Fitness Archives | London Cheapo

Fancy hitting the gym but don’t want to break a sweat over the cost? Luckily London is full of cheap and flexible gym membership. Whether you’re looking for a place where you can switch between locations if you’re hybrid-working, want somewhere close to home, or don’t want to get locked into a contract – this guide is our pick of some of the most affordable gym memberships in the city. How Much Is a Gym Membership in London? Navigating the sheer number of gym members, pricing tiers and contracts in London can be mental work out. The average cost of a commercial gym membership is a fairly steep per month, and premium memberships go way higher, but all of the gyms in this guide are cheapo friendly, and tend to be of the ‘no frills variety’. Simpler, cheaper gyms don’t offer all the swanky amenities like saunas and personal trainers. They’re also a good, commitment-free option, offering free trials, passes and (sometimes) no pesky joining fees, and range from - a month. Some gyms also offer day and weekend passes if you want to check out a few before you decide. As well as price and contract type, also decide what you want from your gym. Perhaps you’re taking a few classes and it would be cheaper to take them all to one venue, or maybe there is specific equipment you’re looking for. In any case, check what each one is offering, and make sure that you get the right fit, not an unused membership. No-contract Gyms One of the most flexible and low-cost options is to take out a no-contract gym membership, which allows you to hop between gyms across London, check out different classes and facilities and only pay for the sessions you actually use. Pure Gym Making the bold claim to “the UK’s favourite gym”, although something we can’t confirm, Pure Gym is at least a favourite among Londoners looking for a cheapo workout. It has over 70 gyms across the capital, many of which offer 24-hour access and over 50 classes per week. As with renting, and pretty much anything else in London, cost depends on location, so what you can expect to pay depends on where you join. But, even core *basic) membership gives you access to a lot of equipment, classes and a free induction. Most importantly, there is no contract, so you can leave anytime. Website: www.puregym.com Passes: Day passes from Memberships: from a month - Joining fees: From - Concessions: Students can save 30% off membership Easy Gym EasyGroup, the all-round budget brand doesn’t just do travel and accommodation these days. It’s also a contender as a flexible, affordable gym provider too. Well, sort of. There is only one branch in London, and that’s Camberwell (having sold some branches to rival The Gym Group in 2018) although check the website for new gyms being added each year. It also offers flexible, no commitment membership and free inductions, although the cheapest way to join is by going ‘off peak’ (9pm-5am), so it’s only a decent deal if you like training at night when it’s quiet, and if you want 24/7 access, it will cost double. Website: www.easygym.co.uk/camberwell Passes: Off Peak membership: Standard membership: Joining fee: Fitness4Less As the name suggests (and retro use of using numbers instead of words) bargain fitness is the offer at Fitness4Less. It’s found of ‘f’ words too, with the tagline “fresh, fun, and affordable gyms around the UK”. While fresh is an odd adjective for a gym, we can’t fault its offer on variety, although price-wise it's on the higher end of the affordable scale. It has three London locations, Southwark, Cambridge Heath and Canning Town, which is suitable for beginners to experienced fitness enthusiasts. It has a pretty impressive range of classes too, from Circuits, HIIT, Yoga and Zumba to BoxnBurn and MMA fitness. Fitness4Less also offers a ladies-only gym and a swimming pool, and all memberships come with access to the virtual studio, with weekly live-streamed and on-demand fitness and dance classes. Keep a lookout on the gym’s socials for flash membership giveaways , like a 7 free day trial Website: www.fitness4less.co.uk Day pass: Weekend pass: Monthly membership: - per month (depending on location) Joining fee: - (rolling monthly terms) The Gym Group Like Pure Gym, The Gym Group has gyms across London, and yes prices vary depending on which one you join. It’s contract-free, and the cheapest membership starts from per month (at the branch near Elephant and Castle , which includes 24 hr access (apart from Sundays) and classes including Fit Pump, Weight Lifting and Body Conditioning as well as Yoga, Pilates and Cardio sessions. Website: www.thegymgroup.com Day passes: (1 day) - (5 days) Monthly membership: From - Joining fees: From - Community and Council Gyms Another, cheap and flexible option is to join a council-run or community gym. These gyms also often have swimming pools, which isn’t always the case at commercial gyms, frustratingly. Better Health (multiple locations) Better Health (or Better, as the consumer brand is called) is a non-profit charitable organisation that works in partnership with over 100 local gyms, pools and leisure centres all across London. Costs also depend on location, but as these leisure facilities are run by borough councils, there are more tiers of membership and discounts available and you don’t need to be a member to use most of them, so if you’re interested in swimming or a particular class, day passes might be a better option. Better gyms include King’s College London, which has three campus gyms (Waterloo, The Strand and London Bridge) offering community, pay monthly memberships to non-King’s students from a month. Other Better gyms and leisure centres include Islington Tennis Centre and Gym, Pancras Square Leisure and even London Aquatics Centre in The Olympic Park. Better offer multi-tiered, no contract monthly memberships from a month as well as discounts and concessions. Website: www.better.org.uk YMCA Community Gyms YMCA have a few different Gyms (YMCA clubs in Tottenham Court Road and King’s cross have more like commercial gyms and prices reflect that). But, YMCA Community Gyms currently offer low cost, contract-free memberships in Crouch End, Walthamstow, and Wimbledon. You can pop in for a tour and discuss your fitness goals before signing up, and facilities include gym, classes, and saunas (depending on the venue) Navigating the website is a bit frustrating, but if you’re looking for a broad range of facilities with more of a community feel then this is a decent option if you’re in one of the three main neighbourhoods it currently operates in. Website: www.ymca.org.uk/about/what-we-do/health-and-wellbeing/gyms Memberships: From (low income discount and other concessions, standard membership is per month) More Cheap Gyms in London Class Pass If you prefer classes to gym training, this is a great option. Class Pass launched in 2013, as a way to bring together top classes and well as wellbeing experiences like spas into one app. So instead of a monthly membership to one venue, you use Class Pass credits to access multiple classes at discounted rates at partner studios across London in a bespoke plan. Partners include The Factory Fitness & Dance Centre in north London, BLOK in Shoreditch and 1Rebel in Oxford Circus as well as loads of smaller local venues. The first month is free, so you have the chance to try out multiple classes before you decide to take the HITT or go for a Spin. Standard plans start from per month (25 credits) which give you access to classes anywhere in the world, and credits can be rolled over into the next month and you can cancel every time. Website: www.classpass.com Prefer getting fit outside of the gym? There are loads of alternative options if you want to ditch the treadmill. You can also get fit for free with Our Parks and go running with a social purpose with Good Gym.

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