Optimal Sport 1315 – Gym

I cannot say enough nice things about this gym. The staff is super friendly, it’s extremely clean and I feel very comfortable there. I will be a member for life. In my opinion there’s no better gym in the city.

Cannot say enough about this gym, not only have I reached goals beyond my expectation, I am constantly cheered on by the owners and trainers when I workout! This is the best gym in the city! Hands down!

Truly outstanding gym. The staff and trainers are excellent. I have done their Optimal Workout group training class for almost two years. I love that the workouts change up every two weeks, allowing me to have constantly fresh, challenging workouts. The Optimal Workout is definitely the best value from any gym I’ve seen in Philadelphia.
The hours are great and the facilities are always spotlessly clean. I can’t say enough good things about this place!

Nice gym, nice staff… too bad they scam their members by not telling them they route their billing through an external company which requires 30 day notice to cancel.

Awesome gym and great staff. It’s smaller than most gyms but it’s got everything that you need and it’s clean. Had a small little issue with my membership but Paul Krowicki was quick to fix it. If you’re looking for a great gym that’s not seriously packed like other places, great price, friendly staff, look no further.

I’ve been a member for about 2 weeks and I am LOVING this place. After browsing Unilocal to help me figure out which gym to join, I noticed that some of the others in the area were either really expensive or had hidden fees. As a broke student, I was looking for a good gym at a decent price and came across Optimal through Unilocal.
I went for a tour and signed up while I was there for a student membership. Everyone here, both staff and members, are all really friendly. There isn’t one specific type of person that this gym caters to. Also, there’s a pretty big variety of equipment depending on what your fitness goals are. Props for having a stair master, (not the scary one where the stairs move, just the one where the pedals move)!! Classes are included in the membership, with exception of the Optimal class. I went to yoga last week and the instructor was very nice and gave a lot of modifications depending on your level. The whole place, including locker rooms, is really clean.
They don’t have a pool or tanning, but that is fine with me. If you’re looking for a good gym, no frills, and a decent price definitely check this place out.

I’ve been coming here since Optimal took over in Feb 2012. It could not be more convenient for me and the overall vibe is very inviting and contemporary. The staff treats me well, they know my name and make me feel welcome.
Having limited space in the city can’t be easy but these guys make it work, great open flow and I never feel cramped.
Although I realize that I am just one of many members, I’m not treated like a number at 1315.

Best gym in the city. Friendly staff, clean environment. Overall an excellent value

Update — got an notice of failure of payment as my credit card company automatically replace the card I used for automatic payment. I made an manual payment as soon as possible and got another email saying I owed a bank handling fee. Confused, I contacted the manager Paul mentally prepared to pay the fee as merchants usually did not take responsibility on such issue. Paul replied me within 24 hours and promised me he would make sure the fee is waived despite working on an emergency shut-​down of the gym. I am now a happy customer feeling very fortunate that I found this gym!

I’ve been a member of Optimal Sport at 1315 Walnut St. for a couple months. While it is on the small side, they seem to have every piece of equipment that you would need and have some quality classes. I’ve tried yoga, and the Friday ab and upper body workout, which were both very good. The yoga classes, especially the Wednesday class with Kelly, are just as good as you would get paying $ 10+ at a studio! I hope to try the Optimal Workout, which is a group training course that costs extra, sometime soon as I hear good things. The gym is very affordable and the locker room/​showers are clean and have some pretty powerful shower heads. It is usually not very crowded, so it is easy to find an available workout station and shower.
My biggest issue with the gym is the music. They play the same 10 – 15 terrible songs over and over. I once heard them put on the radio to an okay station but then they switched it back to their regular playlist halfway through a decent song. I often arrive while one song is playing and then hear that same song again as I walk to the locker room.
I received a free physical assessment from Victoria Lipson-​Dickson who was very thorough in assessing my physical weaknesses and strengths. I decided to purchase 3 training sessions from her, which were discounted at the time. Victoria really helped me become conscious of my posture and improve my form while teaching me some new exercises and stretches that I never knew existed! She was very informative and patient with me as it took me a few tries to get each exercise right. What I learned during those 3 sessions will help me down the road since I will know how to stretch for a workout and will use proper form and not injure myself. If you are looking for a trainer, even just for a few sessions, I recommend Victoria.

I tried out Optimal gym at both of their locations. The 1315 location is a lot better with more room and easier to find. The entrance is not on Walnut street but to the side next to the bakery.
The equipment here is standard machines and weights with not a whole lot of variety in equipment. They do have kettlebells which I like to use and they have a variety of sizes in them which can be hard to find in some other gyms. I took a couple of the classes too. The yoga classes were decent and I really liked the Optimal workout which had a little bit of everything in it. I thought it was a really good class to get back in shape.
Optimal seemed like a very clean gym and was never too busy when I went there in the evenings, but is kind of small.

