I arrived at ‘The Gym’ on a windy Wednesday morning, other than the large logo above the glass doors and the occasional gym type person walking in or out, you wouldn’t know you were even stood outside a gym. Walking through the doors and up the stairs you can’t help but notice just how clean everything looks from the metal check floor to the walls and even the glass, then at the top of the stairs you are confronted with a very secure entry system. I have always been worried about 24hr gyms and the possibility of waifs and strays coming in while you are working out, having seen how secure ‘The Gym’ was any worries were squashed.

After a small wait I was led by staff through the doors and in to ‘The Gym’, the reception was a small desk with flyers on directly in front of the entrance with changing rooms and toilets to the far right, time to drop off the unwanted bags and clothing and hit the facilities, but not without a quick nose around. The changing rooms have ample room with lots of seating, six showers, three toilets and yes you got it a dyson hand dryer, woo hoo I love them. After dragging myself away from the mirrors and the hand dryer I walked through the first floor of ‘The Gym’ with plenty of cardio machines all with plenty of space between a plonked my backside down on a bike and started to peddle. The equipment has all of the features any one could want from progressive workouts to fat burring and distance tracking, the addition of heart rate monitors on the handles also helps to get the most out of your work out.

Moving around the machines from bike to cross trainers to running machines you can’t help but keep noticing just how clean and well maintained everything is, not one piece of broken equipment, nothing out of place or left lying around, a refreshing change and something I love to see.

So moving upstairs you rely get to see what ‘The Gym’ has to offer, with vast amounts of space filled with well maintained, good, clean equipment personally the £15.99 membership is well spent.

Time to move over to muscle corner, you know the bit where the blokes lift heavy weights and talk about each other’s bulging biceps, every gym has one. The selection of free weights was again very good, the benches clean and tidy, smith machines, cable fly’s, peck decks, bicep curls, leg raise, squat machines, you name it and it’s there and as with everything else at ‘The Gym’ it is immaculate, clean and in great working order.

Throughout my time at ‘The Gym’ music was constantly playing in the background and there are a couple of TV’s scattered around but not too many that you feel like you are in a branch of Curries buying a TV. The staff are great, know what they are talking about and always willing to help from 8am to 8pm outside of those hours ‘The Gym’ is monitored through it CCTV surveillance. A membership of £15.99 a month you can’t grumble and parking is free from 5pm to 7am Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday keeping with its idea of a budget gym, all of this information can be found on their website of by talking to the staff on duty who are more than happy to explain whatever you need explaining.

So the verdict, being a regular gym goer and having spent £48 a month at other gyms I rely didn’t expect much and that was completely the opposite to what I got, a very clean, tidy, well maintained, safe and secure gym with plenty of bang for your buck. My opinion of 24hr gyms has been turned on it head and I know I keep saying it but I was overwhelmed by just how nice it was considering the monthly price tag of a measly £15.99. ‘The Gym’ is a perfect place for the experienced and the novice with staff to help all, a great cheap way to trim down for your health, for Christmas, for that holiday or even just to make yourself feel better.