The Y Club

I visited on Feb. 9 with my partner for a one-​day pass. If you need a gym that has free martial arts classes (or if they currently offer some other specific class that you’ve been looking for), then this could be the economical choice for you– but if you have to drive here, forget about it.
Pros:
— location: across from Museum of Science and Industry, near Deansgate rail
— nicely-​sized, clean steamroom and dry sauna
— spacious shower areas
— pool layout, (unless you mind it that passersby can see in from the canal)
Cons:
— parking: the gated lot is a tight fit and frustratingly overcrowded
— pointedly unfriendly reception staff in the evening when I arrived (different from the people I spoke to over the phone, who were pleasant and informative)
— some machines seemed a bit wobbly
— placement of machines feels cramped
— men’s lockers (the lockers themselves) smelled rank
I didn’t use the weightroom at all, so can’t comment on it.

It doesn’t really matter what bells and whistles a gym offers, ultimately it has to fill the basic requirements of a good gym, which is to have all the necessary rooms, weights and machines, all of good quality, and numerous enough that a member doesn’t end up waiting eons to use them.
Unfortunately The Y Club lurches down the hurdles track with all the efficiency of a tank, and ends up with a sub-​par gym that’s cheap but not much else. Well, the pool is good, but other than that you end up tussling with the other patrons over limited equipment and getting generally pissed off.
You could say the environment is male focused, and the name would certainly suggest that, but any man actually interested in fitness would just end up going somewhere else, so I’m not really sure what they’re focusing at. Possibly morons.

From the outside the Y Club looks an idyllic gym. Situated literally on the picturesque canal at the 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 the 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.

This gym is not one for girls I reckon. The gym is not the plush city centre gym I was expecting. This place is predominantly male and the gym is probably better suited to those who want to go and pump some iron. I hate to say it but I like my gym to be a little retreat — well what is wrong with a little luxury? I know, I know… gyms should be functional and this one certainly is but it’s just not my cup of tea. Although I must give brownie points for central location and the rather large pool, I love swimming and find it hard to find good pools nearby. If you do want to test drive this one when deciding what gym to go you want to join they seem happy to let you get a day pass so you can make your own mind up. PS: I will also mention that if I were partial to a game of squash or two this place has two courts to offer– I have no hand eye coordination so that rules me out.

If there’s one thing I hate about gym’s its feeling self concious, and if you have ever walked into a trendy city centre gym, you may know what I mean!
At the Y Club it’s differnt, it offers all the facilities to match any of the swanky modern Gym’s in the city, but what separates it from them, is the friendly, family oriented atmosphere and lack of pretension.
Basically it has something for everyone, from relaxing sauna’s and spa treatments, to sweaty weight room’s, studio classes and many sport Clubs
Want to enjoy the gym but can’t get a babysitter — then stick them in the Saturday kids club which is held in the main sports hall — great!
Thumbs up from me all round