Life Time Athletic – Target Center

I’ve been going to Liftetime at the Target Center for the past 8 months or so.
While it was probably annoying to some as the facilities have been in constant transition with remodeling and new upgrades, I will say that I believe it has been worth it.
Machines are up to date and plentiful for both cardio and strength.
Locker rooms are very nice, comfortable, and include amenities like a hot tub, steam room, and sauna.
The staff are all friendly and knowledgable. Huge shout out to Meghan Harrington who has been my trainer for the past 6 months. She’s knowledgeable, helpful, and just a fun person to be around.
If you’re looking for a convenient gym to working downtown, I’d definitely recommend this Lifetime!

Who was the nepotistic genius who hired their brother– in– law, the incompetent creator of those stupid 1980 «insert card» lockers? You are a design genius! You do realize that every gym in America uses a Fab or App to enter the combination locks because it reduces overhead and is 10 times more secure… I mean how much money are you losing when someone loses or leaves those inconvenient wallet size cards in the lockers that you have to replace, oh and that passive aggressive girl at 6 am «how is your day going!!» how much does she cost. I know you just increased your monthly membership, here is some free advice cause apparently you can’t afford any one with a business degree… create something you can put on a key chain or download on your phone also, do something about the pervert men in the locker room… it’s gross. I will NOT BE BACK EVER! Chicago it is!

Conveniently located in down town Minneapolis. A day pass for visitors cost $ 25. I usually work out at this facility 1 day during my 3 – 4 day business trips. It’s not a traditional LifeTime Fitness facility. The free weights section is great. This place seems to lack elliptical exercise machines normally found at their other facilities. They have plenty of treadmills and cardiovascular ellipticals. The steam room is small and the sauna is large. The sauna is usually empty, while the steam room is usually occupied by 3 – 4 people. The whirl pools and swimming pool are great. The running track is large along with the basketball court. Lastly, a bar is located inside the gym as well. Strange for a health club facility.

I am obsessed with our gym. The staff is helpful, kind, and makes a point to remember our names. The yoga teachers are some of the best I’ve ever had (either in a traditional studio or otherwise). The facilities are always clean and well appointed. I also briefly worked with Savannah Osborne as a trainer and she was SO knowledgeable and encouraging. Its worth the extra cost for the out of this world services and facilities.

