Village Gym

amazing little gym, get the jobs done, shower bathrooms, lockers and all that good stuff, you can lift heavy here, grunt and go beast mode ! And only 20 bucks, been going to this gym 6 months now and still loving it !

This gym is exactly for the person who wants to work out and not have to deal with all the distractions that come with a «brand» gym. I love that I can get a full workout done in less than 1 hour. I could never get that done at another other gym unless it was before 6:00 AM or after 10:00 PM.
The gym has a lot of equipment to choose from and you never have to wait for any machine/​dumbbell/​floor space. It’s not «new» but it works which is all you really need right?
There are classes for anyone who wants to workout with a group and quarterly competitions for crossfit/​powerlifting community.
Staff are very genuine and want to see you get the results you are after. Ask 1 or many questions as they are an open book. There are also trainers who can really get you to the next level if you want that sort of 1 on 1 treatment.
Bottom line, best place in East San Diego!

Like I mentioned in my check-​in, this is THE place for leg day.
Michael B. and I have been itching to come since we found out they have round rubber plates. This way we could pretend to be pro powerlifters when we deadlift. Yeah I said it.
We walked in and Tony was at the desk. He didn’t pressure us or give us a super long spiel about why we should join. He simply told us it was $ 5 for a day pass and we immediately felt welcomed. They have three different squat racks and we chose to go into the box. I really liked their squat rack because we could both use it without having to adjust the bar constantly. All of the racks were preset which I haven’t seen before. For some reason I felt really strong in here and was able to kick my legs into gear. I was that girl who got an awesome Instagram video out of my PR squat and I don’t even care.
After squats we did our deadlifts and they had a deadlift platform. One where you can drop your weight to do a proper deadlift and no one even flinched or rolled their eyes like they do at 24. People are a lot more serious here. They understand that it’s a gym.
While I was here I talked to Tony and learned that they hold Powerlifting competitions. So now I’m excited to attend one and watch what they’re all about. Tony was so great in explaining how they work and I’m looking forward to following up with him about it.
The gym is also pretty large. The equiptment is a little dated but you get exactly what you need out of it and that just means that more people have to join so they can update everything. Duh!
If you are interested in joining it’s only $ 20 a month. I plan on becoming a member and using it as my leg day gym instead of 24. Hope to see you there and kick some butt with ya!
p. s. you don’t get the New Year’s crowd here. That should be a selling point on its own.

This is a rad little gym that gets the job done! This is nothing like a commercial gym and I can appreciate it for what it is. There is no overpriced and overcomplicated equipment here. Every 24 hour I step into now has a TRX room and wtf does a TRX even do? It looks like something I’d use in my bedroom… for sex, not for working out. The same gyms with the TRX rooms are the same gyms that make the most money from disillusioned and innocent members who pay tons of cash and visit irregularly. Yesterday was my first visit here. My beefcake called to ask how much a day pass would cost. We got there and paid $ 5, but then the owner gave us back our money when he realized we were Village Gym virgins. It cost $ 20 a month to visit here and you can pay per month. You won’t be sucked into signing a contract and you won’t be persuaded into buying expensive training packages or costly, ineffective supplements. The same guy that gave us back our money also pointed to where everything was (bathrooms, cardio, shower, water, powerlifting area, etc.) instead of giving us a useless 15 minute tour of the amenities. I appreciated this so much. Obviously, if I had any questions, he would have been more than happy to guide me, but he understood that my swolemate and I were there to work out and that was it so thanks mate!
This gym is not a pretty gym. If that’s what you’re looking for then go somewhere else. You’re allowed to lift in bare feet and socks here. You’re allowed to use chalk. You’re allowed to cuss here. Obviously chill the f*ck out and be mindful if children are around, but if there isn’t then, then go hard. The music here is not censored and the volume is not catered to a library. You’re allowed to grunt here, slam weights here, and be the biggest, most pumped beast. Besides being in downtown La Mesa where the parking is difficult, this little hole in the wall rules if you hate commercial gyms! Happy humping and pumping!

I wanted to love this place, I really REALLY did. The guys working here always seemed very friendly and upbeat, and it never looked too crowded, so I canceled my membership at SDSU’s gym and started lifting here instead. It has the basics you need, but it is definitely a no-​frills gym, as in there is no pool, sauna, very few machines, and only one shower per locker room. BUT it is rarely crowded, so you’re actually able to get a good workout in and even do a few supersets.
Here’s what keeps me from loving this place: it’s totally and completely unreliable. I showed up one day and couldn’t even fill my water bottle OR flush the toilet (which already had everyone else’s waste in it) because the owner forgot to pay the water bill. I’ve also showed up during business hours, ready to work out, to find the gym completely closed without any explanation. Management really needs to step their game up if they want to keep their loyal customers.

