The Top Health Clubs of Cleveland, Ohio's East Side

Since moving to the Cleveland, Ohio area eight years ago I've probably joined every gym on the East Side looking for a good fit for my family and me. Some gyms were good some were not so great. Here is a look at what I found.

Hillcrest YMCA - The advantage of belonging to a "Y" is that it is affordable. For less than sixty dollars a month my entire family could join and take advantage of the open swim hours, exercise classes and gym. The downside to this particular "Y" is its age. The building overall is in need of a facelift, but unfortunately there's no room to expand. Children's activities are limited as well. The staff, management and personal trainers are wonderful and this YMCA's best asset.

Fitworks - I liked Fitworks because it is not pretentious in any way. The club offers modern cardio machines equipped with media devices and a good amount of strength training equipment. The staff is friendly however the childcare is best for small children and class are limited.

Urban Active - I went to Urban Active on the advice of a friend who was a member. The club is large with a wide variety of cardio and strength training equipment and indoor lap pool. The childcare area has some offerings for older children but this is strictly an adult club. There is nothing offered for children.

Lifetime Fitness - My personal choice of the health clubs in the area. Perfect for children and families as well as teens, seniors and everyone in between. Lifetime offers a large indoor pool with zero entry for the tots, outdoor pool for the summer months, separate lap pool and spa, extensive classes and cardio/strength training area. Nice features of the club are free lockers, clean changing rooms, large childcare area, rock climbing wall and café. Their in house salon/spa makes it very convenient for members to be pampered. The downside can be parking during peak hours but overall an excellent club.

JCC - The Jewish Community Center is another good club to belong to for their classes and swimming facilities. With a newly remodeled outdoor pool and large indoor pool the JCC is perfect for swimmers. However, the cardio and strength training area is small and cramped making it difficult to work out comfortably and quickly as there is usually a wait for machines.

As you can see there is something for everyone's personal workout style offered within a few miles of each other on Cleveland's East Side. Most of the gyms are conveniently located near a highway making the trip less hectic. My suggestion would be to visit each of the clubs before making a decision to join and read the contracts carefully before you sign. Some clubs have year long and automatic renewal memberships while some are month to month. Enjoy your workout!

Sources:

www.lifetimefitness.com
www.urbanactive.com
www.fitworks.com
www.mandeljcc.org
www.clevelandymca.org