Work Out World

It’s basically a warehouse with gym equipment in it which I love. For only $ 11 I’m getting a good deal. I’m kind of a gym rat so the plain iron weight plates and lack of niceties make me feel at home. The free weight section is kind of crowded during after work times on weekdays but otherwise I’m usually fine. I’ve never had to wait for a treadmill.
One complaint would be the locker room which offers no sort of privacy. It’s split between the locker half and the shower and bathroom half. The locker half is just a long open room with lockers on both sides and it’s a little weird to change there after work when I used to go to Anytime Fitness where there were private changing/​shower rooms. It’s not a big deal, just different from how I had it before.
The other negative is sometimes the crowd itself is just awful. Just the other day some clown was video chatting with his toddler on full volume right next to me while I was on the benchpress. Great. A lot of the time people just straight up don’t put their weights back. That general lack of courtesy is a definite drawback but not a dealbreaker for me.

Went here on an early Saturday morning to try the ‘Free Day Pass’ and the old lady at the reception was rude in answering my queries (which made me hesitant to enroll). Good thing is that I was accommodated by the 2 young ladies (interns-​like) and allowed me to join the ‘Cardio Kickboxing’ Class.
Place is big and they have a separate workout room for the ladies. Facilities is just A-​Ok. I enjoyed the class but I’m still thinking if it’s worth to pay $ 21/​month (if I’ll only attend the class 2X in a month).

For the amount of people that pay for the gym and don’t go, you’d think they’d have unlimited amounts of cash to maintain their treadmills. Most are shaky and make me dizzy to even consider watching television on. Yesterday I was there and AT LEAST 10 had «sorry, not working» signs on them. My friend was jogging next to me and the machine started choosing whatever speed it wanted above 6.0. Immediately reported to staff who deemed everything «okay.» I stayed on my machine but warned the next two people that the machine next to me was broken. The same thing happened to both people and one almost fell off and twisted his ankle. I immediately went up to the same girl and told her to put a broken sign on the POS before they have a lawsuit on their hands. So many positives to this gym that it makes me upset to write this. I joined when they opened in ²⁰⁰³⁄₂₀₀₄ and am positive I have seen very little updated equipment. Browse gyms in Waltham before you make a blind decision, because if it’s gym «rush hour» you’ll have even more trouble getting a workout in simply because the machines are crap. ONLY giving two stars because of the excellent classes… particularly teacher Jill and her spunky and always positive attitude… she teaches classes elsewhere, as well (hint hint).

I joined WOW back in January after deciding to get myself back into a fitness routine. So far, my experience there has been good. I’ve gone early morning, nights after work, and then weekends and haven’t had any issues getting a machine or it being over crowded. I have a platinum membership, which I chose so i took take the classes they offer, and so far haven’t had any issues and the staff has been nice.
The only reason i’m giving 3 stars is because I got a call today on my cell phone while I was at work from a number i didn’t know, and it was someone from WOW asking me about my experience so far, and if i had set up a consultation yet since i have a platinum membership, i assumed that this consultation was with a trainer, and honestly i dont have an interest in using a trainer, i just want to be able to go to the gym routinely and get a healthy lifestyle. The gentlemen, kept pushing me asking me when i was coming in next, and i told him i was at work and didn’t have time for a survey, and he asked again when i planned on coming in next, and i said after work, and he kept asking me when i got out of work and what time i could set up a consultation. I told him i wasn’t interested in setting up a time, and he seemed to be a little frustrated by my responses. It was weird, and made me uncomfortable. Maybe be less pushy with members about meeting with trainers and setting up a consultation.

