Maryland Athletic Club

Friendly staff and a beautiful layout. Tons of cardio machines, free weights, and the best basketball court around (it’s never too crowded either). Pools are large and the hot tub seats 10 – 15 people without feeling like you are going to make contact with someone else. Place has a sauna too, as well as a nutrition snack bar type thing. They may even have two, as there are two primary sections to the gym. I’m very impressed by the gym and the staff, perfect amount of people in there at all times and the gym is massive and accommodated well.

Great group fitness classes and instructors
Clean facility and friendly staff
Customer orientated for sure and reasonable cost

Awesome gym! Great people!
I recently joined and I love the place but realized it’s just too far from where I live. This gym has everything! Really nice layout. Great basketball court. Management is great and canceling my membership was easy. If I ever move up that way I’ll join in a heartbeat.

My favorite gym ever. I have worked out in just about every type of gym in america. We have a gem here in Timonium. Everything is spotless and the machines work flawlessly. Basketball and GREAT classes. You definitely get get your moneys worth from this club.

As you may know, I’m a big fan of swimming. This has five saline pools! Most the staff is friendly but not the management staff. Hard sell place, but great facilities. Rehab area is separate from regular gym, which is nice if you want a more low-​key space to focus in. The two or more dance studios were awesome. They stopped Matte Pilates which was the only activity besides swimming which was helping me rehabilitate after an injury. Thank goodness for their little café, too. Saline is the best. Nice locker rooms, ample parking; suburbs are often great that way.

The MAC is perfect if you want to simply walk on the treadmill and use the machines, and not work up a sweat. And it you want to take the «good classes», they are VERY expensive add-​ons. However, if you’re at least a little serious, YOU CANNOT use the functional strength equipment like the plyo boxes, kettle bells, ropes, med. balls, Bosu Balls, etc. They are upstairs in two rooms on the landing, and you have to be with a personal trainer in a paid session! Even if you are experienced in working with this type of conditioning, the trainers give you grief and ask you to leave… in a smug way no less. Even if there are no personal training sessions going on, and the room is completely empty, they say you are not allowed to use the equipment. Even if you’re on the rower or a treadmill upstairs, you will be asked to leave the area. There are, however, a few pieces of equipment in the corner of the basketball court available. But who wants to workout in the back corner with basketballs flying around? The MAC simply wants to deter that type of training from members unless they are making additional revenue for personal training. They say liability is the reason. So does that mean you can’t drop a barbell or a dumbbell on your foot in the general weight area? It’s total BS. They wonder why members are leaving in droves to go to Brick Bodies; BB’s an area dedicated to functional training that anybody is welcome to use. The MAC is empty compared to 5 years ago. It used to be the best gym in town. Last year we even added our 10 year old who plays travel sports at the highest level to swim and play basketball. The Membership Sales Rep. said we could swim in the pool, which turned out to be a total lie. The first day we went to the pool to swim, they said he can only swim in the therapy pool during Family Swim Night with a bunch of babies and toddlers, or if he’s with a swim coach in a private or group class. There is a common theme going on at the MAC-​they just want to cater to a certain demographic of members, and too bad if that’s not what you want. It’s unfortunate, really, because it’s a great facility. The front desk folks are always nice, the locker rooms are always clean, and the equipment is great. There are other choices out there and I would suggest checking them out before committing to a year membership at the MAC.

I was a member of the gym for nearly a year. We moved and the location is a bit more inconvenient now, but it’s a wonderful gym with just about every class and piece of equipment you’ll ever need. The other gym goes are quite friendly and if you’re trying to get back into shape, you won’t feel uncomfortable/​judged as you would in other gyms.

We have gone to the family-​swim session every Friday in winter for over three years, no issues. Kids and I look forward to it every week, time for me to relax and spend time with my kids. They apparently changed the staff upfront. Two weeks ago they insisted that I have the wife’s access card and we could swim (she stays home so I can have some time with the kids). They wouldn’t let us in. Next week, brought the access card, nope, no swimming, new policy is wife has to be present the entire time we swim and in the pool. $ 900.00 a year so we can swim 15 times. There was no compromise by the MAC so we cancelled membership, they could not have cared less. Keep in mind that we were listed as her family for the family swim.

Great gym! The trainers are all friendly and know their stuff — I love the pool classes.

You get what you put into this place… Not worth the money if you only sometimes hit the gym to use a treadmill. Tons of free classes and multiple pools, plus a great café for post-​workout. Staff has always been friendly and helpful, and locker room facilities (womens at least) are great! The monthly rate dictates the nicer class of clientele at MAC!

Hi. I had signed and prepaid the membership for one year. I did not like their trainers they always wanted you to commit to more and more training, classes etc. No free help. Trainers are walking around doing nothing but if you call them for help, they will say «I am busy». I stopped using them. I think in one year I used the club for fewer than twenty times.
But the kicker is you think your contracts runs out it does not !!! They charged me an extra $ 79/​month for three month. So be careful when you cancel them. Read their contracts. Sign some cheaper club smaller club. They are useless, unhelpful.

WOW the MAC is awesome.
I love their classes, Pilates, MAC fusion, Group Power, yoga. I love their machines and I love their pool. I am a MAC worshiper. Their instructors are amazing and so great at motivating you to get healthy and fit. They are all about you.
This gym can be whatever you want it to be and people who work here will let you get there. For me it was a life changing experience, I recently turned 30 and my metabolism has changed and I gained some unwanted weight. In addition, I have a pretty sedimentary job. Here at MAC, I have learned to push and challenge myself physically and have fun doing it. This is what all gyms should be like.

