David Lloyd - WTAF?

[NaePasaran]

Blown2CV said:

i've seen online that several of their clubs are falling to pieces now too.

My "club" falls into this category, but the price reflects the state its in.

My city has 3 DL gyms. One is a brand new state-of-art thing on the edge of the city as part of a "new town" devolpment which is £150.00. The other is maybe 10-15 years old purpose built David Lloyd gym and in very good condition and its £110 per month. My David Lloyd started off as a Next Generation gym, probably 25 years old with little investment and its starting to show but it is cheaper at £90 a month.

Is it expensive..? Depends on what you get out of it. I'm a full-time student, parent and part-time worker so don't get along as much as I used too so will admit i'm almost at the struggling to justify it stage. My pal on the other hand is single, with flex-time/work from home so is there 4-5 times a week as he has the luxury of scheduling a tennis league game any time he wants.


PS I've been a member for over 5 years now and i've not witnessed any snobbery. Granted most people will be higher earners (well except me on £11.43 an hour) but its just a well kept, clean gym with plenty parking, complimentary towel and decent "club room" for coffee and scran afterwards.

[Louis Balfour]

Animal said:

I'm 46 now and what I mostly want from a gym is space to do my stuff in peace without being jostled or interrupted by the bros and preferably a sauna/steam (and maybe a pool?) so that I can look after my rapidly aging body a little better. I wonder if David Lloyd might not be the answer.

No, it definitely isn’t. Not the one I attend anyway. We don’t need another overly loud “WFHer” taking up a table designed for four people and engaging in Teams meetings with people who I would punch if they weren’t distanced from me by the internet.

There is one woman, who I assume is a sales manager, who only ever attends the club to loudly issue motivational speeches, via Teams, which would make David Brent blush. She is absolutely immense.
Smaller club members are inextricably drawn to her by her gravitational force and condemned to orbit her in perpetuity. Why she pays to attend a health club is beyond me, perhaps it is the hope of becoming fit by osmosis. She never goes into the gym and, were she to do so, the equipment would collapse under her heft.

So, no. David Lloyd is not the solution you should be seeking. Try a Wetherspoons and Pure Gym combo.

[king arthur]

Louis Balfour said:

There is one woman, who I assume is a sales manager, who only ever attends the club to loudly issue motivational speeches, via Teams, which would make David Brent blush. She is absolutely immense.
Smaller club members are inextricably drawn to her by her gravitational force and condemned to orbit her in perpetuity. Why she pays to attend a health club is beyond me, perhaps it is the hope of becoming fit by osmosis. She never goes into the gym and, were she to do so, the equipment would collapse under her heft.

This is why PureGym fit those glass pods you have to go through to enter and exit. People who are so heavy they would break the equipment can't fit through them.

[Animal]

Louis Balfour said:

Animal said:

I'm 46 now and what I mostly want from a gym is space to do my stuff in peace without being jostled or interrupted by the bros and preferably a sauna/steam (and maybe a pool?) so that I can look after my rapidly aging body a little better. I wonder if David Lloyd might not be the answer.

No, it definitely isn’t. Not the one I attend anyway. We don’t need another overly loud “WFHer” taking up a table designed for four people and engaging in Teams meetings with people who I would punch if they weren’t distanced from me by the internet.

There is one woman, who I assume is a sales manager, who only ever attends the club to loudly issue motivational speeches, via Teams, which would make David Brent blush. She is absolutely immense.
Smaller club members are inextricably drawn to her by her gravitational force and condemned to orbit her in perpetuity. Why she pays to attend a health club is beyond me, perhaps it is the hope of becoming fit by osmosis. She never goes into the gym and, were she to do so, the equipment would collapse under her heft.

So, no. David Lloyd is not the solution you should be seeking. Try a Wetherspoons and Pure Gym combo.

Ouch - she sounds like a delight!

My nearest DL is Chigwell and it's apparently £200 or something a month which is just daft! Luckily there's a number of alternatives nearby that don't cost the earth (plus the joys of either Romford or Harlow PureGyms).

[Louis Balfour]

Animal said:

Louis Balfour said:

Animal said:

I'm 46 now and what I mostly want from a gym is space to do my stuff in peace without being jostled or interrupted by the bros and preferably a sauna/steam (and maybe a pool?) so that I can look after my rapidly aging body a little better. I wonder if David Lloyd might not be the answer.

No, it definitely isn’t. Not the one I attend anyway. We don’t need another overly loud “WFHer” taking up a table designed for four people and engaging in Teams meetings with people who I would punch if they weren’t distanced from me by the internet.

