hey all,

i am trying to make good on a new year's resolution by joining a gym right off of gran via. the prices aren't bad, but there is a 50 euro matriculation fee that i'm trying to get waved by getting two or three others to join with me. so if anyone's interested in working off a bit of the holidays, let me know!

thanks-

hey baney, i could do well to get off my fat ass for the new year

please give more info on the gym, especially elaborate on... "the prices aren't bad".

how much? per year, month, etc...?

what is the name and address so we can go check out the place before we join up with you.

thanks.

saludos,
jer...

p.d. and i am assuming that the gym will be waving the 50� fee for ALL THOSE who sign up with you, right?

hi jer, to answer your questions:
the gym is the body factory on gran via- it's right off of plaza luna so about 2 mins from the callao metro stop. i belonged to the body factory in acacias (also an option if acacias is a better place for you) and i was impressed with the class offerings and cleanliness. they offer all sorts of classes like body pump, aerobics, cycle, step, abs, etc that come with membership.

as far as "the prices aren't bad" i mean that i looked into joining for 3 months for 55.50 a month. if you only want to join for one month it's 65.50, and if you want to join for a year the prices go down. while expensive, for offering a variety of classes and for being able to go any time during the day this is the best i've run into.

and yes, as far as i know, the 50 euro fee would be waved for all. aparently we have to talk to the manager and probably need to find a third partner in crime but i was assured that if you join with 2 or 3 people they wave the "membership" fee.

so let me know what you think or if you have any more questions.

thanks.

thanks.

found it...

description HERE
map HERE

gonna scope it out in person this week and will let ya know.

anyone else down with this?

saludos,
jer...

Hi guys- just FYI, I'm a member of a gym at the corner of Corredora Alta de San Pablo and Espiritu Santo, just 5 min. walk from the Tribunal metro stop. It's a small gym and they don't offer any classes. But it's a bit cheaper- I just paid E 145 for three months, anytime access. They didn't charge me a "matricula" the first time and if anyone's interested I can check whether they'd be willing to waive it.

Hours are 8:30 am to 11 pm Monday-Saturday, and 12-4 pm on Sundays (duh, honestly I never go on weekends).

thanks sunny.

can you tell us more about it? what type of instalations do they have?

saludos,
jer...

Free weights up the wazoo- dumbbells, all sorts of bars in different lengths.

About ten different weights machines. Some of these can actually be configured in different ways to do different movements. Most of these are for upper body exercises, but a few things for the legs too.

Cardio stuff: three treadmills, five stationary bikes, a rowing machine.

A couple of those big ball things, a couple of (sorry, don't know what to call them) things to do sit-ups and all sorts of abs exercises on, five rubber mats to stretch on.

quote:

can check whether they'd be willing to waive it.

Thanks Sunny for satisfying the spelling Nazi in me.

I can attest to the cleanliness, excellent setup, and myriad options of The Body Factory of Acacias but I haven't been to the one in Callao. I'll have to stop by and check it out.

The BF is pricey. They waived the matriculation fee only after I agreed to sign up for 6 months and as I recall it came to around �360 but I'll have to double check.

I used to go to a much cheaper one (Extreme Gym) but it didn't open until 10a.m. (10:30 realistically), some of the younger members behaved like schoolboys (e.g. pushing each other around), the showers tended to flood, and the equipment was tatty. However, monthly fees were low and there was no matriculation fee. You get what you pay for.

The Body Factory opens early, has nice showers with soap dispensers and the drains don't clog up. The equipment is kept in nice shape. All the free weights are wrapped in plastic to cut down on the clanging but there never seems to be enough free weights to go around when the majority of weight machines are in use. The variety of machines is excellent and the most of the staff are very nice and helpful. There was one snippy front desk lady who, when I told her I needed to leave my gym bag in the locker until I picked it up in the evening, said "�Que sea la tarde y no la ma�ana despues!"

The only complaint I can think of is that they tend to play the same music way too often but that seems to be a common theme here in Madrid. :jeje:

I haven't taken any of the extra classes but I've observed a number of them through the glass partition while cycling or rowing. They're ok but nothing special. Perhaps others who have tried them can give a better review.

Anyway, The Body Factory is expensive but I'd recommend it.

thanks sunny, started to sound like a 12 days of gymnasium song :jeje:

hey Roland, i thought 55�/month for a 3 month commitment (the offer that baney has been made) was pretty good

maybe i am out of the loop as far as gym pricing goes but that did not seem expensive.

what is the average cost of a decent gym per month then?

i have seen places that ask for 50 or even 60 euros per month but they make you choose either mornings OR afternoons for that so the 55 for any time of any day seemed good.

saludos,
jer...

One of the best gyms talking about price-quality is Mabuni at vallecas near Buenos Aires metro station.

Any interested in a free day training give me a call or e-mail me. I get no profit out of this.

hey manuelindiana, a bit far out for me but some may be interested.

a bit vague on the description, please give more info on mabuni...

- price (including sign-up fee if any).
- equipment/installations.
- opening hours.
- etc...

thanks.

saludos,
jer...

i think you guys are comparing two different type of gyms.

I used to be a memeber of the body factory in Mirasierra, and it's problably one of the top three gyms in Madrid. they have a bunch of different classes, some really cool group classes that takes the boredom out of just lifting weights, usually you dont' have to fight over a track mill or a bike because they have enough props for everyone.

Once you become a member you can visit any of their many gyms all over spain, totally free. And if you really like to work out you can go to their main gym on sundays too.

It's clean, which to me was very important, they have a towel service, they have trained professionals who are always upgrading their classes, etc

The body factory is totally a great choice!!