall which has lots of weights, resistance bands, steps and exercise bars. All the classes I have been to I have really enjoyed - would be nice if she got a different cd though! The gym upstairs is good - plenty of equipment. It tends to get a bit busy at around 5.30 to 7 but thats to be expected from any gym I guess. They also have a 25m swimming pool that I have only used once but enjoyed using it. There is a sauna, lockers and changing rooms. They have kids lessons and ladies only swimming and sauna sessions. There is a vending machine as well. In the gym they have all the usual weights, rowers, treadmills, cross trainers and bikes unfortunately no steppers. A good friendly gym if you dont want the craziness of a massive city centre gym. I paid £209 for a years student membership but they also have a 9 month one.

From the outside the Y Club looks an idyllic gym. Situated literally on the picturesque canal at…read morethe start of Castlefield, a 5 minute stroll from Deansgate, it looks like a posh gym for young professionals. The lovely little swimming pool is visible from the canal itself. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered it was relatively cheap, especially compared to gym groups such as Virgin Active or Fitness First. You can also avoid a contract and sign up for as little as 2 weeks, and it works out at around a pound per day. So alls well so far. Then i went inside. I think the point about the gym not really being for girls is valid, though I think lots of men should be added to that list too, as its only really suitable for bodybuilders who love dingy spaces as seen in American boxing films. Its small and dark, and pretty damp. Basically its no good. Its got all the equipment you need so if you want somewhere to go for just a couple of weeks then it serves a purpose, but its nowhere near as nice as it looks outside, and there are some better value gyms out there, so if it's a longer term membership you're after, give this place a miss.

Once again I have to question the effect that living in a big city has on the expectation levels of…read morethe people who populate it. EVERYONE had raved about this gym so I was really excited when the day of my prebooked free trial finally arrived. Now I don't go to the gym for a lie down, I will put the effort in but one of the reasons it's nice to go to is for the luxury- anyone who has spent a day in a David Lloyd's or Total Fitness will know what I mean. The first disappointment was the space, or lack of it. The Y Club is deceptively cramped- from the outside it looks as though it deserves its own postcode, inside you can see the pool, gym and fitness suite all from the reception. The layout of the gym is ridiculous, with the weights room being split in half by a narrow corridor of a fitness suite, making the planning of a routine unnecessarily difficult. The range of equipment is pretty thin on the ground and the surroundings are extremely dated- it feels like an 1980s swimming baths. The centre is very male centric and I imagine quite an intimidating place for a woman to go to. Not that the men does anything particularly masculine- all too often you are held up from getting on a piece of equipment not by a guy using it to work out but by several guys using it as a meeting place to hold a mothers meeting. Y Club? Y Bother Club more like.

Very friendly, very reasonable prices, no gimmicks and good classes - especially boxing and…read morestrength and tone on Thursdays. Several personal trainers have a number of clients here. Also clean!!

After being a member here for a good while now I can certainly recommend it…read more Situated within The Printworks, this gym and fitness centre is a stones throw from both where I work AND where I live. Excellent. It is a very large gym with all the usual equipment you'd find and a great exercise space for free weights and routine gym work. When you join you get a complimentary health MOT - a 12 point health inspection that covers every aspect of your fitness you can think of. It definitely gives you the motivation to keep going, especially if the results deem you quite unfit, as they did for me :/ The pool and sauna / steam room / spa are excellent and usually quiet and the changing rooms and shower facilities are state of the art and very well maintained. There are personal trainers wandering around the gym most of the time, so it's really easy to grab them for advice or even book them for a PT session. Classes also run daily and are included in the membership. I can't fault this gym.

So this was Holmes Place health club. Then Virgin Active. And now it's Nuffield out with the red…read moreand in with the green. So some staff have hung on in there from both clubs before but nice to see some fresh faces. There has been quite a lot of cosmetic change. Much needed shower refurb. Some new equipment. And better use of the space. They have also developed a new health and fitness centre where you can get MOT done and check you're still alive lol. I also think they have listened to us old timers or loyal members as we like to be known. And they have introduced the coffee shop with juices and healthy snacks and for the city centre it's very reasonably priced. I like the vibe. And the atmosphere. No offence To Virgin but it's less electronic tag and more cooperate membership now!