The reasons WOW is great:
–Group fitness classes
–Low price
–Women only section
–Open 19 hours a day and most holidays
–Clean facility
–Kind staff
I have been a member of Work Out World, on and off, for about four years.
The reason I am still going there even though I moved further away a couple of years ago is because of all the privileges that come at the unbeatable price of $ 20/​month. Not only does that price allow me to participate in group fitness classes (including Jill’s famous Zumba class), it also allows me to bring someone EVERY TIME I GO! (There are also other benefits, such as a daycare and a tanning booth, that aren’t relevant to me, but are still beneficial to others nonetheless!)
The women only section is great because it’s generally less crowded than the general gym area. Unfortunately, the equipment in this section is pretty limited (e.g. only three ellipticals).
One of my favorite things about Work Out World are the hours; the gym is open from 5AM to midnight! It is open on most holidays, which is awesome since those are the days that most people actually have time to go.
Lastly, WOW may not be as glamorous as other, more expensive gyms, but it is definitely always clean and, after the recent, small renovation, pretty aesthetically pleasing.
If you are looking for a inexpensive gym with fitness classes and other perks in the Waltham area, WOW is for you!

This WOW is ok and pretty much the only place close enough for us now. While I am not a fan it is just ok. Most the bikes’ heart sensors don’t work anymore and it is kind of irritating because the bike will reset to a standard setting and it sucks if you are on a special setting. It is very male centric here but that does not phase me when I come with the husband. When I come alone, working on the weights can be intimidating. Now that winter is here, it is all the more important to have a membership and the price is right. I will live with the inconveniences.

Been a member here for awhile. I like all the machines and the diverse amount of members. The weight room is tucked in the back which to me is a draw back but it’s all apart of gym psychology. The layout of the machines are random but I’m used to it. This is a no frills value gym that is close to my house which is why I go.

I have been a member of WOW now since fall 2012. In that time I have really come to love this gym.
First, you can’t beat the price! $ 10/​mo or $ 20/​mo with classes is awesome! The $ 20 also includes all WOW New England locations, so I actually go sometimes to the Norwood or Peabody WOW if I am in the area.
The facilities are always clean. There is constantly staff going around cleaning the floors and locker room. I have also seen staff cleaning machines, although I will admit, less frequently.
Many of the classes are top notch. Jill’s Zumba class will absolutely kick your butt! Don’t be intimidated though, everyone is just there to have fun. I have also attended Zumba with Jackie, spin with Tanya, and some Sat morning torture with Craig. The instructors are really amazing!
My favorite area is the Women’s Only because it’s a little quieter, and sometimes not as smelly. Not to mean, but I have been on treadmills in the main section next to some smelly dudes! I have added pictures of women’s. There are 5 treadmills, 3 ellipticals, some bikes, and lots of weights and weight machines.
Keep in mind this is not a luxury facility. There is no towel service, no sauna. But if you want to get a good workout in at a great price, WOW is your destination!

I like work out world for their longer hours, group classes and this one is bigger than where I’ve been in the past but I can’t give them more stars due to Professional Fitness working in their gym. They were on channel 7 news because not only is the customer service poor but they will take your money without providing their service. They will keep taking your money and when you attempt to cancel they will tell you no!!! Please beware of these people!!! The actual gym is okay but do not talk to the trainers!!! I was stupid and thought they worked with the gym. I am out over $ 720 do to this.

Left Planet Fitness for WOW in Waltham and couldn’t be more excited. Best decision and much better gym. It’s nice to be able to use free weights again!
Not crowded at all at 6am.

The old saying goes «you get what you pay for» and this statement holds true as I joined on their New Year $ 99 special. Worth every penny, and for someone who is very active this is considered a STEAL. However, back to the old saying. It’s not a great gym but it’s still suffices.
Pros:
plethora of equipment
Abs/​core equipment isolated together
Cons:
They blast music like its a club.
Free weight room gets crowded.
Only 1 squat rack (2 assisted racks).

