Crunch Fitness in Temple Bar

sheepshagger

Does anyone use this branch of the gym???

Had a tour of it the other day - very flash indeed, heaps of gear, a pool and very spacious and all in the city centre - all for EUR 68 a month plus the 100 euro joining fee.

I looked on the gym review thread and couldnt see anything. . .does anyone have any tips/reviews of it at this early stage???

Just need to find out how i get out of my current gym so I can join this one. .

Reyman

Sounds expensive for Crunch - though maybe city centre and the pool push up the price.

Crunch in Belfield do an annual deal for around Euros 300 with no entry charge.

Have to put up with scruffy students, and mouldy dressing rooms though

tribulus

Reyman wrote:

Sounds expensive for Crunch - though maybe city centre and the pool push up the price.

Crunch in Belfield do an annual deal for around Euros 300 with no entry charge.

Have to put up with scruffy students, and mouldy dressing rooms though

hey we're not all bad!!!! most of us don't have a 10 minute phone conversation while sitting on a bench during peak time :eek: :mad:

Dr_Colossus

Hi. I joined the Crunch Fitness Premier in Temple Bar nearly two weeks ago after being a member in Jackie Skelly's in Clarendon Street for over two years and Crunch Fitness in UCD for four years prior to that. Have to say it's a very nice gym, ultra modern equipment and relatively spacious for a city centre gym.
I had to leave Jackie Skelly's because since they did the refurbishment they overcrowded the gym to such an extent that it became laughable. They don’t seem to have any restriction on the number of members they take on and offer free trials to every man and his dog passing the road further overcrowding the place. Anyway Crunch Fitness Premier is a calmer affair and not as overcrowded.
The gym has an ample supple of cardiovascular equipment such as treadmills and cross trainers and you are always guaranteed a free machine even in peak times. It has it’s fair share of upright and seated bikes and rowing machines as well. One thing I’ve noticed however is that it doesn’t have any stepping machines. The gym has an adequate supply of cable weight machines. The selection of machines is rather limited but they have two to three of each of the more popular machines thereby ensuring that you’re not forever waiting on one particular exercise.
The free weight area is rather sparse in terms of equipment and range. Like most modern new gyms there’s no free standing bench presses or squat racks and these have to be done on the one single smith machine in the gym. As a result you often have to wait for someone to finish before doing your workout and even then it’s under the waiting eyes of one or two more members. There is a good supply of benches but a somewhat limited range of dumbbells and barbells. The range of dumbbells increase in increments of 2kg from 2kg to 30kg with doubles provided on all ranges up to 20kg. The barbells increase in increments of 2.5 kg between 10kg and 20kg and then in increments of 5kg between 20kg and 40kg. If they added an extra smith machine and increased the range of dumbbells and barbells up to 50kg then I think they would have a pretty decent free weight area.
The gym also supplies the regular range of classes such as aerobics, circuit training, pilates etc. The majority of these are provided for with the monthly membership fee but some of the more specialised classes such as yoga have to be paid for at reception. There is also a spinning studio in the gym but they are still awaiting the bikes therefore there haven’t been any classes yet.
The swimming pool and spa area is very nice but there’s a lot of wasted space which could have been used to increase the size of the pool. The pool is 20m long but rather narrow and at peak times can get too overcrowded. The sauna and steam room are massive and provide plenty of room even at the busiest of times. The dressing rooms are very plush and spacious and kept in good condition.
All the staff at the gym are very courteous, friendly and professional. The vast majority of them are foreign but all have good English and are always more than willing to help with any questions or advice. Upon joining you get an induction course to run you through the equipment and the computer system and it is here that you are assigned an instructor to provide you with a workout plan based on your goals and routines.
One question though sheepshagger, you mentioned the joining fee was €100. Is this still the case? When I joined two weeks ago the joining fee was also €100 but I was told that this would be increased to €250 within a few days as they were very close to reaching the next stage of their membership ladder. I was assured that the gym membership would be restricted by increasing the entry fee every time they reached a certain membership number. This was their system of ensuring that the gym never got overcrowded as it is supposed to be a Premium gym reflected in the relatively hefty monthly subscription fee. Anyway if they ask for any recommendations upon joining please suggest that they increase their range of dumbbells to at least 40kg and add an extra smith machine.

sheepshagger

Dr

Thanks for the very comprehensive review.

