The best gyms in Canberra [2024]

Why call it Club Slime if you like it?

Thanks for your input RAers. I’m sure that you’ve all been dying to know which gym I ended up joining, so I’ll end the suspense: I joined Club Slime in Tuggers for about $650. The equipment and space is very impressive. I avoid peak hours so I can’t comment on the busier times but during th day its blissfully free of poser types, while parking is ample and free. My only complaint is the occasional but outrageously loud Ministry of Sound-type music that can be heard over the top of an iPod on full volume. As for me, the man-boobs have already dropped a cup-size and my pipes are ready to burst. Look out for me this summer – I’ll be the bloke down at Pine Island kicking sand in everyone’s faces.

First post…long time reader.

I’m looking at joining Alive at Mawson. Can anyone tell me what its like?

Just after a easy going gym, just want to use the treadie, cross trainer etc. Maybe a few weights.

Don’t want to pay a fortune…which I’ve done previously at Flames – its just not for me.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Just saw this thread and if your immediate concern is to get rid of your man boobs, may I suggest aerobic rather than anaerobic workouts.

Get your heartrate up and keep it up.

Gyms are handy for this, light free weights, lots of reps and sets – cross trainers, rowers, and exercise bikes, but not the be all and end all.

Someone mentioned running, but for lower impact extreme cardio, punch out 10km a day on your bike, tackle some hills, do sprints and interval training on the flats. My pet peeve is exercising for no gain, so I generally avoid gyms and prefer to get my exercise in the outdoors rain, hail or shine.

The first time I got stuck in 2 torrential downpours on my way home, I arrived refreshed and with a huge grin on my face. Nothing like playing in the rain to bring the kid out 😛

The first morning I rode to work, I got there with ice on every forward facing surface, I was not smiling then, but it set a benchmark that I am yet to break.

I will not deny that gyms are not good, but there are far less posers out on the paths at 0645 and 1700 on my 3 days I ride to work.

It is really good to have a chiseled chest that women ever wanted.
Many of us wants to have a sexy and perfect body in order to catch others attention.
It’s amazing to have these products and help us get the body we’ve ever dreamed of.
Of course there are lots of guidelines online on how to lose man boobs and have a great chiseled chest.

I joined FF in Civic when they opened and am therefore on a reasonable rate. But there are far more expensive gyms around. They are comparable with CISAC for instance, about the same as Bodyworks (but FAR better facilities), way way cheaper than Flames.

FF should have secured the vacant place next door before it go hired out, as the group classes room is too small and that bloody pillar in the middle is a pain. Some of the more popular classes like Attack, Step, Pump and Balance are getting crowded – they need more classes to thin it out a bit. They did promise on opening to have Cardio Box classes but I’m still waiting…

The clientele are mainly there to do what they need to do. The only creepy one is a little guy who hangs around in the change rooms and showers hoping someone will be interested…

Slightly off topic: CISAC’s lack of cleaning and maintenance is pathetic. The pool surrounds are very slippery and have been for 2 years – they are clearly coated with algae. I have raised this multiple times with staff on deck and on the counter. I’m told “management don’t listen to us” and that the floors are hosed every day. I try to tell them that it clearly isn’t working and they need to Gernie the floors, but never does anything happen.

My son slipped just walking (I was right behind him) and his head just missed the steel step at bottom of the water slide – would have peeled him open if he hit it. I find it difficult to walk around the pools without slipping – it’s far worse with kids and the inevitable running.

CISAC has already had one coroner’s inquiry into a death there – what will it take to get them to clean the place properly??

Let’s hope Mrs G doesn’t find out about Mrs G, it could lead to all sorts of shenanigans.

Mrs G who’s post appears above is not my Mrs G who simply posts under my login every now and then and signs off as Mrs G.

jakez said :

Yeah bodyweight exercises are great. I’m too performance based to rely on them now (I need maximal strength and explosive strength for my sport), however people really don’t need a gym membership to start.