Note: This review is updated for the ²⁰¹⁴⁄₁₅ remodel.
This was the first Lifetime location I joined, originally as a single-​member club and eventually buying a more expensive membership to access more clubs. Be warned that joining as a single-​club member may be your gateway drug!
FITNESS FACILITIES
Fitness facilities are pretty great. All strength and weight equipment is brand new. They have an entirely new training area around the basketball courts for what they call «alpha» training, which is basically a Crossfit area. The squat racks they have here are particularly nice and versatile.
Some of the resistance machines have some «gee whiz» features like being able to tap your phone and record your reps via NFC. I haven’t used the cardio machines as much, but they seem to be generally nice, although I personally dislike that every machine is bombarded with a built-​in television. I believe the only TV-​free cardio option that exists today is the ergometer (rower).
The pool is good for lap swimming. A bit colder than I like, but not icy cold. The max depth is only 4 or 5′, but it is quite long. There is also a unisex jacuzzi tub in the pool area, as well as smaller jacuzzis in the locker rooms. The track is also a welcome treat. The only track I’m aware of that’s better at a metro Life Time is in Fridley. The track was narrowed considerable to make room for the Crossfit area, but it’s still nicely surfaced and nearly a full ¹⁄₈ mile distance.
My only real complaint with the general facilities is the hours are not great, especially during weekends. The club is clearly aimed at downtown workers, not people who live downtown (or are willing to make a trip downtown to work out).
GROUP FITNESS AND PROGRAMMING
The club has two group fitness studios, a cycle studio, boxing studio, two yoga studios, and a pilates studio. All spaces seem quite nice. However, the programming here is not as comprehensive as some of the other clubs (especially St. Louis Park). However, the instructors are good (I especially recommend Michelle L) and the classes are much less crowded than many of the suburban clubs.
LOCKER ROOMS + AMENITIES
The new locker rooms are beautiful, although the very narrow and tall lockers prove awkward when several people in a row are trying to get things out of their locker. Combination locks are all on all the lockers, so you don’t have to keep track of a key (but do have to remember where you locked up and what your combo is!). Like most other clubs, this club now has individual shower stalls, and like other Life Time Athletic location, the showers include body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Each locker room also has a steam room and sauna.
Upstairs, there is now a café and bar. The café’s food is terrific, and they really paid attention to presentation, with porcelain plates and metal silverware. Supplements are kind of a ripoff, and I wouldn’t recommend buying them there unless you really want their house brand or need something in a pinch. Food is more expensive than a lot of fast food, but not dramatically so. Good, healthy options, although the vegetarian selection is a little lacking. The bar looks really cool — but who wants booze after a hard workout? I don’t get it. I’ve never gone, so can’t say anything about the quality of drinks.
ACCESS/​OTHER
As others note, there is no free car parking at this location. But it’s downtown, what do you expect? Most people seem to walk from their downtown job; this club is on the north side of downtown, but easy walking distance for most downtown workers. It also has excellent access to transit, just one block from the Blue and Green LRT lines and three blocks from the Marq2 express bus corridor. At one point they did have a monthly contract deal with the ABC ramps (it was something like $ 30/​mo for unlimited 2 hour parking stints), but I haven’t seen that advertised lately, so I don’t know if it still exists.
Bicycling accommodations are one area that are really lacking, though: this is the most bikeable location in the metro, at the intersection of three major bike routes (and close to the Cedar Lake Trail). So wouldn’t you expect there to be ample bike parking to accommodate this? Nope, not a single rack — or so I thought for 9 months. I later found some racks hidden below the main entrance on 6^th Street. This is a very poor location, with no pedestrian traffic or much vehicular traffic to discourage theft. Despite a multi-​million dollar renovation, they still haven’t managed to come up with $ 200 for a proper bike rack near the entrance.
One other frustration can be getting here during a sporting event. Obviously, it’s inside Target Center and right next to Target Field, so the street is chaos when there is an event. Driving and parking is not even an option during these times (presumably your workout isn’t worth $ 15 – 20 to you).

It is hard to review the Target Center lifetime right now because it is under construction. I’ve been a member since last February, and go to classes at this location 3 – 4 times/​week. I really like most of the classes, so I’m trying to ignore the construction in this review.
The yoga studios have already been finished, so they are very nice. Yoga sculpt gets very busy with the after work crowd, so go early to get a spot. I have only been to one barre class, but that seems to have a good following as well. They have mats and towels you can use in the yoga studios, but since people sweat (a lot!), I recommend bringing your own.
I also like the HIIT classes on Monday and Wednesday nights. They are now in the studios that have been redone.
Currently, the women’s locker room is under construction, so half of the men’s locker room is being used for the women’s. It is much nicer than before, and I haven’t had any trouble finding a locker even though it isn’t as big as it will be.
I haven’t used the fitness or weights area upstairs very much, but they seem to be clean and relatively easy to find a machine to use (except maybe right after work on weekdays).
There is also a bar and café at this location now.
I wish the location didn’t cater so much to the work crowd and had more fitness/​yoga classes at various locations throughout the day. The other annoying thing is the parking at this location. You can either park on the street at meters, or park in the Block E garage for a comped rate of $ 5.50.

Looking for a gym in downtown Minneapolis ?
Lifetime fitness at the Target Center is the place to go. This place is currently being renovated so there is a bit of construction and the pool is closed at the moment. Nonetheless the place is huge and stocked with everything you look for in a gym. I have never had to wait for equipment even though I work out at peak hours. I also like the fact that they have an indoor track.
There are also a lot of classes available and the trainers/​staff are really helpful as well.
Also, Target employees get a great deal on signing up !