brief back story: originally from dedham, I used to go to the WOW/​Blast in W. Roxbury and then the two companies split (but they’re both still under the god-​awful ABC Fitness billing company), and I moved to Waltham. I was going to cancel my membership with Blast and go to Planet Fitness or Waverly Oaks but I figured I should at least give WOW Waltham a shot and see what it’s like. It’s been about a month now that I have been going to WOW, and I am very pleased with my decision to not bail out on Blast/​WOW. Having my membership transferred/​grandfathered in to WOW in Waltham was easy, convenient, and free, which I really appreciated.
Before I get into detail that I am a Platinum Member and pay $ 21/​month +$ 40 annual fee (so roughly $ 300/​year). The gym is actually really big. When you walk in, there is cardio equipment all along the left side wall (treadmills and bikes with tvs on each station, arc trainers, ellipticals, stair masters, etc. great selection). In front of the cardio equipment and along the rear wall, there are various weight training machines and free weights. There is also an aerobics studio off of this room; I’ve taken the 6 am spin class, which definitely wasn’t SoulCycle but it did the (cheap) trick.
Coming from the front entereance if you go to the right there is more weight training equipment, and all the way in the back is what I like to call the lifting room, filled with benches and squat racks and cable pulley machines, etc. Love it.
The coolest part about this gym, which actually shocked the hell out of me the first time I «found» it, was the womens only gym. I’ve been to several other gyms in my life, and the womens-​only rooms or sections are dismal. They’re always pretty much a closet or a play-​pen for women to feel «comfortable» working out in. Well imagine me, 5 am still sleepy-​eyed walking into the gym for my first morning workout at that location. I follow the sign that says «womens locker room» to find a HUGE room of workout equipment! I’m talking treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, cable pulley machine, free weights, weighted barbells, and a few stationary machines. I was so confused but so pumped when I realized that this room was their women’s-only.
I’ve worked out here during various «peak» hours; between 5 – 7 am, and between 6 – 10 pm. I have never had an issue finding a treadmill or other cardio equiment. there’s always SOMETHING available. the people that are on here complaining about lack of equipment… I’m laughing out loud. There has to be almost 100 cardio machines in this gym.
Overall definitely a great place to workout. My only suggestion to management would be to fire the entire staff and hire more helpful, knowlegable, personable people. Every single employee I’ve interacted with at the gym acts like they’re serving a death sentence in the form of working a front desk job. Constantly annoyed, shooting dirty looks, and the trainers could not give a flying f%&* if you’re in their way. They’ll come right up behind or next to you and essentially run you out of their area. beyond annoying.

Having now gone to the gym for a few months I felt it was time to update my review. Some still holds true. Older machines, not enough bikes, and now a newer issue and this is common at a few gyms. I go in quietly and want to work out by myself and I feel uncomfortable because one of the trainers is pushing himself on me talking loudly and asking how is my day. How is your workout. Cracking jokes. I have not even looked in his direction. I made it obvious that I did not want to talk to this stranger but after my workout, walking out he again loudly can not resist. I do not know you. We are not friends and speaking aggressively and loudly is not polite. Say hello and move on.

After being pursued by the «professional» training company at the WALTHAM WOW, I quickly found out how unprofessional service can be when a company has your money in their hands. We had a trainer «no show» multiple times, we contacted at various time of day via text message to set up and cancel appointments and then after our first 2 sessions the trainer texted to tell us he quit the location. After several days, we were assured that they had the problem resolved– they coaxed the same trainer to come in at 6 am to train us. Who wants to pay several hundred dollars per month for unreliable, in professional training from someone who doesn’t want to be there and who isn’t committed. After talking to a supervisor 1 week ago, I’m being told that I have to write a letter and pay a contract termination fee. Who broke the contract? Bad business!
Let me clarify that I still go to WOW & I really enjoy the actual gym and group classes. Sadly, I am giving a bad review to the whole experience because of the company that they rent to and continue to allow to represent them in the personal training aspect. I wish WOW heard and cared about this poor reflection on their business!

Shame on me. Let my new iPhone slide out of my pocket while on the leg press. By the time I was finished with my circuit, and scoured the gym, it was gone, baby gone. «Find my Phone» didn’t help because the gym member who needed it more than me, was sophisticated enough to power it down before selling it for parts. What you need to know is that when I went to Verizon on Route 9, in Chestnut Hill to get a replacement was the story from the Verizon customer rep. He was also a member of the Waltham WOW. I was the second person and WOW gym member to come in that morning having lost their new iPhone at WOW. The prior member had had her locker in the women’s room lock cut and her phone taken. Probably every gym has it’s share of bad apple members. But Waltham WOW with it’s $ 10−20/month fees may have more then its fair share of members with less than honest behavior. Be for-​warned.
Update — Summer 2015 — The WOW member scum sold the phone on eBay where the buyer couldn’t get it to work and, not knowing it was stolen, contacted me. Thanks to Boston Police and the honest buyer, it was returned. A most unexpected final outcome!

