Just graduated from NCSU and got a job in the area, looking for a gym to join. Mostly interested in free weights - I run outside with my dog daily so cardio shit doesn't matter to me at a gym. Pool I guess would be a bonus. I looked into rapid fitness, as they have boxing and mma classes, which would be cool, but I'm assuming they're batshit expensive. I heard YMCA is pretty decent. But i'm not looking to break my bank on a gym. Any suggestions? Oh and whatever the gym is that has the "no intimidation" zone or whatever it's called, where you can't even have a water bottle bigger than like 8 ounces, fuck that place.

7/30/2011 10:21:04 PM

I really like the Y.

It costs a little bit more, but at least the money is going into community programs and whatnot.

7/30/2011 10:30:20 PM

Lifestyles Family Fitness. Nice equipment and only like $25/mo if you sign up for just the free weights and cardio equipment package. They don't really advertise that but when I lived in the area that is what I did and it was by far the nicest gym for the price.

7/30/2011 10:36:07 PM

Any idea how much the Y costs? Like ballpark guess.

7/30/2011 11:05:40 PM

31.50 if you are under 29...jumps to about 45 when you turn 29

7/30/2011 11:19:05 PM

Non-students can buy Carmichael memberships.

http://www.ncsu.edu/student_affairs/carmichael/prospective/alumni.php

[Edited on July 31, 2011 at 4:06 AM. Reason : link]

7/31/2011 4:04:56 AM

there's also a $100 joining fee at the Y for young adults. and yea its like $33 a mo

i have the $40 a month one so i can go to any area Y

but you can get the joining fee reduced to $50 depending on your income. i am a poor person so i got the $50 fee haha i think it is like < $60,000 a year maybe?

7/31/2011 12:32:38 PM

^^ I would never do that, I didn't even use the gym when I went back for grad school. Parking is too much of a pain if you don't have a parking pass and every time I tried to go it was packed out. Worked a lot better in undergrad when I could go anytime throughout the day basically.

7/31/2011 2:16:24 PM

I liked Rapid (was a member at the downtown location until it recently closed) and my membership was $29/month. The MMA classes were extra but it wouldn't hurt to go talk to the Rapid folks and see if they have any specials. They're really nice and I didn't feel they were pushy. I belonged to Peak Fitness until that closed without notice so Rapid waived my initial fees and let me use the North Raleigh gyms until the one downtown opened in 2009.

7/31/2011 2:18:33 PM

I like Rex Wellness. Not the cheapest, but I enjoyed the classes and the facilities.

7/31/2011 4:46:05 PM

i have a membership at both lifestyle (close to work) and planet fitness (literally in my neighborhood).

Lifestyle is $30/mo., no contract. They have a lot of lifting and aerobic equipment, a small pool, steam room, etc.

Planet fitness -- that's the one with the "no intimidation zone or whatever it's called" -- is $10 a month ($40/yr registration fee). I was really worried about them when i first joined, but it's really not bad. They have a sign that says "no deadlifts", but I see people dead lift there every once in a while and they don't say anything. There are plenty of guys there that lift heavy, and it's not an issue. And at the end of the day, if dead lifts are that critical to you... you should be at a weight lifters gym anyhow. They don't have a ton of benches, but it's usually not an issue -- I've never had to hold up my workout waiting for equipment. My only real complaint is that the one in my neighborhood does not have a squat rack. So you have to squat on a smith-machine. But generally, it's a lot better than what I expected. Definitely not a power-lifter's gym, but plenty good enough for most people. And $10 a month... that's tough to beat.

[Edited on July 31, 2011 at 8:18 PM. Reason : s]

7/31/2011 8:16:55 PM

I joined planet fitness. The one in Raleigh sucks. It is way to crowded during the week after 5 pm. You have to wait around all the time for benches or to use the cables and you hardly have enough room to even walk around the dumbbells. I don't know how it is during the morning or day but if you want to go in the afternoon after work I'd join somewhere else. They serve free pizza on the first monday of every month. That gives you an idea of how much PF is trying to help members get fit.....and the lunk alarm and that stuff is about the queerest thing I've ever heard of.

7/31/2011 8:33:36 PM

^ don't want to be argumentative, but just so things are clear... there are 3 planet fitnesses in Raleigh. They're franchises, so they're all ran a little differently. And 5pm-7pm is probably the busiest time of any gym anywhere.

7/31/2011 8:55:48 PM

gold's gym north hills has an indoor pool that's pretty nice


it's actually called Fitness Connection now, they just broke off franchise w/golds. Prices haven't changed, but i think they are running a $19.95 special right now so go sign up. You can use all the Golds/Fitness Connections in Raleigh too.

