Total fitness Sandyford V's Westwood Leopardstown

joejoem

Hey, I am going to join a new gym for weights work && cardio. I liked crunch in Dun Laoghaire for a few reasons.

It was beautiful & fancy
plenty of equipment
friendly staff
good opening hours
beautiful women (not in a pervy way, but it does help to motivate!!:o )
good services ie the parking, changing rooms, saunas etc.

The idea is that I go up and down the M50 every day from cherrywood to the Mad Cow roundabout. I want to go before work some days and after somedays, while having it close enough to go on weekends. I do allot of weights and a fair bit of cardio. Has anyone any opinions that would help me decide which one to join?

p.s. I know loughlinstown gym by cherrywood, its grand but it doesnt do it for me, its too grotty. When its crap outside or your tired you need to know the place is going to be cosy, clean and nice to get yourself to get out of your nice warm car to go for a work out!

Thanks

Hanley

Having only been in TF:castleknock and not any WW I might not be the most unbiased observer but I've found TF to be all I need from a gym. Obviously my other gym will always be my home, but TF is more than useable.

Dragan

I'm a member of both and my money would be on Total Fitness over Westwood. Here's the why :

1) TF is cheaper.
2) TF has Hammer Strength equipment, lots of racks, benches, plates and bars.
3) In TF the dumbells for up to 60 kilos so i actually get challenged up there....in Westwood they used to go up to 45 but one of the 45's broke and they won't fix it.
4) Staff in Westwood are , for the most part, kind of annoying. Staff in TF aren't.
5) I am probably in the Top 10 in Westwood for strength, in TF i doubt i make the Top 50. Guess where i train harder?
6) The ladies. Some nice ones down in Westwood, lots of nice ones up in Total Fitness.
7) TF has nicer changing rooms, swimming pool, sauna etc.

All in all, TF wipes the floor with Westwood. The only reason i train in Westwood so much over TF is because i refuse to walk the death road.

joejoem

Cool, thanks. Going to go have a tour of total fatness later tonight. Its right off the M50 right?

Dragan

joejoem wrote:

Cool, thanks. Going to go have a tour of total fatness later tonight. Its right off the M50 right?

Yes indeed, just up from Lamb Doyles pub.....didn't you drop T-ha up there one day?

Sangre

Cheers for info Dragan, this is a great help for me. Live right in between two of them basically and need a gym once tcd runs out. Heard good things about TF but thought it would be more expensive.

p.s. i know exactly the road you're talking about, have a friend living on it so know how much a nightmare it is! they're widening though shortly afaik

Colm_OReilly

Dragan,

Let me ask you this, does TF or WW have sledgehammers?

Colm
-Check Mate

Dragan

Colm_OReilly wrote:

Dragan,

Let me ask you this, does TF or WW have sledgehammers?

Colm
-Check Mate

Now thats cheaper than a leg lock!!!!

Kinetic^

I left WW for TF and never regretted it. TF is a great gym.

Frankiestylee

My money's on TF. Personally I found it didn't suit at all because of the walk on the road of death, really put me off going, but it's a much better gym once you get to it.

fletch

TBH after being a member of Crunch(near Lucan) for the past year, TF and WW feel like overpriced dumps! Crunch Fitness is no longer convenient for me(having moved to Leopardstown) but I just can't find it in myself to pay for either TF or WW.

WW feels so cramped and the pool is really narrow.

joejoem

UPDATE:

I went for a tour of each last night and I joined Westwood despite the advice. There were a few reasons. I loved the weights selection in TF but I couldn't get over that GAA club feeling. Once I saw the dressing rooms I knew I didn't like it. They were smelly, overcrowded and dirty. I will be going there in a suit, either in the morning or evening, I will need to hang it na dhave a clean place to shave etc. WW had this but TF didnt.

WW is easier to get to from the M50, at least last night it was. Finally, I drive a Nissan Navara Double Cab, which is like parking a Tank. It was really hard in TF but easy in WW. There is about €12 in the difference, but that doesnt really matter to me. The joining fee was less in WW though!

Thanks for your input!

joejoem

Dragan wrote:

Yes indeed, just up from Lamb Doyles pub.....didn't you drop T-ha up there one day?

I did indeed, just realised that when I got there last night!

