Nancy and I visited this fantastic new gym in Ann Arbor, Gold's. It's the town's best lifting gym, no questions asked. The picture at left (click on thumbnail to enlarge) shows the three Hammerstrength benches this gym sports. In the distance, you can see the two lifting cages and the Smith machine. On the left are the dumbbells going from 5 to 120 lbs. To the right are Hammerstrength machines such as the iso-lateral front press we used in our workout there.
LifeFitness equipment and one or two Free Motion pieces complete the round-up for all classes of lifters. Cardio machines are out front.
This clip (Quicktime, 5 MB) shows Nancy and I luxuriating in all the high quality free weight and Hammerstrength equipment.
I mentioned to Bart, the director of marketing, that this was the most upscale Gold's I had ever been in. According to him, Gold's was purchased by Omni Hotels' holding company, and they are trying to make it more female and family friendly. The cardio machines have a video hookup to the childcare area.
There are two dominant gyms in Ann Arbor, Liberty Athletic Club, where I and my family are currently members and the YMCA which recently got a massive new building. Both of these target the family market with the Y having a very successful community program and Liberty appealing to the club set. Both have weights, but they are a poor cousin to the facilities' other activities.
Lifting gyms in Ann Arbor tend to be downscale. Gold's costs about 75% more per year than those facilities but significantly less than Liberty. My cut is that Gold's is aimed at a younger set and dedicated fitness buffs who just want a high quality place to workout. If it weren't for Mary and Nancy, I'd go sign up right now.
And I think that is the biggest hurdle Gold's faces. For instance, the Y was in horrible shape when we made our decision. We considered shifting when the new Y opened, but decided to stay where we were connected. That said, I am sorely tempted by Gold's.
It certainly looks very shiny. What other facilities are there (apart from the weight room)?
Posted by: Scott | June 23, 2006 at 04:35
Odd how I did not mention those, and they tried to make them a major selling point. They have sauna and tanning. They also have a fairly decent childcare area oriented towards young children. Finally, they have a top flight nutrition drink bar (seems like an expensive way to get your whey).
Posted by: Bud Gibson | June 23, 2006 at 06:58
I'm a little surprised there's no pool. Or are pools in almost every yard around there?
Posted by: Scott | June 24, 2006 at 09:39
Pools tend to be a high-end feature here. In Ann Arbor, the Y and Liberty have them. For the most part, they are not a make or break feature.
Posted by: Bud Gibson | June 24, 2006 at 13:54