I'm finally getting around to joining a gym in NC now. Just want to get some input on it. It's a requirement that the place have a gym where I can play basketball so that really narrows my choices. Seems pretty inexpensive for people my age (Young Adult's -- up to age 28 -- pay only $32 a month -- that may be more than some of you pay but it's literally half of what I paid in CA).

I pretty much only use free weights, so any input on to the free weight section would be great. Also, do they have more than one squat or power rack? I hate having to wait like 30 minutes just to my squats.

I know I can find all this out when I go check it out, but any reviews would be fine too...

10/13/2009 9:55:28 AM

I'm not homeless, if that's what you're referring to.

10/13/2009 9:59:14 AM

Thanks...

I'm sure at least ONE of you has been in there? No?

10/13/2009 10:16:19 AM

The basketball courts aren't very good and the gym equipment is terrible. This was over 2 years ago before the big renovation. I dont know what all was upgraded since then.

The golds gym in North Hills was much better around that time frame except the basketball court wasn't full size.

10/13/2009 2:10:38 PM

The Cary YMCA is really nice.

10/13/2009 2:11:39 PM

ha

as if they didn't change anything after the renovation

10/13/2009 2:12:16 PM

lol...

I went and toured/joined this morning. BBall courts are smaller than full size but everything is really nice. They just re-did the floors in August I guess so they are really good and the baskets are nice.

The actual workout area is a bit smaller than I would like but they have everything I need. Just probably will have to wait in peak times, though I will only be working out during the day until I find an 8-5er and then will likely work out before work exclusively after that, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Facilities were A LOT nicer than anything at my gym in Cali... I'm paying $32 a month, which is fine...

10/13/2009 2:29:40 PM

I would go there as an away member; they have a really good barber.

10/13/2009 2:34:12 PM

Quote :

"I'm not homeless, if that's what you're referring to."

damn, beat me to it.

10/13/2009 2:42:42 PM

I go there every weekday. Great facility.

I do mostly free weights and have never needed anything that wasn't there. They have two squat racks and a smith machine. 3 or 4 barbell benches. They have 2 sets of every weight dumbell up to ~50 pounds, then just one set per. There's a whole other room with machines for circuit training which also includes another large dumbell set going up to 40 pounds and includes swiss balls, steps, etc.

It's nicer than a lot of gyms I've been to.

10/13/2009 4:07:44 PM

how much is it to just sign up and audit like one one hour class at ncsu, under lifetime student, this should give you access to the gym?? You dont even have to go to the class, or maybe even an online class to audit. 32 dollars a month thats 384/ year, which isnt bad, but NCSU's gym is def nicer than any YMCA. if one one hour class is only like 150 a symester, then you might want to look into it, of course, i really dont know how much this class would cost, just thought it would be interesting to look into

10/13/2009 4:10:23 PM

[Edited on October 13, 2009 at 4:14 PM. Reason : bah that's for employees]

10/13/2009 4:12:46 PM

So is there a leg extension/leg curl machine? I haven't seen one yet...

V haha... so where is the circuit room... didn't see it...

[Edited on October 26, 2009 at 6:57 PM. Reason : x]

10/26/2009 6:51:54 PM

There's a good number of leg machines in the circuit room.

10/26/2009 6:56:12 PM

man if you can afford the ymca youre too rich to be homeless, i tried that shit in portland

10/26/2009 6:59:34 PM

Its down that little hallway next to the racquetball courts. Tons of machines.

They also have a good number of steps, exercise balls and free weights in there.

10/26/2009 7:01:01 PM

Lets work out together sometime

I'm the guy in the cutoff and really short shorts.

10/26/2009 7:18:09 PM

how good are the racquetball courts there?

is it worth the $95 startup fee and $32/mo if you're just playing racquetball?

10/26/2009 7:39:30 PM

They look nice to me, though I probably couldn't tell the difference between a nice court and sub-par one.

10/27/2009 9:01:55 AM

pay $10/month for planet fitness and visit a city park for bball

10/27/2009 9:16:34 AM

or just pay somebody $5 to work out in their barn like in Rocky IV

10/27/2009 9:19:43 AM

hiking up mountain ridgelines in russia is free (minus airfare)

10/27/2009 9:23:52 AM

Been going there for over a year and I love it. I hardly ever go during peak hours but when I do getting to a specific machine / bench I want can sometimes be a pain, but people are a lot more friendly and genuinely don't seem to care if you ask to work a set in. Probably all of the Christian messages they subtly shove down everyone's throats.

10/27/2009 10:17:17 AM

it's nice. i like to go into the steam room and sit with the naked old men.

10/27/2009 10:43:06 AM

I prefer Planet Fitness because I pay only 20, and I can bring someone with me whenever I go for free (usually my GF), and I can use any of their other locations (including charlotte when I go home for holidays) - also, it is open 24hrs

10/27/2009 10:46:35 AM

I've recently starting going after work instead of early morning and... wow, it gets damn packed in there. Still easily able to get my workout in without having to wait but that place packs it in...

10/25/2010 9:56:41 PM

5-6 Monday through Wednesday is the worst. I'll usually sneak out of the office and get there at 4:30 or just put it off until after 6 on those days.

10/25/2010 9:59:05 PM

I had to park on the very last row... And there were like 60 girls on one side of the bball courts doing a class and I waited 30 mins after my workout to get in ONE pickup game on the other side... and of course lost the game and didn't even try and get in another game since it would've taken an hour.