There is one woman, who I assume is a sales manager, who only ever attends the club to loudly issue motivational speeches, via Teams, which would make David Brent blush. She is absolutely immense.
Smaller club members are inextricably drawn to her by her gravitational force and condemned to orbit her in perpetuity. Why she pays to attend a health club is beyond me, perhaps it is the hope of becoming fit by osmosis. She never goes into the gym and, were she to do so, the equipment would collapse under her heft.

So, no. David Lloyd is not the solution you should be seeking. Try a Wetherspoons and Pure Gym combo.

Ouch - she sounds like a delight!

My nearest DL is Chigwell and it's apparently £200 or something a month which is just daft! Luckily there's a number of alternatives nearby that don't cost the earth (plus the joys of either Romford or Harlow PureGyms).

It’s not just her. Some days it’s like a typing pool in the club room. Every table taken up with someone “WFH”. One lad a few weeks ago looked quite annoyed when I sat at an adjacent table. That being the only unoccupied table in the place.

[AdeTuono]

paolow said:

Blown2CV said:

you do realise the point of swimming lessons is to improve technique, power, speed not just to teach them how not to sink.... right

Of course, but shall we start with the not sinking bit? Then perhaps move to technique and a growing confidence?

I was confident enough to do my mile certificate within a few weeks, and confident enough to undergo my offshore survival several times in the intervening years.

Wouldn't do it now though, due to the increasing danger of being harpooned in a case of mistaken identity.

[Blown2CV]

AdeTuono said:

paolow said:

Blown2CV said:

you do realise the point of swimming lessons is to improve technique, power, speed not just to teach them how not to sink.... right

Of course, but shall we start with the not sinking bit? Then perhaps move to technique and a growing confidence?

I was confident enough to do my mile certificate within a few weeks, and confident enough to undergo my offshore survival several times in the intervening years.

Wouldn't do it now though, due to the increasing danger of being harpooned in a case of mistaken identity.

are you talking about learning to swim as an adult?

[Grrbang]

I'm paying £99/mo for a lower tiered DL club in a less well off city, and honestly I can't fault it. The classes are actually at times of day that I can use them. Everything and everyone is nice even if the building itself is a bit tired. Crucially, it's local.

Apparently the other DL a bit further away had a makeover and is some kind of top tier 'spa retreat', making it over £160/mo.

[richhead]

the gym thing always makes me laugh, the other day i was at screwfix in amesbery across from a gym, they had the exercise bikes outside so they could get some sun, why not get a bike and have a ride across the beautiful south downs??
See a bit of the world, get some sun and exercise, whats to loose, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

[wyson]

Richhead, imagine a supermarket where they sell different sorts of exercise. It’s very convenient. Sauna one day. Yoga the next. Weight training on another day.

Mind you during covid when the gyms were shut, I discovered park run and ourparks. I find it nicer to exercise outdoors, and get some fresh air. Plus these classes are a lot more sociable, you get to know the people who attend week after week.

Only really missed the weights and the swimming, and locally, Better gyms has the best pool and an OK weights room, so joined that.

Mrs is still a member of Virgin active. For some reason, she is also a member of the Gym Group which is in walking distance and gets her personal training there. She said she can’t be bothered to drive the 10 mins to Virgin Active for that. Some times I don’t know what goes through her head, but I know for the sake of £16.99 a month, this isn’t worth triggering an argument.

I’ve tried budget gyms in the past but they’ve always had a poor class roster and no pool, so never stayed. At the opposite extreme, David Lloyd always seemed a bit bells and whistles. The membership of my local one at £195 a month is almost double the price of Virgin Active, and while it is nicer, I couldn’t see the value in it.

Edited by wyson on Sunday 6th October 05:08

[Baldchap]

MesoForm said:

P-Jay said:

Yeah, but then you can't tuck the membership card in your wallet next to the Waitrose card. Shopkeepers simply won't know how middle-class you are!

It's on a app these days so can't even do that!
Wife and I are members at David Lloyd, think it's £140 a month for the two of us but we're in Norwich and it's the only gym with a pool that isn't a 30 minute drive when the roads are busier... Hot spa pool helps my wife's joints too.

No, no, you're mistaken. People *only* do things to impress other people.

[Spare tyre]

There’s a David Lloyd near me, never had anything to do with it

However reading some of the above would help explain the appalling driving and littering of people using it

[BobToc]

wyson said:

Some times I don’t know what goes through her head, but I know for the sake of £16.99 a month, this isn’t worth triggering an argument.

