The price is right
MY GYM: 24 Hour Fitness, several area locations.
WHY IT WORKS OUT: Location (17 and counting). Price (cheap). Inspiration (lots). Classes (tons). Equipment (plentiful).
NO PAIN, NO GAIN: Several pricing plans available depending on the location and your needs. Most memberships start with initiation and processing fees in the $79 to $99 range, but these are sometimes waived depending on what promotions are running. Monthly charges start at about $34 to $39 depending on the location, slightly more for all-access memberships to all locations. Contact the individual location for more details, and feel free to negotiate.
THE ROUTINE: Each location is different, but most include dozens of cardio machines, a full suite of weight machines, and plenty of free weights. Classes depend on the location but are plentiful everywhere, and include spinning, yoga, aerobics, kickboxing, and fun stuff like Salsa Moves and Cowboy Boogie. Some outposts have swimming pools and basketball courts. Personal training available everywhere.
HOW IT PUMPS ME UP: I’m no great lover of any gym, but as a dining critic, regular workouts might as well be a job requirement. As far as I’m concerned, the cheapest option is the best, and 24 Hour Fitness is one of the most inexpensive gyms in town. Never empty (if sometimes prohibitively crowded), there’s plenty of in-shape inspiration (in the form of a young, hip, super- fit clientele) to help push you through that extra set of presses. Plus, a floating membership means you can drift between locations, comparing eye candy from gym to gym. Warning: Bring your own towel; they don’t provide them at 24 Hour Fitness.
THE DETAILS: Hours: Most locations, but not all, open 24 hours. Check the website (24hourfitness.com) for details on specific locations. 800-432-6348.
– Tucker Shaw
Pushing iron
MY GYM: Downtown Denver YMCA, corner of East 16th and Lincoln avenues.
WHY IT WORKS OUT: If you live in central Denver, the downtown Y’s location is perfect. Excellent equipment selection, including a first-rate weight room. Patrons are civilized and don’t preen.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN: Membership is tiered. Monthly rates: youth, $29; young adult (ages 19-24) $48; single adult-single parent, $85; family, $99; senior adult (60-plus) $53.
THE ROUTINE: A recent remodeling spiffed up the downtown Y, albeit at the expense of the swimming pool. Tons of cardio equipment: stationary and recumbent bikes, treadmills, stair climbers, elliptical trainers and rowing machines. One room is dedicated to free weights; other areas feature a full lineup of Cybex and cable machines. There’s a basketball court, and classes include yoga, Pilates, spinning and self-defense (some have fees). Free showers, towels and day lockers. Steam and sauna.
HOW IT PUMPS ME UP: Beyond being a place to work out, the Y offers a chance to spend time with a vast array of people and personalities: Think of it as the fitness equivalent of an all-night diner. I lift weights, and weight-lifters tend to be a community unto themselves. We know each other’s aches and pains, gains and setbacks. That camaraderie transcends boundaries. If you’re there to push iron, you belong.
THE DETAILS: Hours: Monday-Thursday, 5 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 5 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 303-861-8300; denverymca.org
– William Porter
The adult alternative
MY GYM: Colorado Athletic Club’s locations at Denver Tech Center (5555 DTC Parkway, Greenwood Village) and downtown at (1630 Welton St.) Not to be confused with the Denver Athletic Club.
WHY IT WORKS OUT: Clean. Serious. Well-equipped. Kid-free. These are gyms where adults come to take care of business.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN: Figure on $99 per month average. There’s an enrollment fee, but it varies greatly depending on the deal you cut. Ask about eligibility for the Wellbridge reciprocal program, so you can use high-end clubs in 11 states when traveling. In New York City, for example, visitors can work out at the luxe Peninsula Spa free of charge.
THE ROUTINE: Locations vary, but look for lots of cardio equipment (there’s rarely a wait). Frequent and creative group classes with quality instructors. Basketball court. Pool access. Spinning rooms. Wide-open exercise and stretching rooms. Massage. Yoga. Steam, sauna and whirlpool with attendants and fresh towels. Plenty of open floor space to customize your fitness regimen, particularly downtown.
