At the beginning of the year I (Bob) had the best intentions – I was going to trial all the Gyms in London – or as many as I could – for free – well, shit happened and I suddenly got very busy but I still sampled a handful – so here is what I thought….
Ash did come along to most of then (6 out of 9) but under protest as he hates gyms and prefers swimming and climbing, but with that here are our opinions
Nuffield Angel
I actually managed to get a Free 7 day pass – and thoroughly enjoyed every single trip. The clientele seemed a little older so you didn’t have so many of the leery/creepy guys or the teens breaking every single machine – you just had people who were there to generally look after their fitness.
The pool was almost always quiet and more often than not I was swimming alone – which was wonderful! Plus the chlorine content was much lower than I expected – I guess because there are no children allowed – ahh heaven!
That being said the weight machines were not that varied – heavy on the arm side of things. As pictured there was a range of free weights along the mirror and there were some kettle bells near the TRX. However when you turn round there is a multitude of bikes and treadmills which takes up most of the space.
Overall I really did enjoy the atmosphere, the pool was great, the gym itself left me wanting, so it wasn’t worth the monthly price.
Better – Britannia
We had previously reviewed Britannia when it first opened back in 2021 – much like every Better – it’s ok but not great. We got a 14 day pass for 14 pound so we thought why not?
There was some new weights and machines but there was a number of stupid people breaking every machine humanly possible and groups of teenage boys just lurking around.
The worst thing – one we even complained about – Was the swimming pool (minus the 100% burning Chlorine) The changing rooms were all sexes welcome – which in toilets are a great idea, but when changing into swim suits is an awful idea. There was just men/teens standing around watching any woman that dared to enter. Then waiting in the shower area with a hand down their shorts, so they could watch the women showering. This was so creepy/nasty we did not use the rest of our 14 day pass in this location.
Better – Highbury
In light of the above – We transferred our 14 day trial – to Better Highbury. With the new renovations the swimming pool has changed but not remarkably. Still with a very high concentration of Chlorine and still a huge amount of people messing about, throwing stuff and generally being idiots and stopping people who actually want to swim.
The Machines in the gym are ok – there is a fair amount to do there – that being said there is a large section towards the back that seems to be the ‘Man Cave’. Its a little uncomfortable to be there, as a woman but it’s not as bad as some.
Fit This – Hackney
This is a small indie gym situated right next to Hackney Town Hall. So there is an element of watch out if you are leaving your bike outside or be careful when you leave, just as a pre warning. After you enter you walk up a flight of stairs and find yourself in a small/medium open plan gym.
There is a heavy emphasis on the cardio with two full rows of Bikes and Treadmills – both of which allow you the wonderful view of people being mugged and trendy idiots posing, so I guess theres that.
The weight machines are peculiar as they don’t weigh the same as any other gym in London, plus they seem heavier without adding any plates and there is only a few different machines. There is a lot of HITT equipment like boxes and ropes. It wasn’t bad as a gym but it messed up my routine progress due to the random weights.
After leaving we received about 40+ Calls asking if we wanted to sign up straight away – then continued phoning weekly for literally months, which seemed overly clingy!
Anytime Fitness
Anytime Fitness Dalston – is a gym you would miss if you weren’t looking for it. I stood outside for a while as you need to wait for the staff to let you in. That being said the staff were really friendly. It was a pretty small gym and fairly heavily packed on a Saturday, but everyone kept to themselves and there was no posturing but there were friendly.
Downstairs was a couple of weight machines but not a lot else – Upstairs there was a line of Running machines slotted along the hallway.
Towards the back there was the free weights – The staff were ready to spot when you asked – which was really appreciated.
That being said there wasn’t much to do there – My regular two hour work out only took about 40 mins as there was only half the things I was use to.
EMS – Surge
As advertised Surge was a different kind of workout – At maximum 25 Minutes and then you are done.
You are greeted at the door by a member of the team who talks you through what kind of results you want to achieve. Then you are handed a bunch of clothes, top, shorts and socks and a key to the locker.
Once changed you are drenched in water and put in a vest, cuffs and have what seems like a hundred electrodes attached to various parts of your body.
Then you proceed to the work out – The electrodes give shock bursts of 30 seconds on and 10 seconds off, as you do a usual work out – sounds easy and somethings are but some parts of this process are pretty hard! You get to adjust the intensity of the levels and I even got a compliment for how high the shocks were!
I actually really enjoyed it even a week later I was still feeling it! I would go back for more but the price is pretty expensive.
Hitio Gym
This Gym though small is run by some really nice people! As in I have never felt more welcome and safe.
Nestled behind Gainsborough Studio with a view of the canal there is an open plan cardio area with a number of treadmills.
Then a stretching area, some free weights and then some weight machines. There is a larger back room with boxing bags – for group classes or one on one. This is mostly a Martial Arts gym so that’s probably why everyone is so nice.
However as there wasn’t much equipment and the membership was pretty high it wasn’t the best gym I have visited but I really did like the atmosphere. Plus everything was so clean!!!!!
Once you have finished you can go and take a quick steam – which was a pleasant surprise!
Energie Fitness Highbury
This is a gym I have tried a couple of times now – every time I go I remember that this is a top heavy gym. All the leg weights and leg machines are missing but what you can find there is many large grunting men and A LOT of cardio!
Pure Gym Angel
Pure gym was offering a 3 day pass for free so I thought why not! I am so glad that I did!
This gym boasts a massive amount of weights, weight machines and cardio equipment. There is a large room for Zumba (or the like) and Dance classes and lot of Cable Machines spread out around the area.
I was not bored for one minute and even tried some new things – The only draw back is there is no pool. However that being said I could see my self making a lot of progress if I went here every day.
Plus the memberships are pretty affordable and always have good offers on.
So there you go – The gym reviews in North London that you never asked for but hopefully if you are contemplating and hesitating over what gym to choose/try this has helped you narrow down your choices.
Let me know if there are any I have missed or any you would recommend in the comments.
Climbing Moss 
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