Hello everyone! September has finally arrived, along with the prospect of daily routines and good habits. One of these habits that we struggle with most, but are most excited for after a summer full of indulging, is going to the gym. Just because we are on an Erasmus exchange doesn't mean that we are going to stop taking care of our bodies.
FITNESS FIRST
Fitness First is a chain of gyms that has centres located throughout the whole of England. I am going to talk to you about my experience in the Birmingham branch, located in Selly Oak, which is the suburb where I lived. My first contact with the gym was great: I was able to try out all of the facilities for free for a 3-day period before deciding whether I wanted to sign up with a rolling contract.
Source
How do you sign yourself up?
On the website that I left a link to above, you will find lots of information about the gym. You can request that they get in touch with you and send information about prices, etc. In my case, I went directly to the gym with a friend to get all the information we needed, and the treatment that they gave us was fantastic. That very same day, they gave us a kind of "tour" of the gym and they showed us all the facilities available. My friend signed herself up that day and they gifted her 3 little cards to use to invite 3 friends to try the gym free for a period of 3 days (it was for this reason that I tried the facilities out before signing up). In order to sign yourself up, you have to do the following:
1. Provide your personal details
2. Pay the joining fee (£30)
3. Provide your bank details in order to set up the monthly Direct Debit payment
4. Return the following day to collect your membership card (which gives you access to all the facilities at the gym)
Facilities
The gym in Selly Oak is quite big. It has two, quite spacious floors, which, in my opinion, are well-equipped, with practically everything that you could ever need/want. Starting with the ground floor: this is where the entrance to the gym is located. Literally just after walking through the door, you will see the reception desk and, after it, a little office. Behind the counter, a receptionist will always be found, who can provide you with information about the daily schedule of classes (I will talk about this after), along with the membership card readers where we have to register our entrance into the gym every time that we visit. To the right of this counter, there is a 'chill-out area'. It's a kind of open space with high tables complete with stools and sofas complete with coffee tables in case you want to eat or drink something with a gym buddy after a workout. There is also a free-to-use coffee machine and tea available for your consumption.
To the left of the counter, a couple of stairs down, there is a 'free-train' area complete with equipment like: judo/karate mats, weights, rowing machines, a climbing wall, treadmills, and other machines designed for exercising the back and arms. There are also mats and other equipment available to help work your abdominals. There is lots of free floor space to put your mat down on and train.
On this floor, you will also find the changing rooms: female and male, and, through them, access to the saunas. The changing rooms have lockers that also work with the membership card, which gives us some peace of mind in leaving our belonging s there. They also have changing cubicles (with doors), both hot and cold water showers with shower gel dispensers, and an area with mirrors (at least in the female changing rooms there is), which has hairdryers, as well as stools to sit down on. Honestly, these are some of the best and most comfortable gym changing rooms that I have ever been in.
Continuing now onto the first floor, you will find the indoor cycling room, the studio, the female-only section of the gym, and every possible kind of gym equipment here. We'll talk about this last part first - it's divided into three parts: on the slightly-inclined level, you will find every kind of machine for weight training; in the main area, shaped like a circle, you will find all the machines dedicated to cardio; and, in the area off to the left (which is also on a slight incline), there is also another load of strength training equipment.
On the right-hand side of this floor, one of this chain's best inventions can be found: a gym exclusively for the use of girls. It's a restricted-access zone specifically for women, which seems great to me because there are some women who do not feel comfortable exercising in public (it might be the same in the case of some men, but that's another story entirely). It also has a room with some machines and handheld equipment so that you can train comfortably, but in private.
Next to this room is the indoor cycling room, which is a big room with quite modern lighting, where the cycling classes take place. The best thing about this room is the audio system and the lights that change colour in accordance to the rhythm of the music. And the final space that you will find on this floor is the studio, which is a room where the taught classes take place: Pilates; Yoga; Body Combat; Body Barre; Legs, Bums and Tums; and, Boxing. Each class has a different, but highly qualified instructor. The Yoga and Pilates instructors have nothing to do with those of Body Combat or Legs, Bums and Tums. I loved that the instructors ran the classes in accordance with their personalities. The room is enormous and the wall at the front has floor-to-ceiling mirrors that spread from left to right, which allows each and every one of us to see ourselves perfectly and correct our body position at any time.
My experience at this gym has been very good. I have been to all of the classes, except boxing, and I would always go back for more. The timetabling of the classes is quite good, as they repeat classes to allow those who couldn't make it in the morning to have the option to attend in the afternoon, and vice versa. Also, pay close attention Erasmus students! Whenever I was going home to Spain, they gave me the option to temporarily cancel my subscription during the period of time that I was going to be out of the country at no extra cost, and then I could restart it when I returned to the UK.
I hope that my post has helped you in some way, and I'll see you in the next one!
Regards,
Elena