Ditto to that. It’s amazing how effective bodyweight exercises can be…I got particularly good results for upper body and core strength from Pole Dancing classes…but I guess that’s not really an option for most guys!

But for more targeted results for sports I have been very happy with working out at Fitness First in civic.

I mostly go on Friday nights after work or on the weekend and it’s pretty much empty then. I love Friday nights with my PT since there’s plenty of space to do creative exercises as well as traditional weights…and anyone there on a Friday tend to be there to workout and not pose/pickup, although pumping out a few pull-ups tends to get some attention as a girl.

Before you settle on a gym it’s worth checking out deals they’re all offering – my FF membership is only $13 per week which is around half price than normal cos I signed up at the right time : )

Yeah bodyweight exercises are great. I’m too performance based to rely on them now (I need maximal strength and explosive strength for my sport), however people really don’t need a gym membership to start.

Besides, there’s nothing like a one legged squat to tear down someones ego.

Deckard @29,

If you have genuine man boobs, winter is the only time you can go outside and have a waddle. Summer is all about airconditioning. The sun is evil.

Buy yourself a decent pair of runners and get outside. Unless you’re a bodybuilder everything you need for an all body workout can be obtained in the great outdoors. Empty kids playgrounds pose a wealth of opportunity for adult exercise

Great advice. I used to go to the gym a lot as a uni student, but over the past few years have been getting into bodyweight exercise and calisthenics, and am much stronger and healthier than when I was using weights regularly. I’d suggest starting with bodyweight type exercises, then once you have done this for a while, buy the few pieces of equipment you want and use them from home. Also think about learning boxing, as the exercise component is awesome for body conditioning.

If you want to firm up and lose the manboobs, this will probably be a better approach than paying to use workout machines that simulate the real thing. As for weights, get strong enough to lift yourself first.

R086 said :

-Maximum hot chicks ( you are there to get fit and healthy, not pick up… And good luck picking up at a gym as most girls are there to train & not be harrased by a jerk skinny guy)

It’s not necessarily about picking up, being a jerk or harassing anyone. Having a good looking woman around can be motivational in itself without even interrupting anyones workout. I have no doubt it’s a similar situation for women when there is a good looking male around.

That said, some of the music videos that play can get a bit distracting.

jakez said :

Incidentally, as far as I am concerned if you are willing to spend the amount of money that places like FF want to spend, you either don’t know what you are doing, you have very specific needs (trust me YOU don’t), or you like to waste money.

Or it’s the only convenient gym to your location. Being male I can’t go to Fernwood (given some of the stories I’ve heard over the years thank goodness for that) so that leaves either the pool gym which is open less hours and in the opposite direction to I am going, or FF which I practically have to walk past every day to and from work.

Having to walk past it every day makes me feel guilty if I don’t go in and actually use my membership 😉

Now if they would only spend some of the money we pay them on actually maintaining the facilities properly. Mostly it’s fine, although the showers/sauna etc can get a bit not nice. Also some of the equipment is showing the amount of use it’s been getting – yes it does get reported.

Yes their hard sell is a bit annoying and I haven’t tried to leave yet so I’m not sure how painful that will be.

FC said :

Now I’m not usually a gym going person (preffering team sports and other active activity), however I once accompanied a friend to the Vikings Gym at Erindale. The facilities were fine, however I was shocked to see a fair few of the ladies in full makeup.
I found this quite strange. But then throughout my workout I noticed that there seemed to be more loitering and chatting the the muscle men than actually sweating.

Vikings is a ‘salt of the earth’ kind of gym; nothing fancy, cheap-as-chips, friendly staff (not up-themselves wankers), decent classes and equipment. But the bogan-quotient is predictably quite high, given the location and cheapness-factor (bogan quotient ascertained through application of my patented ‘number-of-teeth-per-person’ bogan scale). I like it there though; comfortable, don’t feel the need to dress up/slap on the lippy etc… most people there to actually exercise. There seems to be a few ‘hot chicks’ too (bogan-hot, but still hot). I am not one of them 🙂

Harry’s was good. I figure it’s gone though. ANU was excellent, heaps of useful toys and enough to go around. Fernwood was bloody horrible. Only good thing was they wree mostly obsessesd with the lose-weight machines and left the free weights, presses and things alone while they waggled away hoping to become thin.