I loved this club, and here is my review. I may edit it later. Thank you for reading!
Trainer: Savannah Osborne, fantastic trainer who has been the biggest help to getting me into a healthy lifestyle. 5 Stars. When I began training with her in December, I’m not sure I thought there was any hope. She has been the biggest motivating to a healthy diet (I quit drinking soda, etc.) and some of my larger health challenges. I can 100% say I WOULD NOT have quit smoking now had Savannah not been such a persistent, motivating person. It has now been 3 months and counting of *NO SMOKING!* and she has really been a driving factor. She is constantly challenging me, always asking how my diet is and maintains fantastic communication. If you are looking for a trainer, I can’t stress enough how fantastic I think she is.
Training Price: I can’t (rather, won’t) divulge what I pay per month, but I do 2 sessions (for a half hour) and I am not struggling to pay it. Contact a trainer. It varies per trainer, I believe. (I always recommend Savannah!)
Location: Convenient, although I do not work in the Skyway. Would be more convenient if I did.
Parking: 2 Stars. It is $ 5.50 to park for 2 hours or less. Parking is in the Block E underground ramp (which is currently under HEAVY construction.) and sometimes in the cold winter months it is full before 11:00AM. Then you walk via Skyway to the Target Center, and into the basement. 2 Stars because it IS convenient, and you pay at the front desk at Lifetime. You could also use the A RAMP and Skyway over. A RAMP is only $ 5.00 unless there is an event, so you’ve been warned.
Facilities: Right now, they are under construction. Once it is done, I have no doubts it will be a 5 Star Club. For now, you can forgo the glam club and do your workout and go home. The club IS open! The Lifetime Target Center website has information on their phases of construction and they’ve done a great job accommodating members thus far.
Staff: Friendly, Knowledgeable and Attentive. I think they remember me when I come in, but even if they don’t, their very friendly and helpful.
Classes: I have only done one class so far, which was Yoga basics. I was feeling very self conscious because I’ve never done Yoga before, and it initially didn’t seem like a beginners class. Next time I might ask the instructor if it’s really meant for beginners, because I felt out of place when I was unable to do certain poses. Otherwise, I have not had a chance to do any classes because they do not really mesh with my schedule.
Other Members: I know a lot of people are afraid of the gym because they don’t want to be around a bunch of (their words, not mine) «meat heads» or «glamazons» working out at the gym. I’ve had no issues. This club seems more geared towards people who want to get their workout in and go home, or people who work in the Skyway. The locker room etiquette for females seems just fine. I am not in the best shape (although I am «skinny») and I do not feel like people are looking at me, judging me, etc etc.
Overall Price: After tax I believe my membership for THIS CLUB ONLY comes out to $ 60.00, and I pay my personal training separate. I can’t complain, and pay it every month. It will be a real value once their done remodeling.
–Elena W

