Gyms and/or Personal Trainers

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  • #586170

    MissK
    Member

    Hello,

    As the New Year comes upon us so do the resolutions. I would like to kick start my fitness routine. I would love to find a gym or personal trainer that is in West Seattle. I belonged to All Star a few years back. I would like to get your take on the different gyms or your personal trainers. Also if you could include the cost that would be great too.

    Thanks so much and Happy New Year

    #613312

    WSB
    Keymaster

    MissK – before we moved RRRs to the Forums, we did have a thread on which some recommendations were requested and made, just a few weeks ago – check out the comments here:

    https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=4665

    #613313

    MissK
    Member

    Hmmm, thanks. I just checked it out and there weren’t many recs on their for gyms and/or trainers. The links didn’t work.

    I guess I will have to just research it out myself. :-(

    #613314

    proudmary
    Member

    As far as I know there are 3 gyms: Allstar, YMCA and 24 hour fitness. Where you are located may influence which one is best for you: Allstar and the Y are further north, while 24Hr is in the south part of west Seattle.

    I researched this a year ago, and I think that the Y and Allstar are both great. I went with Allstar, just felt better there and it cost less. I love it, particularly all the classes.

    #613315

    Sue
    Participant

    There is a personal training studio in the Junction called Fitness Together. I have not tried it out, but was interested in doing so at some point. From what I understand, you work one on one with trainers in your own private workout room. I am not sure if you can go in and use the aerobic machines when you’re not doing training though. They do offer a free first session, so you could check it out. there are reviews on Citysearch for a different area location that were positive. I have no idea about the price though. Their website is http://www.ftwestseattle.com

    #613316

    JanS
    Participant

    Sue…interesting…thanks. Is it me or are others suspect about a place who won’t post it’s rates/prices…? Interesting franchise…looks like they’re all over the country…

    #613317

    Sue
    Participant

    Jan, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gym that posts its prices on a website, so for that particular service, I wouldn’t necessarily be suspect. But I do find it annoying. If I’ve got $X available for a membership, I don’t care what kind of glitz and song & dance you show me when I get in, I can still only afford $X, even if I think it’s worth more. So I do wish gyms would post a price and just not waste either of our time with the hard-sell nonsense.

    The main reason I haven’t checked out Fitness Together is the fact that it’s up a flight of stairs. (It’s over near where the 8 Limbs Yoga is, with alley access.) With my knees, I just can’t walk up a flight of stairs easily (especially since my surgery), yet I can work out for an hour with no problem. I had to leave another gym downtown for the same reason. I guess they figure that if you work out, you won’t mind a flight of stairs, but it’s a purely structural issue that doesn’t keep me from working out, just from doing stairs.

    I tried googling to see if anybody had prices listed. A FT in Miami charges $70/hr. Another site (location unknown) said it ranges $65-$85/session. Based on what I paid for personal training downtown, I would think those prices are probably similar to what it would be here, but that’s just my assumption. I would also assume that they have packages where you pay less if you buy more sessions.

    I used to use a trainer downtown, but I made a deal with her to only see her 1/2 hour at a time, so I saved money that way. I don’t need a trainer to watch me on the bike or elliptical, so I did that before my 1/2 hour started. Somehow I doubt that FT would allow that, and you’d probably have to spend the whole hour with them.

    #613318

    CMP
    Participant

    I wouldn’t recommend All Star Fitness, but I’m basing that on their pool only. The lifeguards are awful and the pool lanes are not organized by speed, which is really annoying for faster swimmers. And there always seemed to be a problem with something breaking, whether it was the pool heater, hot tub or sauna. As far as the classes offered, I liked some of the Spin instructors and there was a large variety, which was nice. Overall, it seemed like a cheesy place and I’m glad that I quit, but other members seemed quite satisfied with ASF. 24 Hour Fitness doesn’t seem too bad and at least it has great hours!

    #613319

    JoshSutton
    Member

    you can find the prices for the YMCAs in West Seattle online here:

    http://www.seattleymca.org/files/22/Membershipbroch907.pdf

    #613320

    Keith
    Member

    I started working out at Fitness Together in October and I really like it. You do your cardio on your own, whenever you want — it’s not part of your session with a trainer. I’ve worked out with all the trainers at FT and they’re all great, very focused, encouraging and knowledgeable.

    The prices do indeed vary depending on what sort of package you purchase and I think the range Sue mentioned (60-80) is about right. I was expecting a hard sell approach when I went in but it wasn’t like that at all.

    I used to work out at All Star. Loved the pool/spa/steam room and some of the classes were good, but I’m getting much better results with FT.

