David Lloyd is the 5 star hotel of the gym world. It is all about appearances and the polished…read morewooden parquet flooring and immaculate squash courts look like they will not tolerate their patrons in anything but designer gym gear and the latest trainer. Well, thats me shot then- I am quite happy pumping some iron in my velour tracksuit bottoms from Primark that have seen better days and my faded Superman vest top, but this will not do at David Lloyd, oh no! The receptionists here are a little scary, they remind me of my Home Economics teacher at school who would take no-nonsense from anybody and gym members give audible sighs of relief when they get past these formidable gatekeepers. The gym itself is gorgeous and the facilities are unparalleled. There are 8 indoor and 4 outdoor tennis courts, 4 badminton courts and 3 squash courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a kids' splash pool. The gym is large and full with the latest gym equipment but I find its open plan layout slightly intimidating. You almost feel like a dressage pony on display as you battle the stepper but you can distract yourself with the tv screens dotted around. The wet facilities are superb and I have to admit, I will work out for 30 mins but spend three times as long in the lovely steam room, sauna and whirlpool jacuzzi. David Lloyd is all about the changing rooms; totally gorgeous and clean, they have hairdryers and you don't have to risk electrocution or embarrassment by sticking your head underneath an awkward hand dryer. This is not just a gym, it is a day out! The restaurant is great and you can undo all your good work and have a tasty sandwich or larger lunch if you fancy. There is an internet cafe and a tv lounge to relax in, and a hair and beauty salon- this is a posh home away from home. There is a great creche with lovely staff to mind your cherubs( for a fee of course) and I would totally endorse it. There has to be a but though hasn't there? The "but" here is the membership fee- it is a pricey deal here and I will not lie that you can go abroad for the same amount as the gym's annual fee. My quote for full membership was nearly £900 a year and although there are several levels of membership packages- a useful 3 month flexible membership has caught my eye- you are over paying for the privilege of this place. Posers paradise, stunning sauna, cracking changing rooms and amazing atmosphere is David Lloyd in a nutshell.

This gym looked the part as we were shown around by a member of staff and told of all the wonderful…read morebe if it's a family can have working out together, swimming and generally enjoying our time at the gym. However, once a member the reality sets in. Children under 10 cannot use the facilities in the gym and can only swim with a life guard on duty. This was not the information they tell you upon joining and only when you try and use the facilities are you informed of the restrictions. The life guards are almost never on duty even when the weather is amazing and you feel like using the outdoor pool. As others have stated it is a posers palace but not the clean nice place that others think it is. If the reception on 5* then they must think premier inn is a five star hotel. Facilities are basic and not in great shape and whole place is tried. During COVID things have gotten much worst and therefore I'm staying away from what now must be COVID central. Low standards of hygiene and have just been informed that air con is not working and the spa is closed due to technical issues. £168 a month for a family of 3 and most of it is off limits. No thank you.

This is a top class bodybuilding and power lifting gym. The equipment and the atmosphere are both…read morefirst class. Thoroughly recommended for anybody who is serious about training. It also has free wifi and car parking. It's what you might call 'old school' with nothing fancy, just exactly what you want to get in, focus, and get your training done. Everybody is friendly and shares a hard training mentality. Check out the website cattsgym.co.uk for info.

This is a well known bodybuilding gym in Wigan. Everyone you meet in there will be more than your…read morecasual gym go-ers you may see in the Total Fitness and JJB gyms not too far away. This may be a plus or a negative for you going here it all depends on your viewpoint. As a bodybuilding gym it has everything you'd expect, heavy weights and good equipment all around. If your into serious training you wont feel out of place here. Good place to go if you dont like the more commercially orientated ones in the area

Target Fitness offers four different membership packages with the most expensive being about 35…read morepounds a month. It offers a pretty good selection of classes, and has two swimming pools, a large and a small. The gym itself is upstairs cardio machines and weight machines and mats with freeweights, with a more hardcore weights room next door. Most of the machines are pretty new and in good working order. A few of the exercise bikes need some TLC and a couple of the seats dont adjust anymore on the weight machines. The cross trainers are excellent and have some really challenging interval settings on them. Don't expect all the heart rate monitoring plates on the machines to work either. The free weights area has a good range of weights benches and balance boards, including those irritating vibration plate things. As for classes they do all the usual Body Pump/Vive etc as well as yoga, tabata training and Spinning and many others; all are available on the website for you to look at. I attend the Spinning most frequently and you can pretty much go every day of the week if you are a sadist, though you have to book early but can get the odd last minute appointment if you're lucky. The instructors are friendly and make the classes fun and I would really recommend them. I haven't used the pool but I mean it's a pool it looks ok. Blue and splashy. The female members changing has three showers, two cubicles and a lot of lockers. All good here. Opening hours are pretty good, 6:30 till 10pm in the week, 9-5 on saturdays and open till nine pm on sundays SO hard to find excuses not to go. So if you are looking for a midprice gym that is there when you want it I would recommend Target, but if you can afford more, you can probably get better machines at a posher gym.