I’m writing to review Nicole Ainsworth (Nicki), who just led me through a 2-​week T.E.A.M. BootCamp at LTF — Target Center.
Nicki and I communicated via phone and e-​mail fairly extensively prior to me signing up for T.E.A.M. I emphasized that I have a pretty deep fitness background and enjoy being pushed and challenged with complex workouts designed to break through plateaus and barriers that I couldn’t do on my own without a trainer. As such, the bar was set very high.
She was gracious and flexible enough to allow me to do a trial day during her lunchtime group session (noon, MWF) to sample out the routine. From the get go, I started using equipment and performing drills that I had never been exposed to before (viber workouts, agility movements, balance and core work on bosus beyond the point of muscular exertion). I broke a sweat, I was panting, and the guys competing alongside me in the group were on top of their game (not that I’m a competitive person, but it’s nice to run with a similar pack of athletically-​minded people).
So, I signed up.
Every day was a constant guessing-​game (in a GOOD way). Strength days entailed heavy-​duty lifting (which has become increasingly more absent from my individual routine as I’ve been focusing more on cardio strength, interval training, core and yoga recently to build lean muscle) and I realized how much I missed certain parts of power lifting. On other days, we were sprinting around the track doing varied laps, and in between, working on explosive movements on the side to fatigue core, upper and lower body muscles to get into a hypertrophy state. The list goes on. I always left in a sweat and felt it the next day.
Meanwhile, Nicki made sure to keep a close tab on all 4 – 6 of us at any given time. She tailored towards modifications and advanced movements if there were any differences in fitness level on certain days. Her guidance was always top-​notch, making sure that we were keeping to proper technique, never compromising on form, and getting the full benefits of the workout by tracking our movement. This is an arduous responsibility of a personal trainer to maintain when having more than 1 trainee. Yet, Nicki dominated in this area without losing any feeling of individualized attention with each T.E.A.M. participant.
Although my BootCamp session has ended, and my schedule is too erratic during the next few weeks due to work travel to commit to a longer-​term program on a regular basis, Nicki wouldn’t let me go (and I wasn’t wanting to leave by choice!) so she was kind enough to offer me an open invitation to come back whenever I’d like, on a drop-​in basis. We already have a re-​entrance slated in the pipeline for next week. How awesome is that?! Plus, Nicki is leading an exceptionally positive, encouraging team of athletes during that hour. There’s some great camaraderie and sportsmanship out of programs such as this!!!
I highly recommend that any person seeking a personal trainer, or showing interest in the T.E.A.M. training session, head straight in Nicki’s direction at LTF — Target Center. We all want to be able to tap into those gray/​subconscious areas of fitness that are attainable by us, but may require the right individual for the extra push to get us there. Nicki, by and far, is the person that can help get you there. LTF is very fortunate to have her on the TEAM!

Confusing layout and needs a major remodel but skyway connected which is a bonus. The equipment has seen better days and the locker rooms remind me of grade school, very run down and rows and rows of lockers to get lost in. I keep hearing of a renovation but haven’t seen much come of that yet. Over priced in my opinion, staff is courteous, friendly and helpful which almost makes up for the run down space.

I am NOT mad at this gym. It is so convenient for me because I work downtown and can go to classes during my lunch break or after work. The membership is a steal at $ 66/​month which includes access to all classes. I don’t think people realize that! There is a hot yoga studio within the gym and they offer vinyasa, sculpt, and basics classes, so the monthly price is a fraction of what you’d pay at Corepower or Moksha. All the classes are great, and I’ve taken most of the yoga classes, Strike (kickboxing), Insanity, Pilates and the newly added Hip Hop (Th at 5:45!). I highly recommend Baron and Jesse’s Warrior Sculpt classes if you wanna get your butt kicked! I think the difference with this gym versus LA Fitness is that people are actually there to work out! The locker rooms are old, but you get your own locker, and they have blow dryers and toiletries available. I have 2 issues with this facility:
1. The gym is not as up to date as other Lifetimes, but a remodel is coming.
2. The lowest priced membership is single access, so you can’t go to other Lifetimes
Overall, I’m happy to be a member of this gym!

Great facility. Is really big with a pool, squash courts, a basketball court, a track, plenty of cardio equipment, and a large stretch area. The locker rooms are huge although the products are minimal. Most of the lockers cant be used and probably should be switched over to daily use. There is seldom a wait for any machine. Staff is friendly.

I’m not excited about no free parking, which adds up to a lot of cash over the course of a month. I’m unexcited about the lockers which seem very limited if you don’t buy a monthly locker. I noticed the indoor track had a lot of holes which hadn’t been repaired, Lastly, the showers have no stalls, it’s not a huge deal but could be a deal breaker for some.

