Are YMCA gym facilities generally good?
My college is located in a rural area outside a small town. The campus gym sucks, just dumbells, a bunch of smith machines, hardly any room to deadlift, and NO FUCKING SQUAT RACK. I checked the gyms in town and they’re equally as terrible, except the YMCA, which was closed. So before the YMCA reopens, I’m curious if there’s a shot in hell the facility wont suck ass.
I used to work out in a Y back home that had an upstairs machine circuit area (full of fairly new stuff, bright, clean), but also had a grimy old room downstairs that they called ‘The Dungeon.’ Actually, no one other than the lady who gave me the tour called it that, but I could see why.
Thankfully, its appearance served to keep it relatively empty, and it had a couple squat racks, benches, T-bar and cable rows, and a cable tower (shaped like a lowercase ‘n’), so was actually rather nicely equipped. Anyway, you’ve at least got a decent shot, especially if it’s an older facility.
I train at a Y now, and it’s actually pretty cool, all old weights, rusting 45’s. Nice old school feel, despite like little kids walking around, but whatever, I like the place were I train at.
YMCAs differ tremendously. The one I go to has a small weight room, but if you go at the right times it isn’t busy. A power cage, squat rack, three benches, incline, dip station, cables, few other things. I certainly serves its purpose for me.
I went to the YMCA several times with my girlfriend. I found the quality of the workout is totally dependent on which time of day you go there. For instance if you go at 6 pm you will have a lot of people, that are not only wasting there own time from not doing anything correctly, but wasting your time because they are taking up precious equipment that you COULD be using.
The Y is far better now that school is in and you don’t have packs of 15-year-olds curling in the squat rack during the day. A couple of hours before lunch or right after the lunch crowd leaves seem to be the best times, if you can go during the day, otherwise, as DanErickson said, avoid 6 pm and try to go closer to closing time (my Y closes at 10).
I am a member of the YMCA here in my town…
The things offered differ greatly form one to the next…
One Y has a full skating park with a full sized olympic swimming pool open year round and the one I am at now has a smaller outdoor swimming pool with a steam room…
The weights differ too. The one by me now is filled with prison type weights (old ass weights that have TEXAS WEIGHTS on them)
Dumbbells that are solid with the weight amount embossed on the side, rusting…
I love it…
My whole family can go to any Y in town for $64 a month. I have a membership to a hard-core gym too…
Solid
I go to the Y back home. It’s pretty much the same as everyone else says. Good equipment, it definitely gets the job done. The only thing is that you have to deal with a bunch of retards that have no idea what they’re doing. At the Y in my town especially, there seems to be a common theme of guys with very well developed upper bodies and toothpick legs.
I’d say give it a shot, they usually have good student rates too.
-dizzle
Thanks for the replies. Hopefully my local Y is as good as the ones around you guys.
It’s unbelievable that people are satisfied with crappy gyms. The bare minimum I require is a squat rack, a bench, some dumbbells, and a little space to deadlift. Back at home I could spend $200 for the necessary equipment and essentially build a better gym in my parents basement than the crap around here. But what really amazes me is that college athletes, COLLEGE LEVEL ATHLETES, workout in these awful facilities. Unbelievable. Anyway, I’m ranting. bleh