Dragan

joejoem wrote:

I did indeed, just realised that when I got there last night!

So what did you make of the place?

joejoem

Dragan wrote:

So what did you make of the place?

The dumbells looked awesome. Heavier than I could lift! The rest of it I was mostly unimpressed with. No staff around, the place was very bare and GAA hall like. I did like the running track and that. I'd say it would be nice every so often as a change. I just love my creature comforts, the ponsey things that make life worth living.

Marathon Man

Dragan wrote:

i refuse to walk the death road.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is this 'death road'?

Noelie

Marathon Man wrote:

Pardon my ignorance, but what is this 'death road'?

The stretch of road that TF is on is awful. no street lights or footpaths, it's a very tight and twisty road. It's not a road you want to walk along in the day time let alone when it gets dark.

Dragan

Two people have been killed there in the last two years, countless close calls and accidents, hence the name.

I know that locals have been pushing to have it sorted for some time but nobody really seems to care about pedestrians.

JayRoc

Dragan wrote:

Two people have been killed there in the last two years, countless close calls and accidents, hence the name.

I know that locals have been pushing to have it sorted for some time but nobody really seems to care about pedestrians.

I'll only walk it around mid-day when it's quiet.
If I go up any other time of day I'll take the mountain bike, but even that'd be too risky after dark, so it'd have to be a taxi.

Serious life-in-your-hands stuff, but at least the heart rate is elevated for training!!

Sangre

Blackglen road, its a typical, winding narrow country road with no footpath or anywhere to walk but it just happens to be a busy dublin road!

rsynnott

Sangre wrote:

Cheers for info Dragan, this is a great help for me. Live right in between two of them basically and need a gym once tcd runs out. Heard good things about TF but thought it would be more expensive.

You can actually rejoin TCD's gym at a reduced rate as a graduate; that's what I'm probably doing.

t-ha

U guys need to get yourselves some Nissan Navaras and then you wouldn't mind the death-road so much...

joejoem

t-ha wrote:

U guys need to get yourselves some Nissan Navaras and then you wouldn't mind the death-road so much...

You don't mind the death road but parking it is a beatch!

edson

what's with the nissan navaras?
are ye builders or farmers?
i doubt it, so why would you want one in and around the city?
but they are lovely!

g'em

did this turn into the Motors Forum when I wasn't looking!??!

Keep it relevant please edson.

Patto

A couple of points on TF Sandyford:

I do free weights almost exclusively, I don't enjoy doing cardio in a gym so my comments are focused more on the free weights area than anything else.

Overall I think it is a very good gym, Lots of equiptment, lots of space etc.

I find most gym members are a friendly bunch. The staff are few and far between but are helpful when you can find one or need one, which has been twice in the past 9 months.

The showers, swimming pools, saunas, changing areas are all adaquate. And it is very family friendly.

There was no seated row machine downstairs but they put one in recently, nice one!

A few minor Negatives:
No-one puts the dumb bells back on the rack. This is systematic, there isn't a place for each dumb bell just a big rack and its not big enough. It can take a while to find a pair of dumb bels sometimes. This doesn't happen in all gyms, there must be a simple solution, management are aware of this and tend to blame and slag off the members and do nothing practical to improve the situation.

No boxes for box hops, smith machine calf raises and box squats.

No calf raise machine downstairs.

No glute ham raise machine, mind you I've never seen one in a gym in Ireland.

Dragan

Patto wrote: »

No glute ham raise machine, mind you I've never seen one in a gym in Ireland.

You should come training with us in Pinnacle some time dude.

Hanley

Patto wrote: »

No glute ham raise machine, mind you I've never seen one in a gym in Ireland.

Wouldn't consider that to be a negative tbh.

Patto

Hanley wrote: »

Wouldn't consider that to be a negative tbh.

Why? What is wrong with the GHR?

Hanley

Patto wrote: »

Why? What is wrong with the GHR?

There's nothing wrong with it at all.

It's just not the ultimate solution that elitefts and t-nation would have everyone believe.

Dragan

Hanley wrote: »

It's just not the ultimate solution that elitefts and t-nation would have everyone believe.

Last time i checked there was no ultimate solution to anything. However having a nice variety of things in the gym is never really a bad thing in my opinion.