I really hated Fernwood quite a lot actually.

DLS go to a gym where there are NO hot chicks until you’ve lost the manboobs.

I’m a members of Flames Fitness at Lyneham. Although it is costly, for someone who needs the motivation, or has no idea what they are doing I highly recommend it. I joined Flames as I needed to do rehab training, and (most of)the staff there are amazing !

Even though it isn’t directly one on one training with a trainer, someone is there helping you out – and pushing you to keep working or work harder. Plus they actually want you there – they call if you miss a session, or havent been in awhile.
What other gym calls you if you havent attended in awhile – they don’t care, they got 12months membership out of you already.

Edge Fitness at Weston (below the indoor cricket centre) is good. Heaps of weights and other equipment to smash those man boobs

vg said :

Buy yourself a decent pair of runners and get outside. Unless you’re a bodybuilder everything you need for an all body workout can be obtained in the great outdoors. Empty kids playgrounds pose a wealth of opportunity for adult exercise

Too true. I used to go to a gym and the gym instructor didn’t understand why anyone went there in the summer. Winter’s a different story, but in the warmer months get a bike, go for a run, push ups, sit ups, there’s plenty you can do in your own backyard.

ANU keeps me happy.

-Ample free weights + benches – not that I use them much, but sure, there seems to be enough
-Minimal roid-monkeys / poser types – there’s posers, but they’re harmless enoough
-Maximum hot chicks – so long as you don’t feel TOO creepy perving on 18 year olds 😉
-Value for money – though fees just went up, it’s still good value.
-Parking – like they said, just don’t go between 830 and 5pm weekdays..

Hey…I’m a Limey and haven’t noticed too many roidmunchers, posers or unhygienic types lurking around. There’s tons of equipment, my 12 month package deal was cheeeeeep and basically they don’t bother or harass me – no hard sell, no junk mail, no annoying bimbo’s with cornflake box fitness quals… It’s all been really professional.

Aside from that I have a set of plated dumbells, a barbell, a fitball and some resistance bands at home so that when I can’t be stuffed going to the gym, I can at least get some stretching and toning stuff done.

I think you need to re asses your rating system before you join a gym…

-Ample free weights + benches – ( yeah fair call, no one likes to wait for equipment)
-Minimal roid-monkeys / poser types (The roid monkeys are usually seperate from the posers…From what I have seen the people that are obviously are on roids are the ones who go to the gym to train and thats it… They dont care what the new skinny guy is doing)
-Maximum hot chicks ( you are there to get fit and healthy, not pick up… And good luck picking up at a gym as most girls are there to train & not be harrased by a jerk skinny guy)
-Value for money ( Dont be cheap, have a look around and if you happen to see a gym that is awesome but costs more, its def worth the extra coin)
-Parking (if you really want to get fit and healthy, walk or ride to the gym 😉 )

My 2c

Buy yourself a decent pair of runners and get outside. Unless you’re a bodybuilder everything you need for an all body workout can be obtained in the great outdoors. Empty kids playgrounds pose a wealth of opportunity for adult exercise

I too recommend that ANU gym – they are not a commercial operation so they’re focussed on providing a good service to members, not just ripping them off for the greatest amount of cash possible.

If you go in the evening after work or morning before work parking is fine. Rates are very reasonable and the gym is in excellent condition, shiny new equipment and very clean and tidy. If I recall Personal Trainers will set you back only like 40 bucks an hour, which is less than market rate. The manager of the gym used to be a bloke named Lenny, don’t knwo if he’s still there but he was a great trainer and an all round nice fellow.