Ha! What price for a quiet life?

[Countdown]

richhead said:

the gym thing always makes me laugh, the other day i was at screwfix in amesbery across from a gym, they had the exercise bikes outside so they could get some sun, why not get a bike and have a ride across the beautiful south downs??
See a bit of the world, get some sun and exercise, whats to loose, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

The weather isn’t the best in the UK, people might not be confident about cycling on the road, possibly a lack of storage space for a bike, not wanting the hassle of repairing and maintenance….

[slopes]

jr6yam said:

My DL wasn't rammed with posh milfage today, never is
There were plenty of old geezers, me included, using the gym. The equipment, like the clientele, is a bit tired. Doesn't seem worth £65 pcm, but it's convenient; and it is Stevenage after all...

That's because all the posh milfs go elsewhere and it's only old geezers and posers who go there expecting it to be full of posh milfs. They all go to Odyssey instead, less old geezers leering at them.

[Slagathore]

My only gripe with mine is that since they reopened after lockdowns, they now shut a bit earlier.

If you just want a gym, they are pointlessly expensive. Plenty of decent chain gyms with good equipment.

I do find peak time is pointless and there are no shortage of posers who spend more time hogging equipment whilst being on their phones. But it's fine for me as I don't go in peak time.

If you do the classes, rackets, pool and use the spa facilities, I don't think they're bad value.

I was amazed during lockdowns when they froze memberships. I dread to think what that cost them. But having said that, they've refurbished gym and changing rooms since, so must still have some cash somewhere.

[slopes]

Slagathore said:

I do find peak time is pointless and there are no shortage of posers who spend more time hogging equipment whilst being on their phones. But it's fine for me as I don't go in peak time.

This is what put me off when i was a member, i once had some muppet get all mardy because after 5 minutes of waiting for him to stop chatting st on whatsapp i asked if he was done with the equipment, he got all mardy and started getting aggressive, so i told them i was cancelling my membership and why. I found somewhere else for the same money that was by appt only, so was much much better.

[Louis Balfour]

slopes said:

jr6yam said:

My DL wasn't rammed with posh milfage today, never is
There were plenty of old geezers, me included, using the gym. The equipment, like the clientele, is a bit tired. Doesn't seem worth £65 pcm, but it's convenient; and it is Stevenage after all...

That's because all the posh milfs go elsewhere and it's only old geezers and posers who go there expecting it to be full of posh milfs. They all go to Odyssey instead, less old geezers leering at them.

I originally met Lady Balfour at DL many years ago (apparently I cannot litigate) and at that time I could have had my choice of a number suitable hotties. Today, I would struggle to find anyone; quality is poor. Milfage is substandard.

I am sure I am considered a hotty obvs.

[NaePasaran]

Any experiences of anyone ditching a gym and just exercising outside (running, walking and cycling) and some basic weights at home? I own running shoes, walking boots and a bike. Can pick up adjust weights and a bench for £300-£500. 

At the stage where I'm re-considering my membership.

It's £100 a month and while the facilities are good since the re-furb, and I don't mind the cash if I actually use it, just now it seems like a donation to them.
No longer own a car so currently a bus w*nk3r. Via bus its a 70 minute round trip. By the time it takes to just get there and back I could do a workout at home or outside.

They're great at selling the "lifestyle" to you. I'm thinking the classes and racquets are great for social and human connections, escaping the house etc. Then i re-think and I actually do those things 6 times a year. Then i'm thinking its great to sit in the sauna and steam room, but realistically what real benefits does doing that once a week actually have on my body...

[Snubs]

Countdown said:

richhead said:

the gym thing always makes me laugh, the other day i was at screwfix in amesbery across from a gym, they had the exercise bikes outside so they could get some sun, why not get a bike and have a ride across the beautiful south downs??
See a bit of the world, get some sun and exercise, whats to loose, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

The weather isn’t the best in the UK, people might not be confident about cycling on the road, possibly a lack of storage space for a bike, not wanting the hassle of repairing and maintenance….

There're loads more reasons too. Essentially the more serious you get the more likely you to use machines to train. Do you think Steve Redgrave never got on a rowing machine? Or Mo Farah didn't use a treadmill? For serious bods (of which I'm not one) it allows for focussed training in a controlled environment. It's also used as a low impact warm up. You'll see rugby players warming up on a bike on the side of the pitch.