8/1/2011 1:21:27 AM

wtf is a "no intimidation zone"

i mean i get fostering an environment that frowns upon slamming weights and outright brachiating, but limiting water bottle size??

last gym membership i had that wasn't carmichael was a freeweight meathead gym, and that's what i'll be looking for when i'm no longer at state

8/1/2011 6:05:46 AM

planet fitness doesn't actually limit bottle size. it's just that they have a shtick that they are the gym for regular joes and not meatheads, so they exploit the golds gym stereotypes of dudes with gallon water jugs, etc. in their ads

I'm a member and its alright for the price. of course its going to be busy around 5pm because that is when everyone goes. my wife and i usually go around 9pm and I rarely have to wait to use equipment.

8/3/2011 8:08:31 PM

$19.95 mother fucker. Why do these things always happen to me? Serves my dumb ass right for not asking if they would have a special when they switched.

8/3/2011 8:48:36 PM

Anybody know whats going on with Rapid Fitness and their downtown location. After they closed they promised a new location by mid/end of August and all the rumors were that they were taking over the Club Raleigh LIV space (formerly Gillians, Buckhead Saloon, etc.) Now there is nothing on the website (all info about downtown has been removed) and nothing on their blog. I live on Hargett and was looking forward to being able to walk to a gym. Might have to go look at the Fitness Connection in North Hills now.

8/4/2011 10:50:56 AM

I've heard that Rapid is having some financial problems and have abandoned the plan for the gym downtown which sucks b/c since that one has closed the one on Glenwood is packed!! regardless I've been a member with Rapid for almost two years and i really like it. I pay $25/month for the passport so i can also go to the Falls of the Neuse location to use the steam room,pool, hot tub and my wife likes the hot yoga on Saturday mornings. To take the MMA/boxing classes its extra $$. If I had to switch though I'd check the Fitness Connection at North Hills.

8/4/2011 12:53:41 PM

^ interesting. i heard that the 2 places Rapid had eyed for the new downtown location fell through and the new location won't be ready until this time next year.

regardless, my contract was up with Rapid in October and I emailed them saying I don't even live downtown anymore nor do I live anywhere near their other 2 Raleigh locations. They ended up canceling my membership without question.

8/4/2011 1:00:33 PM

If you want to try any of the MMA classes at Rapid, let me know.

FYI: The rates do seem a bit expensive, but you can definitely negotiate them.

8/4/2011 8:04:25 PM

^^thats bad news...any idea where the new location will be.

I may join lifestyle if I can go month to month as its right by my office on Wake Forest

8/4/2011 8:31:55 PM

Planet Fitness sounds completely worthless, whether or not you want to be a meathead.

8/4/2011 8:32:12 PM

I've never seen a sign saying you can't dead lift at Planet Fitness and I've done it plenty of times.
Ultimately, an Olympic bar and steel plates are pretty much the same no matter what gym you're going to. As are benches and dumbbells. I'm probably a little bit of a minimalist in regard to equipment. I do wish they had some kettlebells, but there just isn't enough real estate to have people safely swinging 85 lb chunks of steel in the one on Western Blvd.

I really don't see any reason for the hate. It's not a good gym, but it's not a bad gym IMO. It costs me $10 a month, I didn't pay a sign up fee, and I've never been hit with any other fees either. I don't work out there often, but it's a mile from the house and it has AC. And if you wanted to time it you could hit them up for free pizza once a month.

I don't really have a burning desire to scream out "UNNNGHHHHHHH" every time I curl a 35, so maybe that is why I don't have a problem with it.

8/4/2011 8:50:12 PM

I am a member of both planet fitness and [former] Gold's in the raleigh area.

I have never had any of the issues some people have at PF, but their equipment is limited, don't have heavy dumbbells, and have a lot of kids there.

I even sprung for the free tanning.

8/4/2011 8:54:42 PM

they're great for crusin'~

8/5/2011 12:15:32 AM

^^ I have wished for heavier dumbbells a few times. For the most part I always just went heavy with the barbell and went high-rep with the dumbbells there. I want to say they cap at 65 or 70 lbs, so a max of 140ish for a pair of them. Then again, if I was pressing barbells it was usually because there were a bunch of dudes hovering around the bench press stations and I didn't feel like waiting. I wasn't curling 65 or anything.

8/5/2011 2:49:20 AM

I know they go to at least 75, maybe 80.

Planet Fitness has everything I need. The main draw for me is 24 hours though. The best time for me to go is late at night. Most of the time there's only one or two other people in there.

