Fitness 19 — Local services in Oakland

It's time that I share my experience as well. Ima be honest I would've given this gym a 5/5 but as time went on there have been a lot of problems with this gym so without further ado ima go ahead and write this review.

Back in July 2024 I had just gotten into a gym upgrading from planet fitness the staff members were cool in all and I was able to get the premium pass for 20 dollars a month it was cool in all and the staff members were nice and chill so were the co workers there managers were cool too.

However, as time went on I started to notice issues with this gyms that seriously need to be fixed.

#1 Is that people don't know how to rerack the weights especially the dumbbells everytime i'm in the free weights area 8/10 one of the dumbbells is not on the rack and I end up going to find it which ends up in the hiit area or there are other people around me with like 4 different dumbbells and not even using it so it would get extremely annoying. #2 If you plan on lifting alone or needing weights it's best to go in the mornings anywhere from 11am or 12pm otherwise afterwards it's extremely busy and a lot harder to get a machine especially on a Saturday, I swear I don't know what it is but I often see ego lifters who are just swinging the crap out of the exercise with heavy weight or the elders or older people taking 1000 years on a machine like you should not be doing 6+ sets on a back row saying oh the first 3 were warmups and out here taking 10 minute break like no one has time for that and also on the ab crunch machine doing 20+ sets like it's going to help so and also if you lift on saturday after 2pm good luck trying to get a machine #3 This was my main issue in the gym everytime I was there it was always that one older man who would often stare at me every single time and I got extremely uncomfortable because he would legit stare at me everywhere I go he's often staring at me and I remember I was doing my set on the flat bench and when I finish he kept staring at me and at one point was trying to talk to me so I was extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully I switched to a new gym

#4 This one was annoying me the most so I had gotten a new job and ended up working out somewhere else in a new gym and at the time I was doing personal training my membership was cancel but I was still getting charge 70 a session every week and I got very annoyed because no one wants to call on a monday to deal with it but I was consisntely doing that every week to try and contact Jesus but it was only monday that work cause every other day when I call in he would either be busy or he's not in the office. Luckily Jesus helped me out with this issue cause he had said I was done in March but I still got a charge in May which made absolutely no sense at all because why am I still getting charged after i cancel everything and I even inform them that it would be my last time calling them about this issue cause I had to call 3 times. Thankfully, Jesus help me out and gave me my refund.

Overall, it's not a bad gym but there's work that needs to be done especially with the people that's lifting in there, not racking the weights back and just leaving it open I almost stub my toe once because there was a heavy dumbbell in the middle of where I was walking and also this gym needs to work on giving everyone equal amount of time on the machine no one likes people who take long breaks, does a lot of sets and take they sweet time on there breaks like there are other people behind you. Another problem I see with this gym is that there are way too much people who tend to ego lift. Last thing I want to say is that not only work on racking the weights where it belongs but people gotta stop taking hella weights especially the dimbbbels and just have it laying there and not using it because if your not gonna use it put it on the rack so other people can use it.

Overall, I give this gym a 2/5 like I mentioned it would been a 5/5 but as time went on more issues were built in this gym that seriously need to be fix. Now i'm better off at...

Another update: The music USED to be really good at this gym because it factored in and considered the demographic. NO ONE wants to listen to Metal/ Screamo or a Guitar solo while they work out at this gym. Imposing a corporate playlist gives tone deaf. We used to have mats that we could wipe down and used on the tuft but they were removed for some reason and now we’re sharing mats with the classes. So if there’s a class going on, good luck with getting a mat. Really annoying not being able to wipe them down. There’s mold in the women’s bathroom sink and the drinking fountain, the toilets appear to not have been cleaned in a while because they have a ring around them. -They’ve done better at dusting the machines but lack wiping them so there’s drops of sweat on caked on dust.

*Update * Most of these concerns have been addressed & it’s made such an impact for my experience. It’s cleaner, it’s cooler & the signage seems to be working because the weights are where they need to be. I have seen an uptick in staff making rounds, and that has been greatly appreciated. Keep up the amazing work🤘🏽

I love this gym! There’s a lot of opportunities that would help this gym be better. -Cleaning/ dusting the machines (specifically the treadmills & stair masters) lots of dust caked on & droplets of people’s sweat. Maintenance to the broken treadmills or even having a sign that it’s out of order. -Removing the toilet brush from the ladies restroom. It looks unprofessional & is probably the reason the stall always smells like dirty cleaning supplies. -Fixing the LED lights in the ladies bathroom. It’s been flashing for more than 6 months. -Front desk staff rarely greets customers when they arrive or when they leave. Anytime I buy something at the front desk it’s a real awkward, quiet transaction. Very minimal customer service. -The boxes of supplies that are kept in the shelves should be moved to the stockroom. It looks super tacky seeing it there. -Posting rules in high traffic areas that communicates that during peak times to not just stand around & socialize or hold machines for people who aren’t there or people who just sit at the machines on their phone for long periods of time. -Reminders to re-rack the weight used. Seems like a bunch of novice lifters aren’t aware of gym etiquette so having it posted somewhere could help. -Better ventilation. I’ll go in there & it’s super hot, sticky & congested. I’ve asked for the staff there to open the doors which sometimes leads to randos walking in on that side. But, without those doors open it’s almost impossible to lift without feeling asphyxiatiated.

This seems like a lot but, they seem like some quick fixes that would really make this gym even better than it...

This is the only Fitness 19 I’ve been to, maybe others are better. This one is definitely the worst gym I’ve ever joined.

Wish I took pictures for proof, but it was genuinely normal for 50% of the dumbbell rack to be empty. And the dumbbells weren’t being used, they were literally laying in random places all over the gym. The amount of times I spent 10 minutes looking for a pair of dumbbells and found them in a random corner on the turf is unbelievable. On more than one occasion, the 100lb dumbbell would just be hazardously left in the middle of the turf. Incredibly annoying and also really unsafe. Plates would also be regularly left all over the floor, very far away from any racks. People regularly left barbells stacked with weights. Not just with a 25lbs plate, but a fully loaded barbell with four 55s on it …. Once again, annoying and very unsafe.

Don’t even get me started on the people who used the lifting platforms for 30+ min at the most crowded time. You literally cannot and should not be on a squat rack for 45 minutes at 5pm on a Wednesday, it’s SO RUDE. Do your weighted pull ups after the rush! Why are you doing land mine rows for 10 sets when like three people are waiting for a squat rack!!?? And then taking 8 minute long breaks between sets?! It’s easy enough to work in with someone on a hamstring curl machine, but I can’t exactly work in with you if you use the whole platform to do hip thrusts for 4 fkn hours like DAMN. Either get more squat racks or make sure people aren’t acting like the very crowded gym is their personal home gym. 😩😩

I think these problems are so incredibly infuriating because many of the “advanced” or older lifters were the worst perpetrators. There were many kind and courteous gym goers as well, but when the novice and newer lifters are seeing people regularly leave the gym in squalor it becomes the norm to form bad gym etiquette. Leaving equipment all over the floor and never wiping down machines are literally some of the biggest gym offenses, along with hogging equipment.

Anyway, I give the gym 2 stars because like I said, most people were genuinely nice. And there is great equipment for many levels and types of exercise. But adding 20+ minutes to my gym time because of the absolute obliviousness and disrespect of some of the lifters was enough to drive me out of there. I’m sure many people find this gym sufficient enough for their needs, but I needed a gym with a bit more maturity and respect.

The staff could maybe do a better job at setting a better example for cleanliness...