    #613321

    Sue
    Participant

    Keith, that’s good to know about FT, doing the cardio on your own. I always thought it pointless to pay a trainer $70 an hour to hang out with their friends at the gym while I was on a cardio machine and periodically come over and say “how’s it going?” That’s what happened in another gym I used to go to.

    If you have a package at FT for, lets say, 2 sessions a week, can you then go in another 4 days that week just to do cardio? And is that included in the package price you pay?

    Maybe I’ll check them out after my never-ending stint in physical therapy.

    #613322

    Keith
    Member

    Sue, yes you can go in and do cardio any time you want at no extra charge. I find it more convenient to do my cardio after a workout, but if you want to spend six days a week in there you certainly can!

    The caveat: there are only three machines – a treadmill, a bike and an elliptical. So far I’ve never had to wait for one, nor have I ever seen anyone waiting.

    #613323

    eigenwijs
    Member

    I’d be interested in hearing more about All Star Fitness. I belong to 24 Hour Fitness and am considering a switch. I currently pay about $21/month at 24HF and was quoted $50/month by ASF. There are way more options at ASF, which makes the extra $$ almost worth it – pool, women’s only workout area, climbing wall, etc. The 24HF facility is small, and at peak times (5 PM – 7 PM) is VERY crowded – members are asked to limit their time on the cardio equipment to 20 minutes when it’s busy. I’m sorry – but if I am going through the effort to get to the gym, I want to work out for how long I want to work out and 20 minutes just isn’t worth it!

    Some other things I am not satisfied with are the temperature – it’s very warm at 24HF. Often I am sweaty before I even get on a machine! They also don’t seem to have any cell phone policy, and I have had to listen to someone’s lengthy conversation about what they did last night a few too many times. With the demand on equipment, you can’t really just pick up and move to another machine, so you are held hostage listening to the phone call.

    So any input on ASF and whether making the switch is worth it would be appreciated!

    #613324

    SA
    Member

    eigenwijs,

    I recently joined ASF in my quest for triathlon glory. :) The price of $50/month is accurate and is even cheaper if you pre-pay for the full year as they give you an extra three months free… thus 15 months for $600.

    I’ve had the chance to try 24HF a couple of times and much prefer ASF. I’m a big fan of the pool, the spin classes (Ed and Stacy are great instructors) and the weights/strength equipment although I think the cardio equipment is old and mostly crap… my tennis club has better cardio equipment.

    Other than for spin classes I rarely use the club during peak hours so I can’t tell you how busy all the equipment is. However, parking is limited during these times so you can expect to park on the street.

    Hope this helps. :)

    #613325

    Kata
    Member

    I’ve had a membership at ASF since September, and have been pretty happy with it. The pluses, to me, are the quantity and variety of equipment available (aerobics machines, weight machines and free weights), and the fact that I’ve never seen it so crowded that I couldn’t get on the machine I wanted. I do wish they kept the women’s locker room cleaner, and had staff available on the 3rd floor to deal with problems that might arise. But on the whole, I’ve found it a really good deal for the money.

    #613326

    nekonoir
    Member

    There is also the X-Gym on Alki. (Or is that Harbor Ave?)

    It’s a personal training gym. I used to go there and really liked it, but ummm, then I got lazy.

    #613327

    jojofrenchfry
    Participant

    Has anyone used the trainers at Allstar? How much do they charge?

    #613328

    swimcat
    Member

    I wouldn’t recommend All-Star to work out. It’s dirty and the employees are lazy, which is being too nice. How hard could it be to post a sign in the women’s gym stating “Rerack your weights after use”? I would spend half my workout time looking for dumbbells (which they need to order more of). And the pool staff is incompetent and dangerous. If you’re not a good swimmer I wouldn’t dip my toe in that pool; if you started to drown I doubt the lifeguards would notice, and if they did, they probably wouldn’t know how to save your life. I’m glad I quit that gym and now do my own thing at home, outside, and at the city pools with the same effect and better peace of mind.

    #613329

    BB
    Member

    You should check out X-Gym on Alki. It WORKS if you are up to the challenge.

    #613330

    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hey m, I was in the women’s gym at All-Star last night. There is a sign that says “Rerack your weights after use.” Actually, I didn’t see anything out of place. I’ve only gone there twice now (just this week, as a guest, as I’m checking out local gyms) and so far I like it. I am going to try a spinning class next — looks like the Friday evening spins are wide open for more participants! : ) How long ago were you a member there?

    #613331

    swimcat
    Member

    I quit at the end of November- I’m glad they are making improvements. Too little, too late for me though!

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