Elite: Minimal roid-monkeys / poser types = 1/10

+1 for Elite (http://www.elitephysique.com.au/)

I’ve been a member at Bodyworks Mawson, Fernwood (although that surely doesn’t apply to this thread), Fitness First Deakin and Elite.

Bodyworks and Fitness First were PACKED with ‘roid munchers and far too many barbie-like girls in full makeup hogging the treadmills. Not to mention the fact that they were overpriced and always packed with people.

Elite is popular, but the staff are dedicated and genuine (not people who see an ad on TV to become a Personal Training in two weeks). There are plenty of weights and machines available at most times of the day, and the other members are friendly and helpful.

Plenty of eye candy of the genuine sort too (i.e. no makeup, fit bodies and just lovely girls =])

Best gym in Canberra
The one in my garage

Crossfit loves you
Set up your own garage gym (along with ths article) and play all the ACDC you like
I recomend Thunderstruck and Back in Black
There are always plenty of free weights available from All Classifieds, expect to pay around $1-2 per kilo or pound

1, 2, 3 go

Ditto on the ANU – cheapest in town, same facilities.

I highly recommend Life Personal Fitness at Kingston. It is a small outfit that just caters for reasonably priced personal training sessions. They can be shared sessions or individual sessions and you only pay for the sessions you want or need. You don’t pay gym membership, ie, you only pay for the sessions. Good value for money and it means that you are not locked into a contract, ever. The other good thing is that the only people in the gym at the same time are other people doing training sessions. It is not an open gym.

Elite is the best gym I have been to. Can not rate it highly enough.

Fitness First in the city is passable, although people often look shocked if you do any powerlifting – deadlifts etc

Club Lime Belconnen – lots of equipment, way too many posers. What can you say about a gym that has couches in the free weights area?

University of Canberra Gym – limited equipment, minimal posers, good old-school gym.

The Total Gym.

On a scale of 1 to Chuck Norris, it scores highly.

+1 for Elite Physique. It is an exceptionally well laid out gym, good instructors, good classes, top notch equipment etc. I think it costs about $50 per month

FC said :

The facilities were fine, however I was shocked to see a fair few of the ladies in full makeup.

I can’t stand women who ‘exercise’ in full slap. Particularly ones that make a big song and dance about huffing and puffing when a well-muscled bloke walks past.

I’m a member of Alive in Belconnen. They have fitness centres across Canberra, but I can only talk about their set up in Belconnen.

-Ample free weights + benches
Tick.

-Minimal roid-monkeys / poser types
Tick. Though they can be funny to watch when they are there at the same time as me in any case. (Yes, hello Argh-nold. I find you amusing.)

-Maximum hot chicks
Hmmm? Being a chick I find that one difficult to answer. None of the other chicks there have floated my boat, but there are some mighty fit buff female instructors there.

-Value for money
Tick. I pay $40 a month. Though other members have different payment schemes.

-Parking
Tick. And it is free.

jakez said :

Incidentally, as far as I am concerned if you are willing to spend the amount of money that places like FF want to spend, you either don’t know what you are doing, you have very specific needs (trust me YOU don’t), or you like to waste money.

That’s a bit of a generalisation!
I actually signed up for FF because a PT who is excellent happens to work out of there.

I’m also within walking distance and dont have a car, so that is a major reason for using the Civic gym too, AND I can go there in my lunch breaks.
There’s really no reason for me to use another gym, so you can shove your “3 reasons why you would spend that amount of money on a gym” … 🙂

Now I’m not usually a gym going person (preffering team sports and other active activity), however I once accompanied a friend to the Vikings Gym at Erindale. The facilities were fine, however I was shocked to see a fair few of the ladies in full makeup.
I found this quite strange. But then throughout my workout I noticed that there seemed to be more loitering and chatting the the muscle men than actually sweating.

Southern Cross at Woden – by far the cheapest and best-equipped gym in Canberra.

Don’t use Flames Fitness at Calwell.
It is a rip off.

