YMCA Centre-Ville

I’ve been coming here on and off for a couple of years now and as far as facilities and instruction goes, I’ve never had a bad experience. I’m not a gym rat, hanging out for 2 – 3 hours a day is not my idea of fun. I like just going in, do my 30 minutes of cardio on the machines, and then free weights, balance ball, mat work whatever and then shower and leave. Or I alternate with one of their classes to make sure things don’t stay monotonous.
I can do that here as long as you get a machine before 5:30pm when it’s peak time and everyone shows up after work. Plus they offer so many group classes, its fun trying new stuff out. The staff are really helpful and friendly and explain everything to you patiently. I’ve never had issues with creepy dudes which I’ve seen take place at other gyms. Facilities are clean which is VERY important in a sweaty gym.
As for the changing rooms, sauna and showers, wear your flip-​flops in the showers just to be safe. Other than that, its great that they have hairdryers and mirrors where you can get yourself presentable again after your workout. They have tons of lockers but during peak times it can get cramped sometime, especially while you you’re trying to change your clothes and you have some space hog who takes up the entire bench, all their stuff scattered everywhere and you’re trying to find a small spot to at least sit down and put on your socks or balance yourself so you don’t crash into the locker of hit someone while you’re trying to put on your pants or peel off your sweater. There are different types of intelligences at work in the world, academic intelligence, emotional intelligence, street smarts, style intelligence but by far the rarest one I’m increasingly noticing is the lack of spatial intelligence among most people.

Don’t get me wrong, YMCA is great for its price and variety of fitness options. Includes fitness center, pool, scheduled classes and intermural sports. However, I go only for the gym and none of the other added features. The gym itself is decently sized, however machines and equipment are pretty old. Biggest problem I’ve had with the Y is that its almost ALWAYS packed. Workout benches and cardio machines are especially hard to get at night on weekdays. If you’re looking for only gym options, its probably better to look elsewhere.

I love this place. I’ve had a membership for a year now and I think its a great place. There aren’t many ‘dude bros’ who just stare at each other in the mirror while pumping iron. I love that theres a lot of older people during the day, made me less self conscious in the beginning haha.
Customer service:
Fantastic, you can ask for a free 1 day trail. They are super nice and can always help you. Sometimes, during ‘rush our’ (lunch time and after the work day) theres a link up to get them to scan your card, but it goes by fast.
Locker Room:
Kept clean, the showers are ok, sometimes they look a little dirty, but wtv.
Pool:
I loveeee this pool! I only started using it recently but members always have access to 2 lanes no matter what activity is going on so you don’t have to wait around. Sometimes you have 3 people swimming in your lane, but more people are respectful.
Classes:
I have yet to take any classes!

I’ll be the one person who doesn’t review their fitness facilities but their language school and ski school. I’ve taken Italian classes here and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The classes are small and the Italian instructors are really good from my experience. They talk slowly and clearly and really emphasize speaking Italian in class. I do wish the courses covered a little more material but it was still pretty good.
I’ve also taken lessons with their ski school and it was great. The price includes transportation to and from the hills, your lift ticket and two hours of instruction. The program is 7 weeks long. They take you to some pretty great hills like Owl’s Head and they give you enough time to get in a good day of skiing.
The day of the skiing outing was always well-​organized. the bus always showed up on time at the designated stop and we left the mountain on time as well which was great when you had to be back in the city for other commitments.
I was also very impressed by the level of instruction. My group’s instructor was great for beginners. She was incredibly patient and really paid attention to what every student was doing so she could offer useful feedback. They also had lessons for more experienced skiers who were looking to improve their skills a bit.

It’s a nice facility with personal trainers on site, indoor pool, indoor basketball court and most equipments needed to get your workout done! People at from desk always friendly, ask for Claudia she’s the one always smiling even during QC winter season!

Fantastic location — just opposite the metro.
The machines are all modern and in good condition but it can get very busy. I went at peak-​time recently and couldn’t get on anything so after about 10 minutes of standing about, I ended up leaving.
Brilliant facilities and so many great classes — amazing price too!

Great gym, great price. Great instructors. A wonderfully wide selection of classes. They have swimming lessons for babies and toddlers too.

Love the Y. I’ve been a member on and off for years now and don’t have anything bad to say really! The equipment is great, the squash courts are plentiful, and the classes offered are varied and fun! Only bad thing is that there’s a massive wait list for permanent lockers, and when do you get one it’s super tiny. But really, other than that, great gym for a great price!

I was there for like 3 months, nice place, lots of activities, nice machines, staff are nice… very good access to the metro. Since then I want to get back but I live far now

I got the full (student) summer membership for about $ 87 (+tax) for 3 months. Very clean and well maintained gym. So many different activities (some open to all). There’s swimming pools, workout rooms, basketball courts and so on. Very well equipped and very nice staff! There is also a recreation centre open for the youth for after school «hang out and chilling» place, equipped with TVs, couches, pool table… the aim is to keep the kids out of trouble!
I definitely recommend this gym!

Great facility. I came here since 2006, and still a member.
The only bad thing is people working out there. No one ever heard of a deodorant. Although, the time to avoid this gym is at the peak hours; do not come around 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM. The benches are always full, and the gym is crowded with people.
The location is great since it is in the heart of downtown. Staff is very friendly and approachable. Lots of classes and lessons. They have a gym for sports (they have a schedule for that).
Youth center is another plus. It allows young people (18 and under) to gather up and they can relax in the room that has several couches, a pool table, and a foosball table. The youth staff (volunteer I presume) are super friendly, and they promote education and prevention of drugs/​violence.

Good price, central location and a good variety of machines and classes offered.
Unfortunately a large number of people frequent this gym, so it is hard to get a machine, sometimes even at non-​peak hours, as well as having a time-​limit of 30 minutes and a sign-​up sheet can be annoying.
A large gym with multiple floors.
The locker rooms are decent, a lot of showers along with a sauna.

Great classes! I only go here for classes and the ones I take are very rewarding! I’m not a machine person and I like to dance and workout so for me Groove and Aero-​Latin are the top on my list for classes to take. There is spinning. dance mix, yoga, karate, African dance, step, boot camp and so much more! Aero-​Latin every Wednesday by Christine is one of the best workouts I’ve ever had in my life! The music is so engaging, the teacher pushes you (in a good way), the movements are fun and you SWEAT! And yes! I love to sweat! Only complaint with this YMCA is it is downtown so there are sooo many people that register. It can get, no it IS very busy after work hours like around 6ish. It’s quite spacious though with about 4 – 5 floors. There’s a smaller mini gym on the second floor but you need a special key to access the machines. Top floor is the main machine floor and it gets quite busy. I recommend checking out the group classes. It’s more fun and more motivating! 40 bucks for students and about 52 for non-​students.