8/5/2011 2:53:18 AM

all the golds gyms in the triangle are now fitness connection. idk how i feel about that yet

8/5/2011 8:32:43 AM

wow i am glad i had just cancelled my gold's membership as of aug 1st, i am now a fitness 19 $10 customer paid by my work and a sneak in at various o2s in the triangle

i also saw the "Powerhouse Gym" in downtown raleigh, i had no idea raleigh had a powerlifting gym

8/5/2011 8:44:18 AM

the dumbbells at Planet Fitness go up to 80 pounds. The only thing I do with dumbbells is flyes and curls, and I can barely handle 10 reps of flyes with an 80lb dumbbells. Most gyms don't go that much heavier on dumbbells anyway - the golds around here buy the rubber plated steel dumbbells that are so long and obnoxiously awkward that their almost impossible to use. If they used the lead counterweighted dumbbells like some of the nicer Gold's do in the DC area, then maybe I'd care if the dumbbells went up to 120lbs or higher. Unfortunately, no gyms in this area carry those types of dumbbells.

[Edited on August 5, 2011 at 9:12 AM. Reason : Gold's aka Fitness Connection will be bankrupt in 12 months. they're all run down]

8/5/2011 9:11:31 AM

I've been a member @ gold's in north hills and currently a member @ planet fitness near carmax on glenwood.

I liked gold's because of the pool and stuff, but its pricey and I moved away from north hills. Maybe some day I'll go back to golds.

I like planet fitness, because even though during 5-7pm its crazy packed, the other hours its not bad, so I just go then. They have what I need, except for one thing, a straight up pullup bar. They have the machine thing, but I need a bar, so I just use the smith machine. I'm sure other people are like "wtf" lol.

8/5/2011 9:16:33 AM

^ What about the two pullup bars in the back where the pulldown's are?

8/5/2011 10:08:27 AM

sounds like you're talking about the western blvd location and i think he goes to glenwood

8/5/2011 11:02:22 AM

^this.

8/8/2011 4:05:47 PM

Maybe i'll move to Texas and join metroflex so I can be the weakest guy in the room! Their dumbbells go up to 200.

8/8/2011 4:10:59 PM

I would just like to point out that the owner of the Planet Fitness on Western (by Harris Teeter) is a huge douche. I will never go to that one again.

8/8/2011 6:37:40 PM

CrossFit is awesome and I think it may fit what you are looking for.
There is one in downtown Raleigh with incredible coaches. Stop in and see one and talk about what you may be looking for.

8/20/2011 11:13:28 AM

Crossfit sucks. Zombified clients who pay way too much for non creative, dangerous workouts.

Better off buying an Olympic set and putting it in your yard.

8/20/2011 12:49:39 PM

the planet fitness on jones franklin/western/buck jones told me the other day that they have a STRICT 315 weight limit on all exercises (fortunately for me it was a dynamic day and i was not training with maximal weight).

i asked them to show me that in my contract. there is a clause that they pointed out that says you have to listen to the staff and obey written, verbal, or implied instructions.

i pointed out that that was not MY contract (it was a blank) and proceeded with my workout. i asked them to provide mine, as i cannot be expected to believe what is on a blank contract without my signature.

8/23/2011 7:59:42 AM

New Rapid downtown by January if everything falls into place. Details and location to follow.

8/26/2011 8:11:09 PM

^awesome news....I am very much anticipating the location

8/27/2011 2:25:12 PM

Peak Fitness

8/27/2011 3:07:38 PM

anyone have experience with the O2 fitness at seaboard station downtown?

8/29/2011 10:30:42 AM

Roommate didn't like it.

8/29/2011 11:26:14 AM

Rapid's website says they signed a letter of intent for a new downtown space.

10/28/2011 4:58:16 PM

^any idea where

I just joined 02 for 1 year, they had a special going for Seaboard, Free until January, then $34.99 a month from then on. I like the space, locker rooms are clean, and the equipment is nice. Although, I hope to only be there for a year, and that rapid has opened a new downtown location by then.

10/28/2011 5:14:24 PM

im confused is the rapid on glenwood closed or open

im hoping to do MMA and fight for the fight team if they even have one anymore if they are open, i am only familiar with blake risk but i dont even know if hes still fightin for them

10/28/2011 6:44:04 PM

Quote :

"I looked into rapid fitness, as they have boxing and mma classes, which would be cool, but I'm assuming they're batshit expensive."

I really enjoy rapid. I live in the back yard of the one on falls so that helps. But i pay 19 a month, unlimited classes (hot yoga extra), and for 25 you can get the passport to go to both. I haven't heard anything about the glenwood rapid closing, there's still tons of flyers and advertisements in the falls location about " fitness bootcamps" and mma class offerings etc at the glenwood location.

rapid is a really good deal in my opinion, esp for ladies, they have tons and tons of classes.

10/31/2011 6:00:52 PM

Is Rapid month to month or did you have to commit in advance to get that $20 rate? Also do you know if the couples rate is $40 or is that less?

[Edited on October 31, 2011 at 9:01 PM. Reason : .]

10/31/2011 9:00:56 PM