My boyfriend went, they were charging $50 a fornight but had a special on (if someone joined up and said you had referred them you were supposed to get a months free member ship or something along those lines). So one of his friends signed up and said he had been referred by… he called up couple of days later inquiring about his free membership, and was told that he wasn’t going to get it.
No reason why, just that it wasn’t happeneing.

Then when his contract had expried he had organised to go and have his final assessment, when he arrived he was asked if he would like to renew his membership. He didn’t want to because it was so expensive.
He was then told that he wouldn’t be getting a final assesment unless he renews.
I understand that they do this to get their clients but he was told when he signed up that he would be recieving 2 assesments.

Now he goes to club lime and loves it.
It is always clean and a great price too.

mrnamjama said :

Having a home gym can be problematic for those of us with limited space in flats…

I’ll pay that. Having a squat rack in your bedroom probably isn’t for everybody.

ANU gym is great, as long as you can accommodate parking there somehow and you have a degree from an Australian uni (any uni, not just ANU!) to get the cheaper rates.

I’m at Elite Physique at the moment and it’s a great gym – the staff are knowledgeable and like to help out. The owner is there all the time and gives out advice left right and centre. Plenty of dumbells, lots of racks in the heavy weights room, lots of cardio machines, lots of ‘machines’ in the general workout area (and more freeweights).

Having a home gym can be problematic for those of us with limited space in flats…

Incidentally, as far as I am concerned if you are willing to spend the amount of money that places like FF want to spend, you either don’t know what you are doing, you have very specific needs (trust me YOU don’t), or you like to waste money.

I only need a squat rack, a bench, a barbell, two dumbbells, and plates, so naturally I lift from home.

However if you wanted me to recommend something, I’d recommend the ANU gym. It has a good array of equipment and you have access to the heavy lifting room when the ANU Weightlifting Club aren’t using it (which isn’t that often). From memory, there was plenty of scattered ass to perve on as well.

As for value for money, I have no idea. I went to ANU for 2 years before I switched to UC so I qualify for alumni rates. It’s one of the cheapest for me and for students but I don’t know whether its good value for people who aren’t connected to the uni.

As for roid monkeys, I always found the stupid young fools benching and curling for two hours to be far more annoying and unfortunately the uni crowd fits that mould. They never got in my way though (although they were another reason why I now lift from home).

Parking: It isn’t fantastic but it’s alright.

Meg4n said :

I’m pretty sure the posers tend to follow the hot chicks.

FF is expensive enough to keep most of the posers out. 🙂

At least from what I’ve noticed anyway. I spend more time getting my arse kicked by the PT than standing around watching everyone else. 😛

I’m pretty sure the posers tend to follow the hot chicks.

Alive (nee “Bodyworks”) Belconnen.

Ample free weights + benches: 8/10 during off-peak, 5/10 during peak
– Minimal roid-monkeys: 9/10,
– Maximum hot chicks: 7/10.
– Value for money: 8/10
– Parking: Usually can get a free park there for your workout.

Fitness First in Civic.

Go at the right times and there’s plenty of room (and hot chicks) to do your thing.

Avoid it during weekday lunches (12-2) and Afternoons (5-7) and you’ll love it.
Nice equipment, good facilities etc etc…

To score it…

– Ample free weights + benches: 10/10 during off-peak, 5/10 during peak
– Minimal roid-monkeys: 8/10, cant avoid these types, but they havn’t ever been a problem while I’ve been at the gym.
– Maximum hot chicks: 10/10. At risk of sounding like a perv… Yes, there’s plenty. I’ve heard that FF in civic has some of the highest female membership rates in Canberra.
– Value for money: 3/10 EXPENSIVE! make sure you get a good contract deal if you want to make it worth it, otherwise it costs a lot!
– Parking: It’s Canberra Centre, dont think I need to explain it.

elite physique is worth having a look at – in the morning, free parking, in the evening, free parking, midday, no clue. no vulture sales people, just a group of professionals hell bent in making you fit. I will go back, soon… beats the hecki out of flames, and club lime, but that is my opinion…