Best of Toronto
The Best Fitness Clubs in Toronto
The best fitness clubs in Toronto are a necessity in our land of wonderful food. As we well know, there are many dining options that result in bigger curves. Fear not, friends. Our city of plenty has a bounty of fitness facilities designed to make our butts smaller (or at least perkier).
There's probably something beyond vanity that attracts us to the idea of working out. It may be the accomplishment we feel after spinning like a hamster on a wheel (I mean, a spinning bike). It may be a short workout followed by a long sauna - both make you sweat and one makes you happy with relatively little output. I don't judge, but I do, however, have you covered.
Here's a list of the best fitness clubs (gyms) in Toronto.
See also:
The best spinning classes in Toronto
The best yoga studios in Toronto
The best martial arts in Toronto
The best boxing gym in Toronto
The best pilates in Toronto
The best personal trainers in Toronto
Writing by Courtney Sunday
Goodlife Liberty Village
Liberty Village isn't hurting for fitness options these days, and this Goodlife rises to the top by providing a great location with a clean, modern feel and friendly staff. There's a lot of space, a lot of machines and, according to gym goers, a lot of cute people (but it’s all about the workout, right?). The classes range from Zumba to yoga to Bodypump. It's also open 24/7 in case you need to get in a 3 a.m. workout or make sure you're getting your daily recommended dose of squats. Memberships start at $60 per month with an annual contract. More »
The Yorkville Club
Be prepared to confront a lot of Lululemon. This Hazelton Lanes gym is sleek and eye popping, like that condo your real estate agent showed you that was just beyond your price bracket. There are a lot of yoga options offered here (including hot yoga), and popular cardio classes are all included with the membership. The VIP experience also includes concierge service (where they can book your post-workout restaurant) and flat screen televisions on the athletic equipment. Grab a smoothie at Whole Foods on the way out, because, well, you can. Annual memberships start at $139/month plus $349 initiation fee. More »
Totum King West
At King and Spadina, this smaller club (11,000 square feet) is chock full of character. Brick-lined walls and some of the best personal trainers in the city amount to a gym where people, one might even call them athletes, come to seriously work out. The instructors are top notch and the class schedule provides hourly variety. The yoga instructor on Monday evening is magnificent (not that it's me or anything). Totum also has a second location in Rosedale. Annual membership $999 plus tax, paid monthly. More »
Toronto Athletic Club
You could go to the top of the CN Tower to get your views, or you could just go to the top of the Toronto Athletic Club. Lake views and a 38th floor penthouse pool deservedly draws the suit-wearing Bay street crowd. There's a large spinning studio with flat screens for virtual touring, squash courts, and a restaurant that will make you feel like you're in the first class lounge at the airport (in a good way). Annual fees start at $1320, while initiation fees vary but start at $250. More »
Miles Nadal JCC
This Jewish Community Centre in the heart of the Annex offers over 75 classes a week, a gravity studio and an indoor running track and pool. This newly renovated spot offers modern design, and staff so friendly they offered cake to one member on her fitness assessment. She declared it may have been a test, but either way it's an excellent example of the expression “have your cake and eat it too.” Monthly fees for adults start at $77 plus HST, with an initiation fee of $59 for singles or $99 for a family. More »
Xtreme Couture
Etobicoke seems like a friendly area of the city, close to good schools, good Turkish food and apparently UFC fighters. Yes, they train here. There's also Muay Thai, wrestling and boxing on offer, as well as spinning, and the most extreme (sorry, I meant Xtreme. Damn you, spellchecker!) forms of yoga (hot and ashtanga). Those with a fighting spirit are welcome here, with an indoor cage ready to handle your rush-hour aggression. Memberships start at $26/month when you commit to 15 months. More »
Dynamic Conditioning Centre
This downtown gym near Yonge and Wellesley promotes fun. Remember when you were a kid and you hung on the monkey-bars or jumped rope or beat someone up without calling it exercise? Welcome to adult recess. In this gym there are monkey bars and sleds and fire hoses. You can even literally bounce off the wall with a ball and rope. There are no classes that are machine dependent (like spinning) because you are the machine, as you always knew you were. Basic memberships start at $100/month for a one year contract. More »
LA Fitness
People in LA seem especially well-groomed. Their teeth are whiter and their hair is shiner, or at least that is what most television shows like us to believe. Fortunately for Torontonians, the new machines at LA Fitness gleam like California teeth. There are many classes on offer, some as early as 6 a.m. so that you can always make time for perfecting your beach body. And if you already have it, why not make use of the sauna and juice bar? Memberships start at $29.95/month with a $25 initiation fee. More »
Pure Fitness
In the Leaside area, this fitness facility offers 30,000 square feet of space for you to sweat in. Group exercise, yoga, Pilates, spinning and the usual are on offer as well as unusual classes like Dance Party (how it sounds) and Socasize (African and Caribbean dance moves). There's a daycare on-site so that busy moms can get a workout while their kids wear someone else out. Monthly fees start at $18/month with a yearly contract. More »
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On another note, is that grip of his really safe? No possibility of the bar falling forward?
And Extreme Fitness is shit. Their staff is more concerned with getting you snared in a contract, nickel and dimeing you for training sessions, and handing out flyers on the sidewalk, than anything else. Don't even ask about nutritionists.
I used to be a member of Yorkville Club but now work out at Totum since I moved downtown. I prefer Yorkville Club (bigger gym and nicer locker room) but Totum does everything right that it can in such a narrow space.
(Sarcastic, just in case you didn't get it)
Hope this helps..