Fit for Free

Ok, I first must confess that I love John G’s review of this place! In the gym’s defense, I can say that after remolding the place earlier this year, they are making a better effort to be clean and only sometimes do I walk into the locker room toilet, walk out and find another toilet with less pee around the rim. Perhaps after a hard workout, it’s difficult to aim?!
SO, with that said, gym’s are SUPER easy to review if you go by the following classifications: Douche-​bagginess, Body Oder Levels (BOL), Screamers, Sweat on Machines (SOM), Music and Dumbells…
Douche-​bagginess: Compared to other F4F’s in Amsterdam, this place has less than average douche-​baggy. I usually go during lunch and there are the muscle mary’s that come in, but they seem pretty nice and don’t walk around like the own the place. And the rest of the people are everyday average Joe’s and Jane’s like you and I :)
BOL: I also think this is less than average, which is a good thing. Sometimes I get a nice whiff of a neighboring lifter’s hard earned efforts perspiring out of his dirty pores with no deodarantative protection. But for the most part, it doesn’t cross my mind (and I am NOT one of the smelly ones!)
Screamers: This place definitely has less people screaming and dropping weights, which makes the overall experience for everyone much better!
SOM: Well… even though towels are mandatory, I think this will always remain a problem for any gyms with this place included.
Music: I’m listening to my own blend of classical music while working out, but the good thing about this place compared to other Amsterdam gyms is that they are not blasting techno music so loud that I can’t hear what’s coming from my speakers!
Dumbbells: You might asking… huh??? Yes. dumbbells… at this gym in particular, people have a REALLY hard time places dumbbells back. So even by lunch time, they are lying all over the place, mismatched, under benches, next to treadmills, in the locker?!? haha either the dumbbells have legs and minds of their own, or the people of this gym really can’t read numbers :)
All in all, for 15 euros a month, I don’t mind coming here because it’s never too crowded, there aren’t many screaming douche bags making a nice environment for everyone, and it’s pretty clean for a gym.

It should be called:
Fit for foot funges and dust everywhere and scary ghetto guys and broken machines and the whole staff had a defibrillator course three days previous, but they forgot suddenly now the guy is having a heart attack on the floor and I yell «call an ambulance» and the guy behind the counter doesn’t know the gym’s adres, even when it is written on the flyer in front of him and they don’t pay their teachers what they are worth and they don’t feel like arranging a substitute teacher when the regular teacher is sick so all clients go home disappointed and they play that darn spinning video over and over again and you have to wait for the treadmill and all clients wear outdoor shoes because they don’t give a crap either and it smells like open sewers and sweaty socks in here and oh we forgot to turn on the sauna because we were too busy texting because we don’t care because we don’t get paid enough to care and you will stay a member for your entire life because there is no way out of this membership.

I’ve been to 3 FFF locations so far and this one falls nicely in the middle between the one at Valkenburgerstraat (which is just dark and depressing) and the one at Looiersgracht (which feels oddly premium).
Good things: I’ve never had to wait for a cardio machine here, even if the gym is busy. Rows upon rows of ellipticals, treadmills and bikes, all working and facing a whole wall of TV screens. There are also a lot of weight machines, but I can’t really comment on those since I’ve never used them.
Bad things: Very limited free weight space and availability (dumbbells/​bars/​etc). I usually have to wait even on quiet afternoons, and I’m always scared of knocking somebody out with a dumbbell because we’re all squeezed into such a tiny space!
Facilities: The toilets are kind of iffy but there are a lot of them, and the showers and changing rooms are fine.

I’ve been coming to this gym for several months, several times a week.
On the positive side, of course, the prize. Can’t be beaten. I mean, 15 euros a month, seriously? I pay 20, because I also go to the group classes.
Also very nice about this gym, the app: so convenient! you can check the group classes on your phone and sign up for them directly. Also all kind of information about work outs, could be handy to some people.
The classes are really nice, most instructors are friendly. And there is plenty of choice and classes everyday.
The equipment is ok-​isch. If your thing is mostly cardio then you’re fine, there are plenty of those machines available all the time. For weight lifting, well, there are a lot of guided machines, they are ok, they do the job, but they are clearly not new and I think it wouldn’t hurt to replace some of them. There are not a lot of dumbbells and barbells, so it can be annoying when there’s a lot of people. Sometimes it is difficult to get what you need. But I must go at the worse hours, because I find it generally quite busy.
The dressing rooms are ok. You need your own locker but that’s hardly a problem. The toilets could be cleaned more often… I never shower here so I don’t even know what they look like. I think there is some kind of steam bath available as well, which is quite nice (I should try it once!).

I’ve been working out here for about 2 years and overall like it. I like that it’s never super crowded, the personal trainer (Sven) I work out with, and the relaxed atmosphere. I also love Alvaro ‘s Pilates class! :)
The gym is overall quite dirty though and they haven’t improved at all in the last 2 years. I hear there’s a new manager now and he’s working on some of these issues and there is a renovation in planning, so I’m optimistic it’ll get better. Luckily, I never use the locker room :)
Very low price, good hours, and you’ll get a good workout in!

A lot of people don’t really seem to like this place. But I do actually. I just don’t see what is wrong with it. The dressing rooms are big enough, it not too crowded, its just good and you pay very little money! If you expect more out of your 15 euros you are just too optimistic.
The instructors are also friendly and the classes are almost never full. Very handy. I like it here!