AlphaMale 3OO

To answer the original question, go to Total Fitness. In Westwood tonight I had a little sh1t of a personal trainer complain to the main desk because I was letting the weights bang to the floor when deadlifting. it really fuks me off and to compound it, there were to whippets throwing 110 kg on the bench press and proceeding to do what i would generously call quarter reps. its enough to drive you mad. really.

aphex™

Thinking about joining TF Sandyford. Someone told me they let kids in this Gym. Is this true? Do they get in the way?

I'm leaving Carlyle because it's too busy at evenings. Is TF jammed in the evenings?

Patto

aphex™ wrote: »

Thinking about joining TF Sandyford. Someone told me they let kids in this Gym. Is this true? Do they get in the way?

I'm leaving Carlyle because it's too busy at evenings. Is TF jammed in the evenings?

Yes, they let kids in the gym up to 7pm and no they don't get in the way. There is a kids section in the gym. It actually adds to the family friendly athmosphere.

It is busy from 5.30pm to around 8.30pm Monday-Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are much quieter. If I'm doing a lot of supersetting or circuits where I need to hoard two or more pieces of equiptment at a time I usually go to the gym from 8-10pm. Even when it is very busy you are rarely waiting too long for a bench or a rack.

Trev M

Howdy Im a member of WW in Leopardstown for sometime ... trying desperatly to get motivated to go this year :rolleyes:...anyway just thought Id relay my own experince, Im not much of what you'd call a gym / sporty fella.

Ive been up there a bit recently and I have noticed that everytime Im up there the place needs a good scrub in the Sauna/Showers area. Im not a fussy chap but it really puts me off (like I need another unmotivating factor). I havent complained and should probably mention it I suppose.

One thing I will say is that generally its never too jam packed when Im there in the evenings around 7ish so I guess thats something?.

They did set me up on a program (no weights??) at the start which I typically abandoned, so must address that and get reassessed. Never really felt like you get much in the way of encouragement/information to particpate in anything? Maybe thats just me...and my lack of attendance until recently.

Regarding friendliness, I have to say I find it all a bit weird not being a typical gym goin sport billy type, its hard to feel part of the place or somethin? I dunno, maybe TF work on this aspect as some of the previus posters have said the seem friendly enough.

aye

Patto wrote: »

A couple of points on TF Sandyford:


A few minor Negatives:
No-one puts the dumb bells back on the rack. This is systematic, there isn't a place for each dumb bell just a big rack and its not big enough. It can take a while to find a pair of dumb bels sometimes. This doesn't happen in all gyms, there must be a simple solution, management are aware of this and tend to blame and slag off the members and do nothing practical to improve the situation.

yeh that really annoys me.
tho they added another rack there over the weekend.

the one thing that gets me about total is the amount of people lifting weights incorrectly, and not a word said by the instructors.
there is a guy there who benches with his mates, they are fine but this guy kicks his leg out when he lifts the weight, putting strain on his lower back. but you watch an instructor walk past and say nothing, it really bugs me.

aye

aphex™ wrote: »

Thinking about joining TF Sandyford. Someone told me they let kids in this Gym. Is this true? Do they get in the way?

I'm leaving Carlyle because it's too busy at evenings. Is TF jammed in the evenings?

kids are only allowed in until 7. no they dont get in the way, in fact you wouldnt notice they were there.
TF is busy on weekday evenings, but its so big that you'll always find something free, and even if you are waiting for a particular machine, people there have no problem interchaging sets with you.

superhoopess

Hi Does anyone know which of the 2 gyms have the best classes?
preferably early morning ones (7am-9am)
and do they change regularly?
thanks

conno16

anyone know how much WW are charging these days?

Pinggolf

They have lost a lot of members mostly because they are so expensive, also their staff are not customer friendly in fact they could not care less.
It seems the place is run on a shoe string budget if anything breaks down a service guy comes from ENGLAND!!! to fix it which means anything broken stays broken for a long time, especially the sauna and steam rooms
Hope Ben Dunne buys the place and sorts it out.

soc$

conno16 wrote: »

anyone know how much WW are charging these days?

I took a tour of WW recently because the staff and condition of TF was annoying me - it's a poky gym - all the rooms are small so the weights are squashed on top of each other.