[Edited on October 25, 2010 at 10:01 PM. Reason : x]

10/25/2010 10:01:25 PM

i'm a member! i've started going early in the mornings now just because of how crowded it gets during the after work hours. although, if you wait until 7pm or later it starts to quiet down again. i love that gym

10/25/2010 10:56:49 PM

Does anyone want to pledge some money to We Build People?

It's the Y outreach program that I'm volunteering for this fall. They do great work.

10/25/2010 11:03:02 PM

i'm joining after i get my paycheck on thurs. i work near there so it is convenient and i can just go after work. plus i have friends that go to that one, and hopefully tschudi will join too.

i hate the joining fee, but the young adult monthly draft ($33) isn't bad at all. at least in my opinion. i have only ever been a member of the Y for gyms (finley, the one in downtown gboro, and now joining hillsb. street) and have only had good experiences!

11/1/2010 3:18:18 PM

I was a member there last year and loved it. Great facilities, the equipment is top notch, and the place isn't filled with asshats.

Although if you want to do things like play pickup basketball, don't hold your breath from mid-May until August when day care/summer camp is in session. Other than that, they do a good job of keeping the kids out of the main workout areas.

11/1/2010 3:20:24 PM

I had a dream last summer that during a morning workout I decided to skip work and just did daycamp with the kids all day.

Later my old summer camp boss showed up and yelled at me.

11/1/2010 10:18:17 PM

They finally raised my price

Damn being old. $38 now.

[Edited on November 8, 2010 at 9:29 AM. Reason : 38]

11/8/2010 9:28:29 AM

I really like the Y on Hillsborough St. been there for almost a year now. I usually dont go til 730 or so at night so its rarely crowded. and the steam room is awesome.

11/8/2010 10:00:02 AM

It's the Alexander Family YMCA.

11/8/2010 12:36:55 PM

Jesus.. Go the fuck away New Year's resoluters. Crazy packed after work this week.

1/6/2011 4:30:45 PM

^.

Hate it.

1/6/2011 4:31:25 PM

yeah i have been going around lunch/early afternoon...no one there

1/6/2011 4:32:39 PM

i have a triangle Y membership now so i can go to all Ys. because i am too old for my family plan anymore and because since i moved back to ral, it obviously does me no good to be a member of the Y in gboro.

i took a tour of the hillsb. st Y last week because i hadn't been since it was renovated...super nice. way nicer than the other Y i use (A.E. finley, but i think i like finley's pool better because it is much bigger)

i have been avoiding the Y this week because i'm scared of the crowds, although for some reason between 5-6pm the finley Y isn't THAT bad. but i refuse to test it this week.

i get out of work at 1pm for the next month and a half so i'll be going (to hillsb) then and hopefully it'll be pretty slow around that time.

i always bring 2 sets of clothes too...swimsuit and workout clothes. that way if the pool is crowded (or vice versa) i can do something else. luckily the track is usually never that bad cause everyone likes using ellipticals, etc. luckily the main things i use are pool and track. i need to add weights in there somewhere but i get scared of the weight room (for no reason, but i do).

1/6/2011 4:51:17 PM

Yeah I went either morning or early afternoon for a long time and it was never bad. Unfortunately for at least a week or two I'll be back in that routine

Oh well, off to workout now..

1/6/2011 4:56:06 PM

^^would you say Finley is the best pool of the Ys in the area? i know when i lived across town and used the Cary Y there was always SOMETHING going on so it was a pain in the butt to find a lap lane. i don't mind sharing a lane but having 2 or more people in there with you gets awfully obnoxious.

i'm considering joining a gym in the next few months and i'm not sure if i want to do a ymca or gold's or something else.

[Edited on January 6, 2011 at 6:16 PM. Reason : ]

1/6/2011 6:14:38 PM

re: basketball

how busy are the courts usually?

what are the quality of the games?

1/6/2011 6:19:41 PM

^^ its kinda busy too, so it depends when you go. i dunno about the cary one cause i've never been. the finley pool is super large so when theres water aerobics or whatever they have that in the open/play area part. but the swimteam does practice there so if you go after school/in the evening there might be swim practice. luckily they publish the schedule so you can check. but they have like 8+ lap lanes.

but yea, i dunno about the best.

1/6/2011 9:20:26 PM

Did Rach ask you if you wanted to go to the y tomorrow? She was supposed to

1/6/2011 9:38:31 PM

TTT, B.

7/12/2011 10:06:30 PM

THANKS, EMCE

has anyone (wimmenz) done the women in weightlifting course? it is either 6 or 8 weeks (i forget). it is $50ish for members. i kinda wanna sign up. i just wasn't sure if anyone had done it yet and had reviews. anyone? anyone?

7/12/2011 10:07:47 PM

I, too, am a member of this gym

7/12/2011 10:17:25 PM

well anyways i think i'm going to do it (provided the class doesn't fill up they only take 8 people)

i think it will really help me learn the different exercises to do on each machine to meet my fitness goals (that is probably the least of why i'd do it)

a class gives me accountability AND it would really help with my self esteem/gym fear issues

plus i think it'd be fun

then i'll be all buff and shit. ok not really. but toning/weights are something i definitely leave out of my fitness routine even when i have a routine. which i don't right now.

7/12/2011 10:48:47 PM