My Picks for the Top 5 Gyms in the Bradenton, FL area…

Picking a gym can be a lot like picking a car, you want to make sure you get all the features you want. Luckily with a gym you can take it for a couple of days “test drive” to see if you like it before spending the money.

Even better is to see if you have the Tivity program through your insurance, with a monthly fee you can pretty much join any gym in your area for free.

So without further ado, these are the gyms I belong to in Bradenton, FL ranked 1 to 5. As far as ranking them it was easy to do, I did it based on how much I work out there.

NUMBER 5 – YOU FIT

I kind of have a love hate relationship with this gym, as I started my fitness journey here but did not stay for long. The gym is not as big as other full sized gyms but it does have all the necessary racks and benches.

It has nice row of cardio equipment that was recently upgraded but and each has an individual TV with a good channel selection. They keep the gym fairly clean but as I got more serious in my training I just out grew it.

PROS – Does not get to crowded. Good selection of cardio equipment. Clean and they Recycle. Good selection of fitness classes.

CONS – No power lifting equipment, does not allow aggressive lifting, and does not scale to your fitness growth.

TIED NUMBER 4 – CITY FITNESS

While this gym is not the biggest gym, it has a loyal downtown following. They have a nice area for power lifting and classes.

The cardio area is not as big as other gyms, and the weightlifting area is a little dark and has older equipment. The staff on hand are some of the owners so they are friendly and willing to help.

They have knowledgeable trainers and seem to know what they are doing.

PROS: Clean bathrooms, Friendly knowledgeable staff, Close to downtown, and nice Power Lifting area. Good for the serious weight lifter.

CONS: Older equipment and tight fit in weightlifting area, Not a lot of parking. Exercise class room is upstairs so not convenient.

TIED NUMBER 4 – ANYTIME FITNESS

This a very clean all hour access gym located in a strip mall. It has almost everything you would need in a gym just not a lot of it. So if someone is using the machine you will have to wait.

Its pretty clean and the cardio machines are fairly new. The TV entertainment is not as nice as other gyms so keep that in mind if you are a TV watcher. It is staffed during the days and late night access may be a little lonely but some people like that.

PROS: All hour access even on Holidays, Clean Gym Area and Restroom, Open and Bright, and Towels.

CONS: The smallest gym I go to, with 1 squat rack, no power lifting area, not a lot of cardio equipment, no overhead TVs, and some safety concerns when not staffed. Not a ton of exercise classes. Can get crowded easily.

NUMBER 3 – PLANET FITNESS

While they still have the “Lunk” alarm motif going on they dont seem to enforce it to much. With that being said they do not have the serious weight lifting equipment seen at other gyms like bench presses and squat racks.

With that being said they make up for it with lots of different machines, and dedicated areas for circuit training, abs, and cardio. They have a ton of cardio equipment with a nice row of TVs to watch. Its set up real well but lacks enough for serious training. But at least you know this going in.

PROS – Separate areas for circuit training, and ab work. Tons of cardio equipment with rows of TVs, 5 Smith Machines, several cable machines, and lot of exercise machines focusing on different muscle parts.

CONS – Dumbbells only go up to 70lbs, there are no bench press flat or incline, no power lifting, no squat racks, no grunting or yelling, and basically it is a gym for mild training. The color scheme is dark so it makes the gym a little dark.

NUMBER 2 – LA FITNESS

I joined this gym because the number 1 gym on my list was getting too crowded. This gym is the biggest on the list, with two levels and a swimming pool. It has a separate floor with all of the cardio equipment you could want but the TVs are in the machines and limited in channels.

It has a ton of fitness classes and a great spin cycle class schedule. There is only 1 true squat rack, but it has multiple smith machines and extra half squat racks. There are a ton of machines and it has a good plyo or stretching area.

PROS – lots of machine resistance training equipment, the best selection of fitness classes, a swimming pool and hot tub, sauna, and a basketball/volleyball court. Its kept fairly clean for how big it is. Has one of the largest rows of dumbbells of any gym. Bright and open.

CONS – it is the most expensive membership, not open as early as some gyms on the weekend, no power lifting area, and it can get crowded during peak hours.

NUMBER 1 – CRUNCH FITNESS

I joined this gym because it seemed to have a little bit of everything with room to grow, and I have not been disappointed. It has plenty of cardio equipment and a great amount of fitness classes including cycle spin classes.

There is a sauna, and it has a nice sled and sprint area which most of they gyms above do not have. There are several power lifting squat racks and plenty of bench press stations both flat and incline.

Mixed in with that are several Hammer Strength machines and other resistance training machines. There are also two cable machines perfect for high rep work.

The gym is the brightest gym with a light color scheme which makes it inviting to train in. They open early on the weekdays and weekend and have decent holiday hours. They also have several good personal trainers.

PROS – large power lifting area with several squat racks, boxing area with heavy bags, sled run, good for serious training, low cost membership, and nice equipment.

CONS – it is not kept as clean as other gyms, it gets really crowded during peak times, especially in the evening, and it does have loud clanging and banging of weights.

CONCLUSION

So there you have it the top 5 gyms in the Bradenton, FL are according to me, and who are you going to listen to? Somebody who has never worked out before, or me… someone who has worked out in all of these gyms!