Wow! I’m very impressed. This place is really shaping up to be the smaller community gym I was hoping to find in SD. I’ve been there over a dozen times in the last month since the new owners took over, and I’ve seen constant improvements. The place is clean, the staff is friendly & not pushy, there is no wait for equipment, and the trainers (especially Alex & Ben) are the best I’ve experienced. It’s a refreshing change from the corporate big box jungles. Do yourself a favor and get down there today. You’ll make quality friends, get fit, and be on your way home in under an hour.

I understand there are new owners. My son still goes there and says the «guys» are really nice and actually thank him for coming in. Hope this place does well.

Love this gym! My boyfriend and I started going here about a month ago and we both could not be happier! Clean facilities and never crowded which is a huge bonus. Other gyms in this area are always so crowded and annoying, so this gym was so refreshing to come to. Everyone who works here is super nice and friendly too. My boyfriend even accidentally left his wallet in the treadmill the other day and the owner found it and personally called my boyfriend to return it to him later in the day. Not only are these people friendly, but they are honest too! Highly recommend!

Awesome gym, clean, a lot of improvement over the years. New owners jimmy and tony are awesome. Friendly people knowledgeable staff oh yeah they got MMA classes now. Home away from home.

All I can say is watch your bank account closely. Go to this gym at your own risk.

Don’t think about quitting without a GIANT HASSLE. It took me countless tries to get Dave Dunlap to quit charging my VISA. I made several visits and several threats before finally getting a refund check for FOUR months. BUT WAIT, they tried to charge me again a month later for 2 months but at an interesting cost of $ 29.95 instead of the normal two months of $ 15 per month, thinking they could sneak it through, since I put a block on this with my VISA company. I caught it in the nick of time and asked the VISA rep if this could have been an accident and he said «no way, this is pure deceit, and it’s not an uncommon thing for gyms to do, I see it frequently.» My next correspondence is to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and notify the Attorney General of the State of California. Caveat Emptor!!!

There is a horrible sound coming from this gym which permeates the neighborhood. I live in a condo across the street and our Board of Directors has begged them to fix the noise. This has been going on for months. We have contacted the City of La Mesa Planning Department and filed a complaint. The head of the department has gone to the gym and talked to the management. Still the noise persists. Many old ladies live with this disturbance. Some of them are not well. I beg you not to patronize this gym until they can behave like proper citizens and spend the money necessary to stop this hideous noise we live with.

I’ve been going to this gym for over a year, I do have a membership at a big chain gym, but was frustrated that the weight room there was usually too crowded for me to get in my workout without long waits between exercises. Village Gym is less crowded and less focused on pushing sales and I can get my full workout in without waiting, if I time it at off-​peak hours. It is a small, no frills gym, but they have all the equipment I need, plenty of free weights, a squat rack, etc.
Update: The improvements stopped and a lot of the weight equipment is continually broken. Last year they became a CrossFit gym and shoved all the weight lifting gear into a much smaller area. In order to lift you have to climb over people and equipment. It is no longer a good gym to lift at and I cancelled my membership. changed my review form 4 to 2 stars. It’s probably fine if you want to do CrossFit, but worthless for anything else.

I have been going to this gym for the past year and a half when it changed ownership and re-​opened. I must say, I definitely prefer this local gym rather than a corporate gym (won’t say any names (24 Hr…*cough *cough)). Plus I got the annual membership for $ 149!
In juxtapose to other gyms, this gym is smaller and does not have all the amenities that other gyms may offer; however, it does have plenty of workout equipment and it’s not as packed as other gyms so you can actually work out! Besides, even if it had other amenities, I am sure most people would not use them anyways… who needs a pool?!
This gym does offer free classes such as kettlebell workouts, abs, bootcamp, zumba, etc… I have tried almost all classes and must say the instructors are great! My favorite is the kettlebell class with Mike. Yes… most of the attendees are older folks, but hey! we are all there to work out so the intensity of the class is the same and each participant can do the sets at their own pace within the time alloted for each move.
Again, the best quality of this gym is the fact that even during peak hours, there’s always space to work out and yes there are mirrors to look at yourself working out but people actually go to this gym to work out! and not just sit around to stare and gossip. The membership is reasonable. They offer free workout classes. Instructors are all very nice and attentive. The only thing that is keeping them from 5 stars is that they need to upgrade on the free weights. Besides that, this is a solid gym to get your workout on as they have plenty of equipment!