Best gym in the area!
They have everything including 3 heated pools, hot tub, sauna etc.
The equipment is well maintained and always clean. They have a bit of everything for people of all fitness levels.
The membership is pricey when compared to the other gyms in the area, but this is the best one by far.
They have a free 7 day membership too if you’re skeptical.
I definitely recommend this gym!

The best gym I’ve been to in the area. Clean, spacious, and friendly — and there is something for everyone. Of course, it’s a bit steep in price per month, but if you can swing it, I think it’d be worth it.

We rejoined! It’s only 69 a month now– YAY! It’s an AWESOME gym! So clean, full of all types– buff folks for visuals, flabby folks so the rest of us feel at home!, a limitless amount of all types of machines; free weights; weight machines; circuit training; tons of classes, many free; in-​house cardiologist and physical therapist; 3 indoor saltwater swimming pools– 2 heated for therapy; a huge hot tub; saunas, steam room; Starbucks snack bar; old men that tell great dirty jokes in the locker room; and great physical trainers… It’s so cool to be back! (And if you join, mention me– I get a discount! (Michael S) :)!

I would give this gym 5 stars if it wasn’t so damn expensive.
I first joined the MAC in 2008 and only had my membership for a few months before switching to Golds because of the price. The MAC does have a very fair cancellation policy (which is more than I can say about every other gym I’ve been to) and they don’t rope you in for a year. A few months after leaving though, I was back again and paying for two memberships (the MAC plus the Golds that wouldn’t let me cancel) because the MAC is that nice of a facility and everywhere else in the area paled by comparison.
There is never a wait for a machine, the pool complex is really nice, there are tons of group exercise classes and they are adding new ones all the time. I just wish some of the times were a little more convenient for those of us that have 9 – 5 jobs. They also have a referral program, so I was able to reduce my dues at least a little bit that way. And I guess a good thing about the price is that it makes me go often so I don’t feel like I’m wasting my money.
If you can make it fit your budget, it’s a great gym to belong to. I have a baby on the way, so I guess I’ll be reevaluating that when she gets here, but if I do stay, it’s nice to know they provide good child care for when I would need it.

I have been a member here for a little over two years and can say that it is easily the most diverse, if also the most expensive, fitness center I have belonged to.
The MAC features a wide array of free weights and machines for weight work, as well as a variety of cardio equipment for use throughout the main facility. Cardio equipment is plentiful and spread throughout three areas, so privacy and availability are almost always a given.
Beyond the basics, the center also features a variety of exercise classes from Yoga to Zumba (and most other letters of the alphabet, really), as well as a basketball court and a variety of swimming pools for both lap and casual swimming and aerobics. Almost all are free with membership, so it’s worth trying out a few just to see what you like.
The other unique thing is the division of the gym into two halves, split by the pool area. The main portion is for regular work-​out seekers and is populated by mostly younger professionals looking for their regular «fix». The other half is a more casual and quiet area designed for the old and handicapped. The machines here are somewhat gentler and can be pre-​programmed using a chip reader, which is a unique way to assist in a person’s physical rehab or exercise plan.
Both parts of the facility are well maintained and monitored by fitness trainers and other personnel, all of whom are quiet helpful once engaged. This being a fee-​for-​service business, they will generally not offer you any free advice, but you can engage them sometimes to get more ideas.
A very good gym with only two drawbacks: 1. The price tag is substantially above all other gyms in Baltimore, this to compensate for the scale of the facility, and 2. The gym is closed on almost all holidays, which is odd given that the clientele is mostly busy professionals who may want a workout then.

I was a member several years ago when my budget really didn’t permit a $ 89/​mo (discounted fee). But I’m Back In Black baby and loving it. If you want to just pull on some weights real quick or hop on a treadmill & leave then Planet Fitness is the place for you. But always remember you get what you pay for. MAC is an experience. I drive from Woodlawn to Timonium in rush hour traffic just to have the privilege of working out here. I usually go at 6pm & I never have to wait for equipment, it’s a totally «no judgement» gym. All shapes, sizes & fitness levels are welcome. The staff is courteous. I enjoy cardio for about an hour then hope in the pool for a class. Choosing a gym is difficult and going faithfully is even more so. So why not go to a gym that offers more than just a space to workout.

This is a great gym! It has everything under one roof.
Friendly employees. Clean facilities (they close for 1 week in the summer to clean the gym from top to bottom — a 2 thumbs up in my book). Lots of cardio equipment in 3 different areas in the gym. Lots of strength training equipment, too. Huge schedule of classes. Indoor basketball court and swimming pool. Café serving Starbucks coffee. Chlld care. It has good hours so you can work out pretty much anytime of the day. There’s alot here and you do pay a significant monthly fee, but if you use the services, I think it pays. If your company has an arrangement, there are discounts.

I like to use this place to get a break from my regular gym. On the plus side, they have a lot of classes, and they’re free! I suggest the Monday morning pilates mat class with Michelle. They also have multiple pools, which are all very nice. And yay an indoor basketball court!
And now, stuff I don’t like: Some of the teachers have an attitude (I walked into a step class, and the teacher announces «IF YOU ARE NEW YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE.» I’ve been working out for years, I know what I’m doing clown.) The gym also feels remarkably cramped on the workout floor. Everything is too close together and it feels like you’re on top of people while working out.
That all being said, this is a good gym.