Starting with just one location in Irvine, CA back in 1984 and then expanding to more than 300 locations in the United States and Canada, LA Fitness has grown to become the most well known face in the "super-gym" niche of fitness centers. Below you’ll find a brief overview of what is made available in these gyms. If you want to get right to reading reviews, jump to the bottom of this page, click on a state below or type in a zip code in the search box at the top of this page.
A lot of gyms loose their focus quickly but LA Fitness is one company that has not strayed from its original mission to "help as many people as possible achieve the benefits of a healthy lifestyle" by continually opening new locations each and every year. Almost all LA Fitness centers sport a swimming pool, and basketball court…something few workout facilities other than the YMCA offer these days as standard amenities.
LA Fitness knows that it takes all types of people to make the world go around, and different people approach fitness in different ways. Taking that into account, almost all LA Fitness centers offer the following:
Free Weight Area – While traditional free weights have been played down by other national gym chains such as Bally Total Fitness who replace them almost exclusively with weight machines and cardio equipment, LA Fitness had made it a priority to keep a sizeable amount of floor space dedicated to free weights. At any given time there are over 20,000 lbs of free weights available at most LA Fitness locations. This provides their members with a countless variety of exercise options which focus on increasing strength along site with muscle tone and size. The weights come in a variety of sizes which ensures that those who need to start out with something very light are able to do so and those looking to take their strength to the next level with very heavy weight are not left out in the cold.
Cardiovascular Training Area – while nobody knocks the benefits of strength that accompanies an increase in lean muscle mass, what good is all that extra strength if you have no endurance? To ensure that each member has the ability to get a full-on cardiovascular challenge, all LA Fitness locations come with a large cardio training area. From treadmills to elliptical machines, stair climbers to rowing machines, LA Fitness ensure that a variety of easy-to-use equipment available to each member. The company is also known to work hard to make enough machines available so that there is never a significant weight time hindering your from getting your heart rate up.
Selectorized Weight Equipment – If getting in a full body workout in the minimum amount of time without spending 30 minutes at home designing a workout plan is your definition of an ideal fitness setup, then the large selection of Selectorized Weight machines available at every LA Fitness center is going to put a smile on your face. The machines are setup in a circuit-training style of rotation which allow you to get a full body workout every time you hit the gym. Multiple lines are available to provide a variety of choices and enables you to isolate and train specific muscle groups with ease.
Group Exercise Classes – forty years ago America discovered the energy and pump that a group exercise class and there is about a snowball’s chance in hell that these classes are going away anytime soon. Fun, energetic training which burns calories and gets your heart rate up is the name of the game on the floors of the state-of-the-art Group Exercise Studios built into each LA Fitness location, and because group training is so popular, the company ensures that these fitness areas offer at least double the floor space found at most other gyms so that more members can participate in every class. Classes offered are diverse and include customized versions of standard routines such as step aerobics, kickboxing, and yoga as well as newer classes such as Latin Impact, aquarobics, and spinning. While the LA Fitness membership cost extends to most areas of the gym, some of the classes are only available with an additional fee.
Lane-Divided Swimming Pool – swimming is known to be a great alternative to higher impact cardio activities because it provides a full cardiovascular workout, enhanced by the increased resistance of the water, without the joint-pounding effects that accompany running and step classes. Each pool is laid out with three or more lane and the water quality is closely monitored to maintain the highest levels of cleanliness. Almost all LA Fitness locations have been outfitted with a pool which can provide members with a primary training avenue or be worked into a continuous routine to offer a cool and exhilarating alternative.
Full Basketball Court – basketball is undoubtedly the most popular indoor team sport which is why LA Fitness incorporates a full, hard-wood floored basketball court into each of their facilities. Rims and backboards are of regulation size and provide a big-league response. Leagues are set and established for those looking for continuous competition while free play sessions are penciled in each week for those looking for a pickup game. Good sportsmanship is encouraged as much as competitiveness and all players are held to the highest standards for both.
Racquetball Courts – since the sport's introduction by Joe Sobek in 1952, racquetball has grown to be a favorite sport which has fitness at its core. Anyone who has played racquetball can attest to the fact that this game is one of the most intense experiences known to man. Almost all LA Fitness locations have racquetball courts and make both league and challenge play available, so even if you don’t have a dedicated partner, you can always find someone to compete against. Courts feature full-length hard wood floors and a shatterproof glass backing.
Spa & Sauna – nothing feels better after an intense workout than some heat therapy. Both sitting submerged in the heated, bubbling water as well as the dry heat of the sauna are research-proven to offer a therapeutic effect which cleanses the body, stimulates blood flow, and engages the body’s biological recovery pathways. At most LA Fitness locations, the spa is situated adjacent to the pool while individual saunas are attached to both the men's and women's locker rooms. These amenities are consistently sanitized in order to provide a superior environment to each and every member.
Pro Results Personal Training – today’s busy world often works against us where achieving our fitness results is concerned. Sometimes a little bit of accountability and guidance is all that is needed in order to get you moving from where you are to where you want to be. For this reason, LA Fitness makes personal training a key element of their overall program offerings. Each personal trainer is certified in their area of expertise and are screened by the LA Fitness management team for both respectful interpersonal skills and a positive attitude. This level of experienced coaching is not available at do-it-yourself gyms such as Planet Fitness, so if you are looking for a coach (and even Tiger Woods has a coach) then the option is available here.
Child Care – one of the most attractive features in a gym to those who have a family is the availability of child care. Nothing will derail your dedication to getting shredded than having to think about what to do with Jr. every time you need to get your workout in and having to take turns watching little ones means that its not possible for mom and dad to work out together. This is not a problem at LA Fitness because each club has an integrated Kids Club child watch area. Now you can work out consistently with your mind at ease knowing that your younglings are being engaged in educational play while you’re burning calories and packing on muscle.
Juice Bar – smart people know that if you want to become fit, you can’t eat junk. Downing soda, “energy drinks”, and other corn-syrup laden concoctions after working out is the easiest way to go nowhere fast. Once you’ve put your body through the paces and begun the recovery process in sauna, you need to feed it the fuel which will enable it to repair, rebuild, and grow. That’s why many LA Fitness locations offer a juice bar offering healthy snacks and custom-blended juices for members who want to take advantage of higher-quality post-workout nutrition.
The list above shows that LA Fitness has its heart in the right place. Providing a superior workout experience that makes you want to come back for more is the core operating philosophy of this company. Of course, no gym can be everything to everyone. If you are looking for a “small gym” feel where you get to know almost everyone by name, then this larger facility probably won’t be the right place for you. None of the clubs are 24 hour fitness type facilities, so if odd hours are part of your life then scheduling might be an issue.
Also, different quirks about parking, location, and the ability of one gym’s staff to enact on the company’s vision where customer service is concerned are all things which can make individual clubs shine brighter than others. Reading reviews about the LA Fitness location nearest to you is the best way to get a real-world perspective on how members feel about their particular gym. Newest gyms reviewed can be found below with a link to an alphabetical list of all gyms can be found at the bottom of this page. You can also search for a gym by zip code by punching it into the search box as well as search by state using the links at the top of this page.