This is not a fancy type gym, and rightfully so. If you are into No-​nonsense gym, this is it. This facility is clean. I see the cleaning lady working hard. The floors are clean, the men’s locker room is okay. I don’t use the shower, but there is a section/​nook that gives added privacy when changing clothes or drying up. People there are fine. I use my lock. Bring a lock.
I normally use the weight machines, free weights, and lightly on the cardio machines. A heavy active population in the gym gives me motivation. Most people are attractive here. Awesome.
The price of $ 20 is awesome because I get to bring my friend, or girlfriend for life!

scam alert!
I canceled my gym membership more than a year ago and as of today I am still trying to stop them charging me every month since then.
ABC financial is impossible to deal with. There are too many hidden steps that do not allow you to cancel.
I would never be a member of theirs again.

I was a member for a year, and I really hated this gym.
The machines are very outdated. These machines creek like Bugaboo, and they’re worse than that pun I just dropped.
NOT ENOUGH MACHINES. Another huge complaint. You have to hover above people benching and jump on the machine the second they get off if you want to use a machine here. And of course with the dumbells, you’re going to have to wait until your weight class is available as well.
The treadmills don’t work half the time. You’ll find yourself swinging from mill to mill trying to find one that has a working TV. That sucks.
But my main gripe is the $ 60 «yearly maintenance fee». This is complete bull in my opinion and was mentioned no where in the contract or the person that originally signed me up. I think it’s a big thing to not mention, and I was quite disappointed when I signed up for the $ 10 promotion and get hit with this fee the VERY NEXT DAY. Completely shady and disappointing.
I’d say it’s a cheap gym that obviously draws a huge crowd as a result, so you’ll definitely be spending a good chunk of your time waiting and waiting for a machine to finally open up. Spend the extra money and go somewhere nicer, such as Evolve Fitness in Cambridge, BSC if you can afford it, or even… Planet Shitness.

For a $ 20 membership its not bad but since they have so many people paying $ 20 bucks a month I think some major improvements can happen at this location.
Some of the machines are pretty outdated and could use some replacements. Plenty of times I’ve been here, I have to wait for machines, which I think is not ok. There are some meat heads there lifting the weights so sometimes its uncomfortable to work out in from of them. They do have a women’s area, but its just so-​so.
I do love taking aerobics class there especially Zumba with Jill Treddin. She is AMAZING!!! The only thing that stinks about is, you have to get there 45 mins before class starts and they sell out. I mean I don’t mind working out 45 mins before her class but sometimes I just dont have the time for it. A cap at 50 people/​class is pretty lousy, but I can understand why that is. I do wish there was a call ahead to reserve a spot in the class.

Pretty good gym. Has everything I need at ~1/​10 the price of a BSC. I don’t use the personal trainers or attend classes, so I can’t comment on their level of quality. The equipment is generally in pretty good shape and there are a lot of options for machines — both cardio and weight training.
I’m lucky enough to be a morning person — it’s usually not very crowded between 5AM and 8AM on week days. Weekend days it get a little busy mid-​morning (9−11AM), but it’s not unbearable. I have only gone on week days after work a few times… and will avoid it in the future. Those few times I went after work, it was super crowded, hot as hell and noisy.
If I had to do my workouts after work, I would shop around a bit. Otherwise, it’s a good deal at ~10 bucks a month. Do read your contract thoroughly so you won’t claim you’ve been scammed later. There are some other fees in the fine print — in addition to the monthly fee — mine totaled about $ 50 for a year. However they’re spelled out clearly in the contract if you read it. There are also terms on how/​when you can cancel a membership, so plan ahead if you’re unsure. No, it’s not a customer-​friendly business practice to partially hide fees and make cancellation a pain in the butt, but all gyms do this.