James P. Gills Branch – YMCA of the Suncoast

This is a great place! The parents night out both Friday night and Saturday is awesome. They put on a lovely Christmas breakfast with Santa. The family pool is always clean! I do wish they offer the GRIT class but they do have loads of other classes.

Summary:
If you’re male and strictly into lifting weights, this is not the place for you, as much of the equipment is antiquated, poorly spaced (i.e. crowded together), and in disrepair.
If you’re female, this is a great place, as all of the cardio equipment is brand new and shiny.
In my opinion this YMCA is clearly catering to females and children.
If you’re into lifting, join the Zone in Trinity at $ 16.00 per month.
If you have a family and/​or are female and like the option of a swimming pool, basketball gym, fitness classes, etc., this seems to be an ideal place.
I won’t recommend this place for weightlifting because 99% of the equipment is antiquated and squished so closely together that securing private space is often challenging during «peak» hours.
Also, the weightlifting benches are sparse and VERY crappy-​looking (ripped leather; frayed ends; antiquated). During almost every workout I have to wheel a bench from the (very old) Smith machine area back to the dumbbell rack area.
Perhaps most shocking to me is that many of the heavier-​weight DB’s along the rack are missing poundage labels/​stickers, so at times it’s not even possible to know for sure how much weight I’m actually lifting. In my opinion this is a serious hazard and the gym has made no effort to replace or at least add poundage labels. This is like the gym is asking for a lawsuit – somebody could get seriously injured.
A few of the staff seem friendly and outgoing, but I find most of them to be rude, insular, snobby. But this is Trinity (uppity), so maybe that’s par for the course.
A lot of kids/​teenagers work out here so be prepared for that. Most of them are respectful but there are always a few knuckleheads…
Be prepared to give attitude back to fellow members and especially the staff.
Of the 5 – 6 benches available, 2 of them look safe enough to use. I won’t even attempt to use the other 3 – 4 benches for fear of the equipment collapsing.
It’s disappointing because membership is not cheap here ($ 46 per month). I wonder where all of the money goes. Because very little of it is apparently being spent on weights and machines.

The Y… what a great place… this facility has so much for the community… pool, fitness center, fitness classes, gym, ropes course, you name it.
Staff is very friendly too.
My boys take martial arts there as well and it is a great program.
Monthly fees a pretty high… many fitness centers in the area charge less that half. But see if you like it and whether you think it is worth the extra money.

Clean and convenient for the Trinity area. It is a decent size gym with plenty of machines but like other gyms, if you go around 5 you’ll be waiting for a treadmill. The classes are held often and people are friendly. Overall a good gym.

As part of the Suncoast YMCA, this is one of the newer facilities and it is quite large but also extremely popular.
This facility offers a full size gym with tons of weights and machines as well as several group fitness classes, however, space is limited most of the classes. The facility recommends guests arrive 30 minutes prior to the most popular classes. The spin classes require guests to «sign-​up» before attending.
During the summer months, my children love to visit the sprayground located poolside and houses a huge circular slide. We’ll pack a lunch and stay for a couple hours to escape the heat.
All Suncoast YMCA locations offers trial passes to new members and guest passes. Download a pass online.
Childcare is available for only an hour and a half per visit. WIFI is available in the lounge.

the facility, gym, pool, etc are all excellent! I just wish they could hire some true Yoga instructors that know what they are doing! The newest one on Monday night «Advanced» Yoga is TERRIBLE!!! Simply doing a couple of downward dogs after doing leg lifts and squats does not make for a yoga class. Also, yoga is supposed to coordinate with your breathing, which is impossible when you’re doing things so fast you would actually hyperventilate! Prior instructors have been excellent, but for some unknown reasons, they have left the building. I am so frustrated I’m ready to just quit here and go to a regular yoga studio where I can enjoy peaceful breathing and yoga!

My son has been attending their childcare program for years and he loves the staff and activities. I love the staff and their classes like zumba, kickboxing, etc. I feel very lucky to live next to such a wonderful facility!

I grew up in a YMCA. I was under the understanding the YMCA was a non profit organization in communities to help families in need and provide activities and safety to children and teens at a good rate. This Y charges you more a month than any gym membership free child care or not. My wife was pregnant and we did not go to the Y for months, When we finally went to go sign back up they wanted us to pay over $ 200 in back monthly fees that did not hit my card, since it was stolen and I had to get a new card from the bank. When we explained my wife’s pregnancy, our non attendance at the Y in over 6 months and the fact that she was now out of work and our family was only living off of my income, they insisted we pay the past due balance before we could resume our membership. Horrible billing practices. I have had better experiences in billing and payments from the swanky $ 80 a month gyms that provide all of the same activities other than the team sports, that is also not free. Most of the classes at the Y are not free as well. Dont get fooled by the YMCA title. They are more about $$ than their so called «mission»

Our family has been members of the YMCA of the Suncoast for over three years — membership gets you access to all 10 of the Suncoast facilities.
The James P. Gills Family Branch is beautiful — we joke that it’s our country club — it’s that nice…
It has a huge, modern fitness center with clean, well-​maintained equipment — and it can get busy in the mornings and evenings, especially for cardio equipment.
It has one large gymasium that sections into two smaller gyms — basketball, volleyball, etc…
And it has several multi-​purpose rooms — a yoga/​dance room, a cycling/​spinning room, a coffee lounge, and more.
It has two pools — the larger one being heated, with both swim lanes and a water flume and fountains for the kids, and the second pool is deeper for diving and racing…
It has a high/​low rope course that rivals USMC boot camp.
And it has a teen center with ping-​pong, video games, etc. for the teens.
Best of all, they have free childcare — with a kid zone featuring an indoor playground, crafts, toys, etc…
Twice a month they have «Parents Night Out» — where they provide supervised games and activities for the kids in the evening, while the parents can have a worry-​free date.
Most of the classes — yoga, aerobics, Zumba, etc. — are free.
Trainers are extra, as well as swimming lessons and team sports.
The facility is 11 years old — however, it is very clean throughout.
Thank you for providing such a valuable service to our family and community.