I can't remember the exact price but it was expensive - something between 800 & 900 euro for normal full membership.

As much as TF staff are rude and the gym is untidy for the money (600 euro) it's a much better set up - big, open plan and plenty of good equipment. Even at peak times (Mon, Tues, Wed evening) you can generally find a bench or rack to work off.

Honestly, I'd pay for Riverview (1200 euro) before I'd pay for WW

Pinggolf

They could not care less about their members(customers), it has become a joke with the regulars about machines,sauna and steam room breaking down constantly. The senior trainers are good, there is a new one in there not only looks but acts like a real scumbag. It has gone downhill the shops in the complex lie vacant, no wonder people are leaving.

Glowing

I'm glad I found this thread, cos i'm trying to work through this gym dilemna as we speak.

I went down to WW this morning (it's closer to me than TF, but i've been going to TF for 2 years now and am looking for a change)

I was given THE WORST sales pitch I have ever encountered by this lady in WW. Her opening line was 'What gym are you with now' - I didn't want to tell her but she guessed TF, then she proceeded to look at me with a sympethetic look and declare, that 'oh we're much more expensive here than in TF'. There was no mention of value for money, the facilities, anything positive actually other than the fact they have more classes than TF. When she mentioned the joining fee, I laughed and said that was crazy to expect an additional cost of nearly 500 euro. Then she said 'I know, that's just the way it is'. WTF!

Needless to say I left without seeing any of the gym (or even being offered a tour). Pity, they lost 2 potential customers there.

Edit: The up-to-date costs are 75 euro a month (minimum 12 month membership), I think it's 68 for off-peak .... it's amazing the way they don't seem to care about their nearest and closest competitor which is nearly half the price, has no joining fee, and you can pay month-by-month. Some companies are still living in 2006 methinks ...

UCD dude

Patto wrote: »

A couple of points on TF Sandyford:

No boxes for box hops, smith machine calf raises and box squats.

No glute ham raise machine, mind you I've never seen one in a gym in Ireland.

How have you resolved these problems? I know that you can do GHR's on a lat pull machine. I haven't found any way of doing Reverse Hyperextensions in TF though. I'v tried stacking up the little step things to do box squats on but it was too awkward. I use the flat bench now but it's still a couple of inches too high. I'v actually considered just buying a box and donating it to the gym!

Hanley

UCD dude wrote: »

How have you resolved these problems? I know that you can do GHR's on a lat pull machine. I haven't found any way of doing Reverse Hyperextensions in TF though. I'v tried stacking up the little step things to do box squats on but it was too awkward. I use the flat bench now but it's still a couple of inches too high. I'v actually considered just buying a box and donating it to the gym!

There's an elevated bench that people use to do lying rows on, drag that over to one of the racks or machine or something, lie across it, grab the rack/machine, hold a DB between your feet and have at it.

LOLA08

I rejoined T/F S/F recently, the manager would not contemplate on haggling with me on a price. he turn around and said well you were willing to pay €600 for the past 5 years, and that I was doing well to get it for €550. I said its only €525 if I join online. He said would you like me to log onto T/F website and embarrass you by proving you wrong. I said YES. and i was right it was only €525 online. I swear to god I felt like I was begging to get into the gym. like an under age kid trying to get into a nightclub. Not impressed

mrpink6789

What a complete tosser. Mines up in Jan, I hope he tries to talk to me like that if I renew.

soc$

I just cancelled my direct debit in TF SF - 2 emails to let them know and no reply so I just said f**k it and cancelled the direct debit - customer service is not their forte!

OttoMann

Pls see my TF post on TF sandyford problem page... Cannot get over the treatment of customers in this place..unreal... Anybody know anywhere else around the area with a decent pool? Not giving these people another cent!

Mickk

I'm a member of both gyms but always find myself training in Westwood. It's much cleaner in the pool and changing rooms, the equipment isn't usually broken, the opening hours are much better and all the staff have great attitudes. The only advantage of Total fitness is that they have heavier dumbbells.

blah88

It's become impossible to do cable rows in TF Sandyford. One of the machines got the cable replaced and now the range of motion is terribly short. The other machine gets really stiff after a certain weight. I think it's between 68kg and 75kg. You move the pin down one slot and it feels like you've doubled the weight.