A great place for all different ages there are so many different leaves you can try and the staff…read moreare so friendly and patient with makes it the perfect place to go to

Excellent place to do bouldering. First time properly bouldering so had a 1 hour induction first…read moreand then stayed for almost 2 hours afterwards. Good induction showing around the place, how to climb properly and warm up etc. I signed up via Groupon which was £15 for induction, 1 year membership and 3 free sessions (inc. shoe hire). The induction alone costs £15. All details about costs are on their web site. Dont think it mentioned shoe hire on the site - its £2.50. (Hands sore now and a bit "raw" now!! - and starting to feel forearms tighten!)

The Armitage Centre is fine. As Rob says, its got all you need for a little fitness centre, and…read morethere aren't any others in the area. Though it is open to the public, I think you'd feel a little out of place as a non-student, though there are a few gym buffs who have been knocking about in there every day since I first went four years ago. The gym itself is very small, but has everything you need, and has TechnoGym equipment, which seems almost everywhere these days, probably because it's the best. Its exactly the same equipment they have at Virgin Active, and though much more squashed together, its less than half the price to use. Another great thing about the Armitage is the little 5-a-side football pitches, which you can either rent out or play on in a league. Leagues run every night of the week so its convenient for everyone. If it rains heavily its probably worth cancelling though, as the concrete pitches are not level and huge puddles make playing a serious health issue. They're the only pitches nearby except Power League, which is incredibly expensive. Nothing special but nothing wrong with it.

Manchester University's all in one sports centre! It welcomes a student's interest to sports but at…read morethe same time is open to all; the costs vary due to the same. It houses sports some basketball courts to massive football fields to the 5-a-side as well at the back. Not only this, but it caters as a conference and exhibition centre. Thus, it functions as a conventional sports centre during the university semesters and then as the exhibition centre, giving people a chance to always be a part of it. It also has Netball, hockey and volleyball courts giving you the chance to explore whatever interests you! It also has a fully equipped gym which attracts quite a lot of students with their student deals et al! Its a great all in one place to come work-out, play around and catch up with friends! I've always loved the fresh atmosphere it cities!

I've been a member of David Lloyd gym now for a number of years, and even though it's expensive I…read morewould say it's one of the best gyms in the area for your money. As well as a fully equipped gym and tennis courts it has a 25 metre indoor swimming pool, a slightly smaller outdoor swimming pool (with sun loungers for when it's sunny in the summer months), an array of classes for all members held 7 days a week, a Saks hair dressers, beauty salon, sportswear shop, lovely cafe with delicious food, plenty of comfy seating, an adult only quiet area, a children's soft play area, and a partridge in a pear treeeeee! The staff there are really polite and always greet you with a smile on their face. The personal trainers and really approachable - I know they've helped me out with an occasional fitness question from time to time. And I would highly recommend Suzie's Fitness Pilates class on a Saturday and the Hatha Yoga class with Caroline on a Sunday. The only thing stopping David Lloyd being a 5 star for me, is that recently they had a refit of new equipment and only put in small numbers of certain machines. Which means on a busy evening or weekend there is usually always a wait for the powerplate for example. On a whole, I think this is one of the best gyms in the Cheadle/Gatley area.

Great staff, nice atmosphere, loads of classes and excellent gym equipment, this really is worth…read morethe money. The indoor pool and spa area are gorgeous. Join up, but take on board the one and only thing that lets David Lloyd down as a club.. and sadly its not something that they can do anything about... Kids. I don't like boys watching females change their clothes. Its creepy. I don't like kids rushing around screaming, when adults want to relax by the pool. I could list all the unhygienic and irritating things that kids do, but you get the idea. If you feel like being around other people's noisy bratty kids, is like being in a nightmare, then David Lloyd is not the club for you. If they ever wanted to build an adults-only pool? Or have adults-only changing rooms? Or cater for kids food in an area that is completely away from adults?. Then it would be THE perfect club. But at the moment, it is what it is... child friendly.. and if you're not, find another club.