Defined Fitness Rio Club — Attraction in Rio Rancho

I have some mixed thoughts on this gym. For reference, I have been working out here six days a week on a push/pull/legs split for 5 months. I have a focus on powerlifting for lower body stuff and bodybuilding for upper body. As such, this review will be more targeted for people who take lifting seriously. However, the more serious people are generally going to be the ones that stick around the longest and define the culture of the gym as they are always there, so this review is going to be relevant to everybody.

= THE EQUIPMENT =

Pros: When it comes to machines, dumbells, and areas to do calisthenics, this gym its well equipped. There are three dumbell racks plus a full set of kettlebells. For lighter movements such as lateral raises, and even curls, I have yet to encounter a time where I couldn't find equipment. However, if heavy weight dumbell movements are critical to your routine you might have to wait a few minutes for a bench to open up in the crowded dumbell area. One thing that would be a nice, low-cost touch for the gym would be to add an adjustable ez-curl bar to the calisthenics area for strict curls. The plates are already there, and there are no adjustable ez-curl bars in the entire gym. Small thing, but would make a big difference.

There are literally 5-6+ areas to do pullups, dips, and other calisthenics in the gym, so if thats your thing they've got you covered. Just dear lord, please do not do pullups in the power racks. Speaking of the power racks...

Cons: There simply are not enough power racks to go around at this gym. This is something that is absolutely CRITICAL for a gym to provide. If you are a taller guy/girl who wants to take the squat seriously, the walk-in squat racks will not suffice. You NEED a power rack with adjustable height safety bars. Especially for newer lifters that haven't learned to properly fail a squat, there is a real risk of injury. I've trained guys that, on the first day, folded over with a single plate they swore they could handle and were only saved because the spotter pins were high up enough.

There are only two power racks in the entire gym. (which is normally pretty packed.) When its busy its not unbelievable to need to wait 20+ minutes to wait for one to open up to start one's leg day. They definitely have the space the space for it, too. To make matters worse the only two power racks also have deadlifting pads attached to them which compounds the problem, people deadlifting and people squatting have to share the same equipment. The powerlifting area REALLY could use 2 more power racks than it already has.

= GYM CULTURE =

Of all the gyms I've ever worked out at, Defined seems to have the worst gym etiquette. I mean like, Planet Fitnes level etiquette. Some of the things I have encountered at this gym genuinely astound me. People will litter wipes, not return weights, make a mess out of the dumbell racks, stack 45s in front of 5s in front of 25s in front of clips on the pegs, leave barbells with multiple plates stacked on them outside for other people to clean up, I could go on. The other day I hunted down two 2.5 pound plates and put them on the bench rack I was using. Apparently, some guy just swiped them off my rack mid set without asking. Nobody seems to ever return the bar clips. Then, bizarrely, you will find caches of 6-8 clips lying in a pile...

I am not sure how Defined could address this problem without directly confronting people about it. Coincidentally, Defined is also the most crowded gym I've ever worked out at. Perhaps the new location opening up will divert some of the traffic and make the gym less crowded. A sign in the outdoor area reminding people to return their equipment might make a difference.

= CLOSING THOUGHTS =

This gym definitely has a more "corporate" feel to it. Defined is a decent value for most people but struggles to cater to the more serious demographic. Adding two more power racks, or even upgrading the walk-in racks would go a LONG way. However, I feel that with time a lot of the issues can...

The good:

It has a nice size gym and even with how busy it is, usually you can use the equipment you need.

The bad:

The staff is generally indifferent at best, rude at worst. The customer service or generally nicety is not present.

The bathrooms are not cleaned well, there is never any soap.

The sauna at this club is by far the worst design you could have, every other Defined at least understands the utility of bench height in a heated room (not to mention the wooden benches are already breaking).

I have family that visits out of town and when I was at Sports and Wellness they made it reasonable for a day pass (they would usually just do it for free, but I don't expect that at most places). For Defined, if I want to bring an out of town family member for a workout it costs $20! The monthly membership is $40, are you crazy! I would expect something like $10. But half your dues for one workout with family is just gouging. And the staff made a big deal like I was crazy for bringing family in (goes into the pile of rude experiences I have had with different staff here).

Speaking of gouging, I lost my card on file and had to get a new one. And even though I paid me dues when they were due. I got charged a $26 processing fee because the auto draft didn't work. I had to pay more than half my dues EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T LATE! Now, they told me that this wasn't their fault, it is the company they use to do auto drafts, but brother, you chose this company! Take some ownership for taking advantage of me.

All in all, I wrote an essay just to say. There is some good here, but a whole heck of...

I rated this gym a 5 two years ago but am now changing it to a 1. I had been doing a lot of swimming like 3 to 4 times a week for about 2 yrs but have been focusing more on weight lifting the last few months for several reasons. One of the reasons is that I really get grossed out with the pool and the concrete surrounding it, it is always so dirty! Ive asked a couple times and have been told different reasons one of which is that their vacuum broke and they haven't been able to buy a new one. I think its mostly from neglect, I don't think they actually clean very often or at all! 6/21/24 Would it be possible to post gym etiquette signs? I have had to confront other gym members on at least 3 different occasions for using multiple pieces of equipment at once, or occupying equipment and just talking. Unfortunately people are very inconsiderate and think they're the only ones that are using the gym, they don't have a clue about being considerate of others. My time is very valuable and I have to get my workouts when I have the time. 4/10/25 - The hot tub is down again, I think I could count on one hand the days it's actually been open over the last 6 months. Also one of my favorite pieces of equipment, the assisted pull up machine has been down for about 3 months, I guess there's no intention of fixing it, seems like it takes forever to get equipment repaired. I'm really getting tired of this gym for the amount of money we pay, I've been visiting the newest gym in Rio Rancho lately even though it's really far from...