Coral Health & Fitness

With extra classes such as circuit training, boxercize, spin classes and salsa there’s much more to Coral Fitness than a gymnasium and squash courts. With its own licensed bar you can stay and socialise for a while or indulge in a range of drinks and hot and cold food.
For me it’s the best value gym in Hove as it’s impeccably maintained and well staffed. You’ll never be far from a friendly trainer who’d be happy to give you some free exercise tips. The aerobic room is fully stocked with every machine you’d expect including treadmills, cross-​trainers, bikes, spin machines and steppers, along with a matted area that comes with various exercise balls and crunch machines. Every wall is plastered with helpful diagrams and information so that you’re never at a loss. The resistance room is separate to this and due to its bias toward machines as opposed to free-​weights it isn’t the kind of place frequented by many over-​inflated steroid types. That said, the free-​weight section is decent if a bit small and many of the machines are adaptable to varying needs. It’s great for students as it’s only £20 per month and if you’re a couple you could get a joint membership for as little as £23.75.
The squash courts cost £4.50 or £6 for off-​peak and peak times respectively, however, the price isn’t included in any membership package. Despite this I think it’s the best value gym in the vicinity.

Coral Health & Fitness is probably the best value gym outside of Brighton centre. It has a large gymnasium featuring an aerobic and floor exercise room with a separate machine and free-​weight room so you don’t feel intimidated by those whose main goal is to pose. For students membership is a mere £20 a month and for that you get on and off-​peak access to the gym, beauty salon and bar. Other good deals can be had if you’re a couple in which case monthly membership will cost you £23.75 each. Unfortunately neither membership includes access to squash courts (£4.50 off-​peak/​£6 peak). You’ll also have to pay a little extra to take part in any of the extra classes, which include boxercise, circuit training and spin classes.
Both rooms of the gym are well stocked with every piece of apparatus you could ever need. The bonus for me is the small free-​weights section that allows more space for machines, thus decreasing the amount of steroid-​fuelled nutters you find in other gyms. Avoid evenings between 7−9pm, as these are the busiest times (I’d suggest visiting around midday during the week).
If you need a few minutes to recuperate after your workout you can always chill out upstairs where the bar and kitchen will serve you everything from protein shakes to chilli con carne. All the staff are incredibly friendly and are often willing to give you free tips about how to improve your work out. It’s no David Lloyd but for the money you can’t complain.