I’ve only gone a few times, but I love it already. From day one (when I was given the tour) till now, everyone was exceptional. I was greeted each time I walked through the door. I was even checked up on to see if everything is ok and if I had any questions.
My first gym session was the Optimal Training class with Erik. He was GREAT! I was new to the class, so he was able to give me the rundown without slowing down the rest of the class. He really paid attention to everyone and pointed out what we each could do to improve ourselves. After the session was over, I could barely walk up the stairs! LOL. NO PAIN NO GAIN! It was a great feeling getting in a nice workout after over a year and a half of not working out. He kept things interesting by doing different things. Really enjoyed it.
The gym itself is beyond clean! During my tour, the first thing I really noticed was how clean the locker room was! OMG… I was amazed. Another thing I really liked is that they have tons of different types of weight machines and free weights as well. I haven’t used the free weights yet, but I have used some of the machines (eliptical, abs, and some legs). Each one I was on definately hit the spot and I felt the burm.
The price is very reasonable, especially for being in the city. I’m glad I was able to find this gem of a gym. Clean, nice staff, great equipment… can’t really ask for much more than that!

Great local gym. Since getting new owners and becoming part of the Optimal team, this place has turned around a lot. There is new equipment and very friendly staff. Owners/​managers are very responsive to members. It sort of feels like a family. For the price it can’t be beat.

I joined for few months while in the city but harder than hell to get them to stop taking money. Even after notification 90 days had to file a complaint with bank. It was just ugly. Not anything more special than a planet fitness.

I stopped by the gym with a temporary pass while traveling to the city for work. I was really impressed by the space, the service, and the equipment.
–While there I went during slow times and peak times. I found that I could always get a good workout and that the few times I asked to work in that people were very friendly.
–While not a huge space, they layout makes it so easy to navigate and there is room to breathe between machines.
–The facilities are perfectly clean and well maintained. I’m pretty picky about a clean bathroom/​locker room so I really appreciated their attention here.
–The people at the desk and the floor were all extremely friendly and helpful.
— All this and I found out the cost of the gym is a fraction of my NYC standard. If I lived in the area I would definitely be here everyday!!!
-****Maybe it’s time to expand further north!!! ****

Optimal at 1315 Walnut is a great place; probably the best gym deal in the city. The staff are welcoming and friendly, the place is spotlessly clean and there’s plenty of equipment so that there’s never a wait for anything. It’s made it much easier and pleasanter to keep to a fitness routine. Good job, Optimal!

Been at this gym since it opened because I was over the cost and pretentiousness of some other gyms in the area. The gym just works from cardio equipment, weight areas, training and group classes. I’ve done one-​on-​one training, the optimal work out and my own things, and the place feels like home. Everyone is super friendly and literally know your name. I’d say check it out … It’s worth it for the experienced gym rat to the person looking to get a good push!

Clean, newer equipment, very nice staff. Reasonable cost. If you want a nice gym with adequate machines, classes, and cardio equipment that isn’t super crowded every day at 5:30, this may be the place for you. Also, I love the convenience of having one location near my office and one near my apartment.
BUT, if you’re looking for a gym to do a free weights routine (Starting Strength and the like, which are popular right now) I will warn you this may not be the right gym. There is only one squat rack (and now there is one at their Curtis Center location too). The gym’s not really set up for deadlifting, and good luck finding a spot if you want to do cleans. Also, I deducted one star for the nonstop top 40 pop/​techno music. Ugh; bring headphones.

At first the idea of working out at my corporate gym seemed great. When things get slow, just hop down to the gym and get a quick workout in, but over time it was what it was, a corporate gym.
So I began an odyssey to find a new gym. I’ve been a member at PSC but it’s just not close enough to me, 12^th Street is great but it was too crowded at the times that I worked out. I found Optimal on Unilocal and signed up for a 7 day pass without any real expectations.
As of today I’ve finished my first week as a member and I love this place. First thing I noticed during my trial was how immaculately clean it was. This can’t be said for some of the other gyms I tried out which was a real eye opener. Second was the people. Tony is the manager and never once pressured me to sign up. In fact I approached him when I was ready to join. He’s really a great ambassador for the gym. The trainers are incredibly nice and really seem invested in the gym members. They actually got me to take some classes which I’ve never done before. I’ve been going to the gym regularly for 6 years and I have never endured the kind of ass kicking I got from Rebbecca and Mike… but in a good way.
Really though what I like most about this place is how I feel when I go. Its hard to describe but I really felt comfortable within a few days of going here and I’ve never completely had that feeling before. My girlfriend is signing up as soon as her cancellation at Sweat is complete and I have recommended this place to all my friends.

What happens when the best group of trainers in Philadelphia are asked to work, they revamp a well known space into one of the most creative and well thought out gyms in the city.
Not only is the space plan perfect, the equipment, class offerings, personal attention from staffing and energy are all over the top!
If you want, or need, to re-​energize your fitness plan, you have a new spot in Philly that is ready to pump up your energy. Say hello goals.