I was so excited when I found this independent gym. I immediately paid for a 1 year membership in full. About two weeks in I signed up for personal training with Freddy Saluna. Freddy was terrific, he kicked my bum into shape & got me back down to a size 4. Sadly, Freddy is no longer training at the gym but is definitely worth Googling.
BOOKKEEPING ISSUES:
Here is where the gym starts losing Unilocal stars. Without warning, the gym started auto-​debiting from my debit card for personal training. I wouldn’t have been quite as annoyed at this except for the fact that I was also paying for it in person. (–1 star) Dave, the owner, told me numerous times he would refund me for the auto-​debit. After 2 weeks with no refund I told him to apply it to the following month, I was tired of having the same fruitless conversation with him. A few months later I saw another auto-​debit. (–1 star) Dave said he didn’t know how to refund my card but after a lot of nagging he eventually wrote me a check. A few months after that it happened again. The person at the desk told me others are also being wrongly charged. I spoke to Dave (AGAIN) and he got VERY argumentative with me but eventually found my paperwork and said he would refund that one too. I cancelled my membership & have since found a better gym. The aggravation isn’t worth it. (–1 star)
NOTE: ON MY CONTRACT — The authorization to keep my credit card on file was crossed out by Dave & not signed by me when I joined. Despite this he kept & used my credit card info for 10 months without my consent.
CLEANLINESS & EQUIPMENT: (–1 star)
Overall it isn’t a very clean gym. I think the staff expects the clients to clean up after themselves. Which most of us do… but the gym would definitely benefit from at least a weekly cleaning. What ever you do, do not look down when you are on the ellipticals or treadmills. The base of these machines are covered in MONTHS of other peoples sweat. It is not pleasant. Poor equipment maintenance is an issue as well.
So now I’m left with a 1 star rating for Village Gym.

I used to love this place. It was clean, plenty of machines and classes. Now it’d just broken machines and crossfit. Its under new management so I hope it improves but I’ve already switched my membership to Chuze.

Been at the gym for a couple weeks. It is perfect for me! No pool, sauna or loitering! People are there cause they want to be healthy and that is it.
I got lined up with Teri, the yoga instructor, for my first 2 free trainer sessions. Perfect match for my arthritic body!
People are pleasant, the gym is clean but with older well functioning equipment. There is no bugging me while I work out. A courtesy is still practiced there! Such a refreshing place after places like the 24 hour meat shop!

The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because it DOES tend to get crowded during the peak hours.
However.
I LOVE this gym… I finally left GODAWFUL LA Fitness in San Carlos because my trainer decided to go independent and now trains at Village.
The gym is CLEAN… for a small neighborhood gym it is in great shape, people are VERY courteous and patrons follow the rules about re-​racking the weights.
They have pretty much every machine you need and an upstairs area for group classes.
My trainer is AMAZING. I have been training with him for almost 2 years and I look like a different person than when I started. He really knows how to assess and plan a good training program to fit your needs. He has just the right balance of encouragement and ass kicking to really get you motivated. Go in to Village Gym and ask for HASAN. He does AMAZING work. Besides my own boyfriend, he is the only long term commitment I’ve ever made to a guy.

Overall the gym has a nice friendly vibe. My wife and I have been going to Freddie for personal training for several weeks and have really enjoyed it. He has a great outlook, is very knowledgeable and seems to genuinely want to help us reach our goals. Only 2 complaints so far: (1) The guy who runs the supplement shop at the front needs to learn some boundaries. I don’t appreciate having my workout interrupted by his annoying sales pitch, especially after I’ve politely explained several times that I am not interested. (2) Dave the owner has been sloppy with the accounting. We were double charged a week and a half ago. No big deal, we explained the situation immediately and he said he would refund. This still hasn’t happened after a few conversations. At this point we will probably just tell him to apply it to next month, but only because we like working out with Freddie.

A refreshing change from the big chain gyms that have taken over San Diego. Personally I will not set foot into a 24 Hour Fitness, Crunch or L.A. Fitness that’s why this gym appeals to me. I have been training for over 50 years and have been to more gyms than I can count. The Village Gym compares favorably with many of them. The equipment is not new and fancy, a lot of Hammer Strength and Life Fitness, but it is well maintained. There are several machines to hit each body part. Dumbbells go up to 100 Lbs and fixed barbells up to 85 Lbs. There is a cable station, Smith Machine, bench press, squat rack, and incline bench press and a good sound system. I have never found the gym to be crowded. There is also an abundance of cardio equipment. If you’re looking for a nice, neighborhood gym where you can get a great workout without all of the glitz, give the Village Gym a try.