I joined up on Sunday and have been in everyday since - have to say the biggest drawcard for me is the number of machines (not having to wait) - agree the pool is a bit narrow but I still manage to fit in some laps (and im going straight after work which would be peak time).

I joined on Sunday and paid the joining fee of EUR 100. .. I was told that this increased to EUR 200 (I think) on 1 September. I noticed from the details the guy had that the people who joined up when it first started either paid nothing or EUR 50 joining fee. So it looks like the earlier you join the cheaper the fee is - I was also told membership was capped to 2000 people ( i was in the 1000-1500 group.

Might see you in there!

Oh one thing - they say you need a robe to use the pool. . .whilst this is OK I guess - on Sunday no one seemed to wear one, on Monday they were policing it (so I went out and bought a cheap one) then on Tuesday it seems like its back to normal (ie no one bothers). . .whats the story???

uturnin6weeks

Hi all,


Does anyone know of deals in Crunch Fitness in Temple Bar? How far can I push them on monthly charge?

comer_97

the last text i got from them on the 22nd of January 2010 was 59EUR a month with a 49 EUR joining fee or 595 for the year. This has been the same for the last 18 months although they keep texting saying this is their new special deal.

Fran1985

Hi, is that 60 euro joining fee and 50 per month still going does anyone know? Is it a good Gym? Working in town at the moment and haven't been to the gym in a long time so want to start back again, and thats not a huge price compared to the one in smithfield.

G86

Fran1985 wrote: »

Hi, is that 60 euro joining fee and 50 per month still going does anyone know? Is it a good Gym? Working in town at the moment and haven't been to the gym in a long time so want to start back again, and thats not a huge price compared to the one in smithfield.

To be honest the membership rates in Crunch generally depend on the person you get speaking to. I had about 3 different quotes in the space of a week when I joined a few years ago.

I wasn't a fan. It's overdressed and overpriced! They'd have been better off spending the money they paid for those chandeliers on a few decent platforms, or at least an area where you can DL without people walking all over you.

Depends on what you're looking for. If you want a leisure centre type thing, with the fancy sauna/pool etc. then it'll do the job. If you want a good no messing type gym then no, I wouldn't go for it. If you're in town try RAW on South Richmond St.

Fran1985

Cheers G,
looking for a bit of fitness, but also a pool. Raw looks a bit hardcore for a beginner like me. It's been a long time since i got any exercise of any shape of form, to the extent that the bus leaves from the top of my road, and drops me outside the door at work. So it really is a case of starting from zero. But its one i hadn't heard off before and make look into in the future. Looks like it'll push ya to the limit

G86

You should go over and have a look, it's really not like that at all The staff are really welcoming and there are people there doing all different types of training. The bootcamps look really good for beginners too. Anytime I've seen one on, the weights/exercises have always been scaled for each person.

limeflower

I was a member in crunch in 2008. Got a great deal with them after negotiation of joining for a year, and pay the fee in 3 installment. Work out at 55 per month no joining fee. Thought it was a good deal at the time. I have to say, the gym is always very clean. Never have to wait too long for a machine!
Anyone want to share more pricing here? As I am looking around to join a gym in the city again!

Dr_Colossus

I see this old thread was resurrected and since I wrote a review back in 05 I might as well provide an update. I left the gym about 18months after joining due to overcrowding and poor management. After leaving Crunch I joined Westwood in Clontarf and have been there since, it's an inconvenience in terms of location and is rather expensive but it meets my needs and doesn't get too overcrowded.

Fran1985

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

I see this old thread was resurrected and since I wrote a review back in 05 I might as well provide an update. I left the gym about 18months after joining due to overcrowding and poor management. After leaving Crunch I joined Westwood in Clontarf and have been there since, it's an inconvenience in terms of location and is rather expensive but it meets my needs and doesn't get too overcrowded.

mite pop down after work for a look. That's probably busiest time for city centre gym?? It'll be when i'll be using it anyway. If its jammed packed then i'll pass. Clontarf is too far out for my liking. Heard its a good gym out there though

limeflower

Fran1985 wrote: »

mite pop down after work for a look. That's probably busiest time for city centre gym?? It'll be when i'll be using it anyway. If its jammed packed then i'll pass. Clontarf is too far out for my liking. Heard its a good gym out there though

hey Fran,

Did you check out the gym yet?Do you have any membership info?