I’m pretty ‘meh’ about this gym (and yes, I can use that word now since it’s in the dictionary!).
Things I like about it and why I’ve continued my membership:
–Convenience. If you live or work in or near downtown its convenient to the bus and is skyway accessible. However, parking is $ 3 in the ramp or by meter. I bus, so therefore not an issue.
–Reasonable price. The basic membership is about $ 50 depending on their current specials, but if you have health insurance and visit about 10 times a month, I believe most plans cover $ 20 of it.
–Group fitness. The group classes are the main reason I go to the gym. During peak times the equipment can fill up pretty quick, but the group classes always have room. The two instructors I like are Bruce and Anne.
Things I’m not so in love with:
–No windows. This gym is in the basement of the target center, so, while the location is convenient, you won’t be seeing the light of day down here.
–Small. This is good or bad depending on what you want, but during the peak times, most of the equipment is full. Off-​peak times it feels like a ghost town. I’d prefer a happy medium, but it’s usually one or the other here.
–No bells and whistles. Since it’s a gold member gym (the lowest on the Lifetime totem pole) it is overall a pretty basic gym. There isn’t a spa, a salon, a café, etc., that many other locations have. The lower price reflects that.
Overall, I like it because its simple. The crowd is more business professional compared to gym bunnies and stay-​at-​home mom suburban gym crowds. Since my main goal is to swing by after work, get in and get out, this gym meets my needs.

Over a year later, I’m still loving my yoga classes at Lifetime Target Center. I don’t think Patrick is an instructor here anymore.
Every week I take a challenging Vinyasa flow class taught by Beth H. and then Jesse’s aerobic warrior sculpt a few days later. His class has some club bumping music and the workout routine will help you get that body right and tight in no time. Those froggie squat booty lifts = thighs on fire.

I’m reviewing this gym as someone looking for a pool to swim laps at during the winter. I received a 7 day guest pass, and only visited this gym three times. This review is geared towards the pool and it’s facilities.
The pool is olympic sized with 6 lanes and it wasn’t too busy during the middle of the day. The locker room is big and spacious, with a hot tub, sauna, plus free towels and toiletries. They also give you a free locker with your membership, and for $ 60 per month I’d recommend it over the YMCA because you get towels and a locker for roughly the same price. Plus they’ve got an indoor track, if you’re into running.

I personally cannot recommend this gym because it is too dingy and dated for my liking. They literally brag to you their «1980’s vintage equipment»… Not exactly something I would be proud of… There are better lifetimes in the twin cities, I would suggest trying those. Plus, I paid $ 8 for parking, which was just the classic insult to injury…

This Lifetime has racquetball which is a rarity in health clubs these days. The racquetball is the only reason I come to this location. And although the parking stinks, racquetball is reason enough.
It has all the other things necessary in health clubs ~ even a boxing room complete with punching bags and gloves. Unfortunately, the cardio machines are pretty old school. And I dont get the locker room situation. This location doesnt have lockers available for all members. There are a ton of lockers in the locker room, but not the kind that use the member card as a key… just padlock lockers and combination lockers.

Lifetime Fitness is one of the best gyms in the Twin Cities to belong to. The Target Center location is probably the least appealing cosmetically but they are going through tons of renovations and I’m sure it will be up to the LTF standards soon. This location was formerly a Northwest Club so I’m sure its a large project to flip a gym this large that is used by so many downtowners. Recently a Yoga Center was added to this location and it is by far the best one I have ever been to! I have never had to wait for equipment here and the classes are fabulous and offered all day long.

I joined about a year ago, because they offered some great discounts depending on your age, where you work, that sort of thing. I managed to get a platinum membership for the price of their cheapest package because of my age, so that was great!
Everyone I worked with, from personal trainers to desk staff, were friendly, helpful, and worked with me to help me feel like I was their primary concern. They have tons of classes available, but I’m pretty poor so I just used the complimentary trainer sessions and then went to run on my own.
The inside is pretty big — indoor running track, pool, weight training, loads of elliptical machines with TVs you can listen to on radio frequencies, and lots of sanitizing wipe dispensers and vending machines without feeling cluttered. Towels are readily available, showers and locker rooms were clean and my favorite thing was the steam room, which smelled lightly of eucalyptus.