Regular to this gym, welcomed friendly service, cheap prices for a workout. Good range of equipment…read moreie runners, free weights, rowers, toning machines. There are wide range of aerobic classes on and sunbed centre within the gym which are very competitive priced. Toilet/showers facilitys are clean and drinks to enjoy after your workout. Also members are friendly and will help you out if you need it.

Withington 'Baths' is a seriously old school swimming pool - and has played host to entire…read moregenerations of South Mancunian schoolchildren who have been dragged their by their teachers in the pursuit of being taught how to swim. I should know, I was one of them (as was my Dad). I still have incredibly fond memories of the place - this huge Victorian monument to the pursuit of health, which towered over Withington belching out steam and chlorine fumes. The changing rooms smelt of feet, and our swimming teachers ranged from the disinterested to the downright sadistic. I still have nightmares about having to dive into the pool in my pyjamas in order to locate a plastic brick from its slimy depths. I still go to the baths occasionally for a quick swim, as well as to sweat out various accumulated impurities in its sauna. Not much has changed since my primary school days. The main tiled pool still looks slightly dilapidated, the lockers still look as though someone's been going around headbutting them, and the building still looks like an old Victorian sanitorium for the mentally disturbed. Yet, it still provides a vital service to the local Withington community, and is great value for money. And, it's nice to know that whilst Withington may be changing all the time, the baths is still a small moment of the past suspended in time - always different yet always the same.

If you're looking for an affordable place to keep fit, or just want to go casually for a swim/gym…read moresession/fitness class this place is ideal. I'm not one for being tied down. In gym contracts I mean. So, this centre is great for me. You can pay monthly for under 30 (student and Manchester city council workers have discounts) or just pay as you go. There'a pool, gym with free weights as well as cardio equipment, and a dance studio for classes. Everything you need really minus the swanky changing rooms and posh jacuzzi. But then, you're not being charged the Earth either!

The reason i like this gym so much is because they're is a womens only area so i don't feel…read moreuncomftable infront of men. I can hyre a personal trainer as well if i want. I even do classes such as keep fit, yoga

This gym has been open for over 10 years and it going through improvements all the time. The gym…read morehas good facilities overall which includes, steam room, sauna, hydrotherapy room, table tennis, café, ladies private gym, three separate classroom with punching bags and obviously not forgetting the two large gym areas. The car park has unfortunately been closed as the Ellesmere centre is taking it back. The gym has lines full of cardio machines and you won't be waiting for any of these types of machines. The weigh lifting area can get busy during peak times but you will this find that they have a more than one of everything to avoid queues and waiting times.

Total Fitness Wigan is a great facility but is not for everyone, it is very large and can get very…read morebusy at times so if you are somebody who can be a bit conscious while working out a smaller gym may be better. The facilities are what you would expect from a large multinational chain, there is a very large gym with lots and lots of machines, so many that you should need to wait your turn at any point, the free weights area is also very large. The pool is large and is accompanied by a hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room, plunge pool and Jacuzzi. If you fancy a game of squash or would like to join one of the many classes then this gym is for you.

I'd been a traditional gym member for years after getting into the habit of going whilst at…read moreuniversity, but I became aware that I wasn't really pushing myself and had seriously plateaued fitness-wise. It was a trip to see some friends down in London which changed all this. Walking past Clapham Common I saw a large group of people wearing coloured bibs running and doing different exercises whilst under the instruction of three blokes in camouflage trousers. Making out that their t-shirts had 'BMF' on them I was intrigued so did an internet search (http://www.britmilfit.com/) when I got back home. Fast forward three-and-a-half years and I've not been in a gym since. The great outdoors has become my cross trainer, treadmill and step machine (cheesy yet true). The BMF philosophy is simple: outdoor fitness with like-minded folk by qualified and passionate former military instructors. Though some people might think this sounds intimidating it's not at all, everyone is welcoming and encouraging regardless of your fitness level. Personally, I love going to Heaton Park in particular. Not only because it's a huge park with different terrains and parts of it are stunning, but the people who attend every week are one of the main reasons you keep going back. Everyone motivates you and you can have a laugh during the sessions, all whilst getting the heart pumping and fat burned away. The aforementioned bib colours correspond to your fitness level with beginners (blue), intermediate (red) and advanced (green). Classes start with a warm up followed by at least 50 minutes of individual, paired and team exercises, ending with a cool down and stretches. The beauty of the classes is that no two are the same, each one differs in park location and exercise choices, that's what keeps it interesting compared to a standard gym session. Tip: Your first class is free and there is no obligation to join. Just fill out the online form to enroll before you go. Tip: A decent pair of outdoor running shoes is all you really need. Other than that, an old t-shirt on top and shorts, tracksuit bottoms or running leggings are ideal. In winter, base layer top and bottoms are recommended as well. Tip: Some parks also hold a dedicated 'Running Club' session which is at the same time as a normal class.