LA Fitness, Lincoln

LA Fitness describe themselves as:
"The most innovative and vibrant operator of health and fitness clubs in Europe".

From my experience of LA Fitness so far since being a member, I think I'd have to agree.

I joined my local LA Fitness gym on 1st June this year. Prior to this it was well over a year since I last did anything that even remotely resembled exercise, so needless to say I was a bit nervous ...
...when I decided to join LA Fitness I had a look on the internet so that I knew kind of what to expect. Their website is at www.lafitness.co.uk and gives information / contact details for all of their gyms. I gave them a ring and advised I was interesting in joining and they set up a meeting with one of their members of staff who would show me around the gym and answer any questions I had before signing on the dotted line and becoming a member. The ... more

LA Fitness describe themselves as:
"The most innovative and vibrant operator of health and fitness clubs in Europe".

From my experience of LA Fitness so far since being a member, I think I'd have to agree.

I joined my local LA Fitness gym on 1st June this year. Prior to this it was well over a year since I last did anything that even remotely resembled exercise, so needless to say I was a bit nervous about joining. There are quite a few gyms in the town where I live. My main reason for chosing this gym was (daft as it sounds) I didn't really know anyone else that went to it! A few of my family members and work colleagues and friends all go to other gyms in town, and I didn't want them to laugh at how unfit I was! I know that sounds ridiculous but it's how I felt at the time!

Anyway, when I decided to join LA Fitness I had a look on the internet so that I knew kind of what to expect. Their website is at www.lafitness.co.uk and gives information / contact details for all of their gyms. I gave them a ring and advised I was interesting in joining and they set up a meeting with one of their members of staff who would show me around the gym and answer any questions I had before signing on the dotted line and becoming a member. The man who showed me around was very friendly and didn't mind answering my questions no matter how trivial they were. I decided there and then that this was for me and went ahead and joined.

The main facilities at my local LA Fitness are a fully equipped gym, swimming pool, sauna, spa, steam room, and a wide variety of classes including LA Spin (like a workout on an exercise bike), Aqua (aerobics in the water), Yoga, Synergize, Step and plenty more. All of these are free to use for members (apart from Yoga which costs £2.00 per session).

In addition, within the complex there is a cafe/bar, beaty and alternative treatments centre, sunbeds, creche, hairdressing, wellness centre, conference facilities, and the option for personal training. These facilities are all provided for an additional cost, as you'd probably expect.

The gym has long opening hours and is open seven days a week so it is easy to find time to go. The opening hours at my LA Fitness are:
Mon - Fri: 7.00am - 10.00pm
Sat & Sun: 7.30am - 8.00pm
(they may differ slightly at different locations)

Membership costs vary depending on what your usage of the facilities is expected to be. There are cheaper membership options if you are only likely to use the facilities during off-peak hours for example. For a better idea of membership costs it is probably advisable to contact your local centre. As a rough indication though, I pay £36 per month and can use all of the facilities whenever it is open - this is classed as a Silver membership. In addition to the monthly fee there is a one-off joining fee. It is highly unlikely you will have to pay the full joining fee should you wish to join. When I joined I was told the standard joining fee is £150, however at the time they were having a promotion where you only had to pay £25 to join and I'm told they have plenty of different promotions throughout the year (as an example, on the fathers day weekend dad's could join for free).

On joining LA Fitness you are given an LA Passport. This is really an incentive system to make you use the gym more often. Each time you visit the centre you have your passport stamped or signed to show you have earnt 10 'miles', after you complete a page worth of miles you are entitled to a free gift, such as a gym towel or water bottle or t-shirt etc. Each page in your passport contains 550 miles, but it's amazing how quickly they add up. I received 60 miles for joining, and I also received an extra 100 miles for completing their induction programme. You can also earn additional miles for referring new members and every month they specify different activities or purchases that will earn you more miles, for example, purchasing a jacket potato from the cafe, or taking part in a charity event. At the end of each year of your membership, your miles are totalled up and used as a discount on your following years' membership.

To conclude, my experience of LA Fitness so far has been fantastic and I can actually honestly say that I'm enjoying the exercise I'm doing. My favourite activities are swimming and doing the Aqua classes, though I'm also really getting in to using the gym and have tried a few other classes to (including 'LA Spin', 'Bums, Legs & Tums' and 'Yoga'). I intend to try out more of the classes as I get fitter!

The staff at the centre have been nothing but helpful and have always put me at ease. The place isn't jam packed with slim and huge muscled intimidating people - there are members of all shapes, sizes and ages. If you are thinking about whether or not to join a gym then I would definitely recommend LA Fitness. Don't let the cost put you off - if you are serious about joining a gym then you will get your money's worth - even if you only go swimming twice a week you'll soon notice yourself getting fitter and feel healthier. If you have a friend that is already a member you may be able to try out the gym for free if the member you know can get a guest pass... additionally there are often special offers to get you to try the gym, for example I recently bought my mum a pass that allows her 10 visits to the complex for £30 - that's only £3 a time and she can ue any of the facilities.

Hope you've enjoyed reading this opinion on what has recently become one of my favourite hobbies!!!

(Note - the title of this opinion "The Friendliest Club In Town" is one of the slogans used to promote LA Fitness and is normally written in big letters on the outside of their gyms, and is on the homepage of their website - www.lafitness.co.uk)
 

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