South Park YMCA

My child went to this daycare for 3 years. During this time he was hardly ever taught anything. I mean they do not assist with training continuity, reading or anything. They have a pool but do not teach the kids how to swim. Parking is atrocious, and they go through managers once a year. The food is so child unfriendly (tunafish on whole wheat sprouts and other garbage) I hold them responsible for my child’s eating disorder. Since moving to a new daycare his esteem has increased he learns better and his aversion to food is gone.
So don’t waste your money (they also charge a fortune)

The YMCa on south park has the best boot camp program ever including running up and down the citadel hill… my legs are KILLING ME! We ran up the hill after each round of 20 stations… thanks YMCA

The Y is pretty much my favourite gym ever! I loved the atmosphere when I used to go regularly.
Sadly, I don’t go as much as I want (mostly due to laziness). But I did start swimming with a friend of mine once a week and I don’t regret one minute of it.

I was looking for a gym that was closer to my apartment than the Dalplex and having a pool was a must. The YMCA is a great deal whether you are a student or not. The student rate with the basic locker rooms is $ 34.50 a month — basically a steal. There are upgraded locker rooms that I have not seen but I am not willing to pay more money for a fancy locker room.
The best thing is that I have never had to wait for a cardio machine and I go either in the afternoon or evening usually. The bottom floor of the YMCA is the weights area (along with a few cardio machines and a row machine). They have the weights separated so the girls can work out with the lower weights which I like. The pool has 3 lap swimming lanes but the hours vary when it is designated for lap swimming, which can be a pain to remember.
Best of all, the YMCA is supportive of their community and the manager donated a temporary membership to an auction I was planning to benefit a local non-​profit. I appreciate businesses that are so down-​to-​earth. Below are my highlights of the gym.
Pros:
Cost effective
Plenty of cardio and weight machines
Open to 10 pm during weekday
Lap swimming available
Basic locker rooms are fine (no need to pay more)
«Be Massage» business located inside the Y (discounts for students)
Plenty of swimming accessories (pull buoys, kickboards, hand paddles)
Good music in the weights area
TVs in the cardio area
Cons:
Open to 8 pm on weekends
Lap swimming hours vary from day to day
Pool temperature is too hot (for lap swimmers)
No music stations to plug into on the ellipticals if your ipod fails (only tv stations)
Clearly the pros outweight the cons! Go sign up now and get in shape.

I lived next door to the YMCA for a year around 2006 and popped in a few times to work out with friends. But, since I absolutely loathe gyms, that was a very short-​lived habit. So, colour me impressed when I returned last night to find out that there have been some nice renovations done to the main floor!
With new glass walls, small and large class rooms, and other nooks and crannies developed for specific training, the Y has brought itself up to snuff with other gyms in the region compared to its days of just having a pit of machines up for grabs. The modern upgrades actually make for an interesting contrast to the old aspects of the building-​the gym on an upper floor is worth seeing from the inside if you get the chance.
Staff are friendly, everything seemed pretty clean, but like any other downtown gym, there’s a definite higher percentage of big-​armed dudes whose workout seems to just be walking around in tank tops acting like bros.

I’ve been a member off-​and-​on of the YMCA for about a year now. Taking a few months off earlier this year because my work schedule was too erratic to have a regular gym schedule. Now that it normalized, I decided I needed to return to further get back to normal… physically.
Having never been a member of any other gym, I’ve little to compare this gym to other than my own imagination based on what they offer.
I have a basic membership, which is about $ 20 less (give or take) than the extras membership, which means I go to a different locker room. I have been in both. The extra membership has a much cleaner locker room that is also much bigger, has more lockers, a sauna, a hot tub, a cleaner shower that allows temperature control of the showers, complimentary towels for every visit and a scale.
The scale is probably the thing that I consider to be the oddest addition for the extra membership versus the basic. The locker room for basic members isn’t as nice looking. As in, it looks much more run down. Basic lockers (works for me), no sauna or hot tub (I’m okay with that), a shower that has no temperature control (at least that I haven’t figured out, a minor annoyance), no towels (I bring my own) but no scale (my biggest annoyance between the two). I think having even a basic scale should be a necessity for any gym. Though I think there might be one downstairs in the weight-​room…
Other than those minor differences, the Y provides everything that I look for in a gym. Exercise equipment for cardio and a few options for those who want to build muscle. I choose the less busy, quieter upstairs room for basic arm and leg weight lifting. If your goal is to build muscle mass or to tone up, there’s tons of equipment downstairs to work every muscle. Plus a few rowing machines (a plus).
The cardio room is where I spend most of my time on the elliptical and bicycle machines. It can get busy here during the early evening hours. I usually make my way here earlier on so there’s little competition for any machine. There’s also 8 television sets (4 different stations) to entertain you while on the machines. If you’re lucky, they’ll be preset to something you’re interested in but should you be out of luck, don’t fret! One of the front-​desk assistants are there to change the station to something of your suiting. I’m lucky if Oprah is on with a fun guest, or MuchMoreMusic is showing music videos. Otherwise, I read the closed-​captioning on one of the news stations typically on.
If you plan on being a gym-​rat, I would suggest getting the extra membership to have the advantage of the extra perks offered since it’s only a little bit more of a cost compared to the basic membership which pretty much just allows you in the gym to fend for yourself.
I’ll give this place 4-​stars since it does what I need it to but also understand other people’s dissatisfaction.

The YMCA is a fantastic community resource located smack-​dab in the city’s center. When I was a kid, I was a regular attendee at Big Cove Camp and as an adult, went back to work as a counselor for one summer.
There are so many opportunities available to the public through the YMCA that you’d be hard pressed to not find something to suit your interests. Throughout the year, there are daycare and child-​minding services as well as full gym access if you’re looking to stay fit. There is a cardio room, a studio for yoga and aerobics, as well as a weight room and a pool. If you’re feeling tense post-​workout, swing by the massage therapy clinic on the main level to have a Registered Massage Therapist take care of your aches and pains. You can choose different membership levels for different prices, and if you’re strapped for cash, can apply for an assisted membership.
They have dormitories in the upper portion of the building, housing international students throughout the year. I believe it turns into a hostel during the summer months, available to travelers and those passing through the city.
I haven’t actually used the facilities at this location, but it looks well kept and the staff is friendly. The building is quite old and slightly decrepit, so it will be a welcomed change when the Y moves or is renovated, one of which is being planned for in the near future. Swing by today, or go to the website to see what programs available piqué your interest. Whether it’s Zumba, spinning or swimming — you’re bound to find something to help you with your active lifestyle.