HOW IT PUMPS ME UP: I’m a classic gymhopper. Within weeks of signing on to a new gym, I get tired of the same old faces, equipment and odors and move on to something new. But Colorado Athletic Club has kept me. Reason one: their facilities are super clean, especially the locker rooms. No smells. Reason two: the machines are varied and they change them up, move them around, keep them in shape. Reason three: the staff gets you through. They know that you’re there to work and they keep you going with a great attitude.
THE DETAILS: Hours vary slightly, but the window is sizable. The DTC location, for example, is open Monday-Thursday 5 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday 5 a.m.- 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. CAC has two other locations that are more kid-friendly. coloradoac.com has all the info.
– Ray Mark Rinaldi
Collegiate and clean
MY GYM: Coors Fitness Center on the University of Denver campus, 2201 E. Asbury Ave.
WHY IT WORKS OUT: It’s huge (14,500 square feet) and includes access to Ritchie Center’s gyms, ice rinks, basketball courts and pool. All-ages clientele. Free garage parking. Spacious locker rooms and towel service. Squeaky clean.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN: Rates start at $50 a month for a memberships with restricted hours and climb to $75 monthly for an all-access pass. The initiation fee of $125 includes a personal-training session and fitness assessment. Group fitness classes are free with membership; specialty classes like bikini boot camp are extra. Free child care for those with family memberships.
THE ROUTINE: Cardio equipment is in two locations, and if you time it right (i.e. when the students are sleeping or in class, from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), you’ll never have to wait for a machine. Ditto for the free weights and machines. Group fitness classes are held in separate studio rooms that lend privacy to such pursuits as yoga, spinning and an ever-changing array of aerobic offerings like hip-hop and salsa.
HOW IT PUMPS ME UP: The sheer size, scope and extensive offerings at this gym are motivating. My favorite perch is from the treadmills on the second-floor cardio deck, where I can read my magazines, catch sports or news on the three flat-screen TVs, or watch the action on the weight room floor (regulars include hunky college athletes, Denver firefighters and even such local luminaries as retired DU chancellor Dan Ritchie, for whom the whole kit and caboodle is named).
THE DETAILS: Open 5 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; and 6 a.m.-11 p.m. on Sunday. Details at recreation.du.edu or 303-871-3845.
– Suzanne S. Brown
Variety show
MY GYM: Bob L. Burger Recreation Center, 111 W. Baseline Road, Lafayette
WHY IT WORKS OUT: Close to home and open practically around the clock, this municipal recreation centers offer a little bit of something for everyone, from tiny-tot classes to workouts for the over-70 set. Bonus: Since it’s a city facility, this is a gym for everyone, so everyone seems to feel comfortable, even if they’re just beginning to get fit again.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN: In Lafayette, a year-long adult membership will set residents back $350 or about $30 a month; non-residents get in for $420 a year. Drop in for $4.50 a day. Family memberships are priced according to the number of people who live in the house.
THE ROUTINE: Enough cardio equipment to handle the crack-of-dawn crowd; an Olympic-sized pool that’s in the same room, but not connected, to the Lazy River water course (good for people walking to rehab blown-out knees) and massive curvy slide that appeals mostly to the kids; steamroom; hot tubs; racquetball and basketball courts; and a separate fitness room for yoga, aerobics and spin classes. A corps of freelance trainers hang out at the gym, so if you’re looking for a little pick-me-up in your tired routine, you can sign up for a few sessions.
HOW IT PUMPS ME UP: I’m lazy about changing my routine, so choosing from the long list of special classes helps keep me from getting too far into the groove. Many of the drop-in classes, like Cardio Step, River Walking, Poolates, T’ai Chi and Kickboxing Drills are free with your membership or daily fee. Some of the classes cost extra (my fave, Power Fitness with Rich Bradford, 6 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, runs $80 a month) but even if you’re spending on a special class, the rec center is a bargain compared to other gyms.
THE DETAILS: Open 5 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. Child care is available 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. weekdays; 5-7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; and 8:30 a.m.-noon on Saturday. Get the details at cityoflafayette.com or 303-665-0469
– Dana Coffield
