Northampton Athletic Club — Local services in Northampton

As a person who's been a gym member (at different gyms in California, in San Francisco & Newport Beach) for the past 10 yrs, active outdoors, & has a need for self-care through physical exercise + exercise community, I love NAC.

**Note: I've only attended classes, i.e. not used the machines, & only been a member for 6 mos. Check back again in 6 mos. for the update.

**Classes: P90X & P90X Tabata, Step, Hatha Yoga, Boot Camp, Vinyasa Yoga, Flexible Strength, HIIT & Sculpt! P90X + P90X & Step: my mainstays. As my body changes & the seasons heat up/cool down, the classes warm-ups, cool downs, teacher knowledge & attention to modifications (for the many different body types in class), transitions to the different movements/combo's keep me flexible & strong! Same for Hatha! The body needs to be worked in different ways, for health maint., so I play around w/ Boot Camp, HIIT & Sculpt, Flexible Strength, & Vinyasa Yoga. Health maintenance is easier with this circuit!

**Instructors: will go above & beyond; helpful, knowledgeable, considerate, fun, & encouraging. It's hard to go wrong when most of the teachers take an evident pride in doing what they do -well- keeping the range of students in mind. *Bathrooms: in comparison to other gyms I've seen, are *clean **Staff: the staff I encounter regularly are friendly & helpful. **Amenities: sauna & steam rooms in each of their 2 locker rooms, water bottle filling station, towels & lockers for members. Indoor pool @ Amherst location only. **Members: other class attendees are incredibly supportive & encouraging! You can find a health community here if that is a priority.

**DO: arrive early to class if you're a first timer. The teachers'll have time to orient you!!!

I have a bias towards the Pioneer Valley & am in love with Northampton. There is an amazing variety of...

This gym is good. The main reason I joined was because Anytime Fitness got kicked out of their location and so NAC is the only gym near downtown Northampton and accessible by bike. I really can't bring myself to drive to a gym (there's just something too ironic about that), so I love that it's close to where I live and I can get exercise getting there. It cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend at the gym. The facility is a bit dated but almost in a charming way. Everything about the place seems like it has not been updated since the 90s except some of the newer machines. The photos and inspirational posters on the wall all seem like from another era, the same era as the kind owner sitting at the front desk. Makes me nostalgic for my hometown fitness club that I grew up with in the 90s. I don't really need the basketball court, the climbing wall, or the steam room, but I would rather go here than Planet Fitness. There's plenty of room to spread out and it's usually not too crowded. I wish they had more stretch areas with mats. There is only one small room for floor exercises. I wish they had some bike parking that was easier to access and didn't seem like an afterthought. It's kind of blocked by parked cars and in the winter they plow the snow into it. They have way more car parking than they need so it wouldn't hurt to put in some more bike parking! In fact, the whole front of the parking lot is barely used; it would be cool if they turned that into an outdoor patio space that the...

Northampton Athletic Club is a decent, smaller gym. It’s in a good area and very accessible from many different directions. NAC does have a basketball court, but it is very, very small. There are often other activities occurring on the basketball court or the court is very slippery - so if you’re looking for a place to hoop DO NOT come here! In terms of the actual weights/machines - most are very old or rusty. Some machines do not have the proper equipment to adjust according to different peoples needs. Staff are mostly friendly and receptive to feedback. There’s a rock wall for bouldering and top-roping. Many different classes (i.e. yoga, pilates) going on throughout the week. All in all, I think the membership is over priced when considering the overall quality of equipment and workout spaces. The hours ARE NOT friendly for late-night exercisers!...