Gold’s Gym

I honestly think I have been going to this gym longer than everyone else, with maybe the exception of Matt, the manager. I’ve been an on/​off member (mainly on) since they were Natural Bodies so I feel I can speak to the experience here with confidence. Gold’s is a solid gym. Solid is fitting because you really can get everything you need to get out of this gym. They have a huge free weight section, a fair amount of cardio equipment with all the main pieces you’d need to get your cardio fix, a broad range of machines to workout on, and all kinds of classes offered in the studio. There’s also spin classes all the time downstairs. They’ve got half size and full size lockers downstairs, a shake bar, a cleanup crew that’s always working, saunas, tanning rooms, and a kids daycare. But Gold’s has a few issues that take away from the experience a bit. For one, there hours are not as good as almost every other gym in the area. Closing at 5pm on a Sunday is not very convenient. Neither is Saturday at 6pm. Another thing is the pricing. There should be cheaper options than a $ 25/​month 12 month contract or $ 10/​month with a huge down payment. But I don’t have much in the way of bad things to say. Aside from at least two treadmills being broken or powered off every single day, most of the equipment both upstairs stays in good working order consistently. It’s hard to argue that it’s worth the price because everyone goes to the gym with different goals, but for me it works out well and I’m willing to pay a bit more than average for heavy dumbbells and a gym within jogging distance. :D

crooks!!!
kept on charging my card after i had still paid for everything. customer service… terrible!!! the girl i spoke to told me she would hang up on me when i was complaining about my charged being charged

The gym smells and the room for zumba and group exercises is a liability nightmare. There’s not the property ventilation so women are constantly falling. They charge you a annual maintenance charge for upgrades to the gym, but they always have the same older equipment. The girls at the front desk have the personality of a rock, but I guess customer service isn’t their priority anyway

Dope gym, A LOT of equipment. Has a huge upstairs and downstairs. A lot of cardio machines and a good vibe to lift weights

I am looking foe a personal trainer in the golds gym east Hartford location. Does anyone have any recommendations? I heard about some guy by the name of Mo, someone said he thought he was good — any feedback on mo — or his phone ctc?

I had an outdated and somewhat inaccurate review from a year or two ago; inaccurate because I was a new member that had just begun getting to know the group fitness instructors.
The rating has not changed. I have changed, branched out and tried new things.
Let me just say that this location has some of the best Zumba instructors and the best Cycling instructor in the area. You don’t have to be a member, you can drop in for one class, $ 10 or buy a package of classes for $ 5 per class. This is how I started.
On Monday night and Saturday morning my huge ass is parked on a stationary bike in Richard’s Cycling class. Richard is nothing less than inspiring; he leads the ride by a strong example. I have never come to his class and encountered a sub; he is consistently there for his students. They love him for it; and so do I. He’s been here for years. I have many times sat on that bike struggling, a second from bailing, and there is something about Richard, and his playlist, that keeps me on the bike.
I was thrilled when I checked the winter schedule and saw that Andrea had picked up Monday night Zumba (also has Wed night and Sun morn). Andrea pushes everyone and moves me. It was her class several years ago that turned me on to Zumba. Andrea is skilled at leading a group of different levels and abilities; she has her own style of cues and expressive movement; she communicates really efficiently with facial expressions and body movement. I can hear her voice over ANY volume of music. She does not use a mic. Her playlist is varied and fantastic; she is hilarious although I am often sweating and breathing too hard to laugh. When I am trying to get someone to try Zumba for the first time, I bring them to Andrea.
The class with the highest energy level and hottest dance moves (in my opinion) is Johanny’s; she teaches Friday night and, in Bloomfield on Saturday morning. I have learned a lot about myself in her class. She is full of youth and energy. She favors booty popping, twerking and likes to try and push the free style (no matter how hard her students resist). As a result she has developed a brave following of young dancers while still appealing to women AND MEN of all ages and abilities. Johanny can be a little hard to follow and keep up with when you first start out; however, she keeps her choreography the same for a long time so if you keep coming you will feel completely at home. When I have a more experienced group fitness friend that wants to shake it and feel a burn, I bring them to Johanny.
It’s a hard time slot to get to but I always love to go to Sistah’s Friday morning class. Sistah has positive, wild energy and a following of uninhibited women who want to get together and dance. Her class is also a little hard to follow at first but is incredibly fun. On occasion in the summer her teenage daughters will lead a song; it’s fantastic to see their mom influencing them in such healthy ways. Sometimes I get impatient because she usually starts late and I am a prompt, PROMPT, PROMPT person; her redeeming qualities widely outweigh this inconvenience. My favorite part is that when the class ends, Sistah keeps the music going and the women free style dance together. It’s a supportive group of awesome women.
I recently started lifting weights and there is a pretty intense lifting scene here. I am pleased that I am seeing more women among what used to be a very male scene in the weight rooms.

eh, three stars.
we got a secret deal, add me on, well not as secret nor saving, but im game for 6 months. if i go 4 times a month, its even. obviously going to the gym can be cliché this time of year, but its hasnt been too busy. ahhh, the equipment, cardio wise are 2^nd rate used at best and the tvs are far away from my eyes, but for what it is, i guess you get what you get around this part of town. actually kind of dingy, but the weights still weigh a lot, so it has that going for it.

Ventilation is suspect, however the staff is great the equipment is excellent. The lay out of teh 2 story exercise floor is a little strange for very hard core

I went here for a drop-​in Wednesday morning Zumba class. I thought the charge of $ 5/​class was a steal! The instructor was great, but I wish they provided her with a microphone so that we could hear the instructions better. Also, the parking lot in the back was kind of tight.

I still love this place, but I’ve overlooked something major in my last review. The staff. There are two nice brunette girls there, I love one of them and I’ll give her credit (name unknown). But then there are Cinderella’s evil twin sisters, a brunette and a blonde, who cast a dark shadow over the place. It looks like this is the very last place they’d want to be and that’s cool, I guess. Okay so you hate your job, that makes a fair 50% of the population but whatever happened to faking it until you make it?
I’ll walk in and if I even dare to give them eye contact they roll their eyes and shlump their shoulders. It’s the whole «Don’t you even think about speaking to me» vibe. I can totally understand this if I am «that lady» who asks the same million questions or whines about something everytime but I’ve never spoken to these chicks!
It’s a minor inconvenience but I still think it would be nice to feel comfortable asking them a simple question without them throwing their little passive-​agressive temper tantrums.

This is a very good location with lots of space. The Gold’s staff are always friendly. This place does get crowded, but it is still very easy to get around and get your hands on some equipment. Parking is limited if you are trying to park at the door, but your going to the gym so park in the other lots.
The issue I do have with this gym is that when using the cardio machines the humidity is so great from other cardio fans that it is kind of like running in someones mouth. It gets very hot

Good place for bodybuilders. Most people know by now that Gold’s isn’t the place most casual fitness folks feel comfortable in, and I’d say this location isn’t much of an exception. However, that being said… this is a GREAT gym. The owner has done a ton of renovation work over the last year or so, and it has added a lot to the place. The staff is friendly, and no one bothers you when you are trying to get your workout on. They have many different rooms that offer you plenty of space and privacy if you have your own type of routine. At $ 20/​month, the price is right.
Cons: limited parking, older TVs and cardio equipment (though I heard they might upgrade these)