JJB Fitness Club, Limerick

Mr E

JJB Fitness is opening in Limerick next Monday. They have tours on at the moment, so I popped in for a look around.

First impressions are pretty positive. Its big enough, but seems cluttered. Lighting isn't great (its pretty dark with no natural light that I can remember), and the artificial lighting is like a bad 70s disco (lots of coloured lights).

Plus points:
+ Good free weights (up to 50kg).
+ Pool, 2 jacuzzis, aromatic steam room (eucalyptus)
+ Lots of weights machines (seemingly only one of each, though... the place was so badly lit I couldn't really pick individual machines out)
+ 2 aerobic studios (large rooms for aerobic/spinning etc. - one is fully kitted out with 20-30 bikes for spinning). 60 classes a week according to leaflet. All classes are free (first come first served)
+ Good lounge area for food/drink etc.
+ Very big changing rooms
+ Cost is better than my current gym:

€45 per month (Peak 06:00 to 22:00, 08:00 to 20:00 w/e)
€35 per month (Off Peak 08:30 to 16:30, 08:00 to 20:00 w/e)
€25 per month, 60+ Seniors (Off Peak Hours)

+ €15 joining fee if you join before opening date (27/06). €100 joining fee after opening date. Pay 2 months up front, DD kicks in on month 3. Minimum 6 month contract. Join before 27/06 to get €50 of vouchers for JJB Sports (in same building).
+ Lots of cardio equipment (didn't get exact numbers due to lighting).
+ Join here, and you can use any other JJB club for free.
+ Individual TV screens on all cardio machines, with choice of channels etc.
+ 20ft pool, 4ft deep, heated (30C)

Negative points:
- Badly lit
- Seemed cluttered.

Overall it seems better than my current gym, and its €10 a month cheaper. I'm going to go back later in the week to check out exactly what machines they have, but it looks very promising....

Does anyone have any experience of other JJB Fitness Clubs? Are they run well, or do they let machines stay broken for weeks on end?

joc_06

50kg dumbells like?
is there a normal bench press? squat racks? area for olympic lifts? barbells?

Mr E

Yep, 50kg dumbells.
Yep, there is a normal bench press (didn't spot a smiths machine or squat rack - doesn't mean they aren't there, though..)
Didn't see how much weights they had for bars, but I'll find out on my second visit.

Mr E

Went back today for a closer look around.

To answer joc's questions:

- Yes, there is a squats rack
- Yes, there is a normal benchpress
- Yes they have barbells -- lots of bars too, and loads of plates (I counted at least 8 50kg plates)
- They also have multiple sets of the more common dumbells, so there is no waiting for weights to be available.

One cool piece of equipment they have is a standing rower. You lean forward into pads and pull back with the bars. The cool thing is that the bar rotates around a fixed point at its base, so by varying the angle you pull back at, you'll hit different muscles.

Another piece of equipment I liked the look of was this: http://www.vibrogym.com/index2.aspx. I put my foot on it when he turned it on, and I felt it all the way up my leg. By tipping my foot forward, it hammered my calf muscle. Must have a good look around the site to see exactly how it works...

Lights were better today, so I could see more..(are they reading boards? ) They have at least 20 treadmills, and loads of bikes and cross trainers.

Definitely signing up tomorrow.
Bye bye, Castletroy Park Hotel.