CityFitness Palmerston North — Local services in Palmerston North

A review for Pitt Street, Palmerston North. Has its ups and downs. The ups make for a pleasant enough gym experience; the downs should bear serious consideration.

The gym has an excellent range and number of machines for a variety of workouts, including several that work the same muscle groups, meaning that waiting for a machine to become available is rare. However, there are some issues with the mix of old Nautilus equipment and new StarTrac equipment - the older machines are a little worse for wear, with some having weight stickers ripped off (making workout tracking difficult) and some mechanisms, such as seat adjustment, not working or faulty. The newer machines tend to be quite oddly-proportioned and awkward to use, but otherwise quality - though I do find the "Lock and Load" weight switches annoying compared to a simple pin. Also, it appears that many of the machines' weight stacks are labelled incorrectly, as the disparity between the same labelled weight between machines is incredibly noticeable. The free weight selection is excellent and includes a variety of weight types, lacking only proper rubber-lined deadlift weights.

The staff are for the most part friendly, but on several occasions have been unable to answer questions about their facilities or machines.

My main issue is with the lack of enforcement of cleanliness and respect for the space. This is largely on the part of the clientele, for many of whom "meathead" is an accurate epithet. I often find machines not wiped down after use and sometimes damaged, as with the removal of stickers I mentioned earlier. If they are wiped down, the paper towels are often discarded where they lie. It is common for someone using free weights to slam them on the ground or fail to unrack them from a barbell, and whether these behaviours are due to laziness, disrespect or an egocentric need to show off, they should be addressed by staff.

The value for money is reasonable, though even as a non-student I find Massey University Gym cheaper, more welcoming and with a more respectful and intellectual clientele, though offering less quantity and range of equipment. Finally, a minor complaint, but City Fitness's WiFi connection is unreliable at best and completely unusable at worst, the latter being far more common.

Overall, of a quality mostly expected of a public gym, but with several compounding issues which sour the experience somewhat. I would recommend Massey over City Fitness, if you can deal with the inconvenient location and...

I have a black (premium) membership, so I'll give a comparison between this and the Kelvin Grove franchise.

Pitt St:

Advantages: Better for shy people or introverts. Many corners and some hidden spots. Located in the city center. Shower area (male) has a luxury feeling. Tends to be less hectic close to late night

Disadvantages: Not that spacious. Old equipment Don't feel clean except the toilet and shower Feels like less extra equipment

Kelvin Grove:

Advantages: Spacious. Good for Claustrophobes. Basically, an open area with no dividing walls or corners. Generally cleaner around the gym area. More Cardio and dip & pull up machines/bars. Newer equipment.

Disadvantages: Shower not as clean and luxurious as Pitt st. More intimidating for Introverts since it's an open and some stations/machines are facing each other, especially if you're doing free weight.

But , more privacy when you're doing machines (except lat pull down and other cable machines).

Super crowded...

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