Best Gyms in Philadelphia

2021

Algeo MMA & Kickboxing

King of Prussia-based Algeo MMA & Kickboxing is a martial arts gym whose staff specializes in Muay Thai, kickboxing, self-defense, mixed martial arts (MMA), and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. There are classes for children and adults, plus a competition team and private lessons. Potential students may participate in a free, two-week trial course. Instructors include past and present pro-MMA fighters.

Blink Fitness Wissinoming

• Personal Training

Blink Fitness is a fitness center serving Philadelphia residents. Its facility offers a wide selection of workout equipment, including dumbbells, ellipticals, stationary bikes, treadmills, Olympic benches, and power racks. The gym also has a multi-use stretch area for bodyweight circuit training and HIIT. The stretch area is equipped with kettlebells, stability balls, resistance bands, and foam rollers. Members can also have access to the Blink app, which has over 500 classes and customizable workouts. A virtual personal training program is available as well.

City Fitness Philadelphia

City Fitness is a health club that offers group exercise and personal training at four locations: Graduate Hospital, Northern Liberties, South Philadelphia, and Society Hill. Prospective members are entitled to one week of free membership or personal training. Classes include cardio kickboxing, “Butts and Guts” for sculpting and toning glutes and abs, plus Zumba, Silver Sneakers, and classes for arms, shoulders, and TRX suspension.

CKO Kickboxing

CKO Kickboxing in Center City hosts one-hour kickboxing classes for multiple age groups and skill sets. The classes fuse fighting styles and techniques to provide a full body workout and to burn calories. They are designed to promote balance, endurance, flexibility, hand-eye coordination, and self-defense. The gym’s trainers aim to assist participants in developing skills at their own paces and to ensure that classes aren’t overcrowded or overbooked.

Core Fitness

Core Fitness offers personal training, group fitness, and physical therapy outdoors at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Waterworks Pier and indoors at the Ukrainian League and Urban Saloon. Membership options include pay-per-class, a 10-class package, or “HardCore Membership,” which must be for a minimum of four months and includes unlimited classes. Core Fitness also has physical therapists. SELF Magazine featured it in its Best Outdoor Boot Camp Classes slideshow. The gym is also a Philly.com Readers’ Choice Awards winner for best boot camp and physical therapy.

F.I.T. Gym

F.I.T. Gym – named for “focused, intense training” – has two floors of strength training and cardio equipment, including up to 250-pound dumbbells. It is designed for strength, weight, and cardio training, plus conditioning. Chalking, dropping, yelling, and sweating are encouraged. Group classes include spin, yoga, Zumba, boxing, step, and “Butts and Guts.” Personal training and tanning are also available.

F45 Center City, Philadelphia

• Outdoor And Indoor Facillity
• Fitness Classes

F45 Center City, Philadelphia is a fitness gym that offers functional full-body workouts. It offers functional HIIT classes, team training, and 45-minute sessions designed to burn up to 750 calories. It utilizes a combination of circuit and HIIT-style workouts that can improve strength, energy levels, endurance, and metabolic rate. Members are also provided with personal nutrition programs with daily meal plans and progress tracking. F45 also has on-demand workout programs through its F45 AtHome Workouts available on its F45 Challenge app and website.

Fitness Works Philadelphia

• Personal Training
• Outdoor And Indoor Facillity
• Fitness Classes

Fitness Works Philadelphia is a full-service gym serving clients in the metro. Its services include group exercises, personal training, and circuit training. It also provides a wide array of fitness classes such as aerobics and cardio, strength and toning, yoga, high-intensity cross-training, boxing, and Zumba. The facility has a tanning booth and an on-site chiropractor who helps relieve clients' stress and pain. Fitness Works Philadelphia's membership plans include access to the gym's sauna, swimming pool, and fitness classes.

Giant Fitness

• Outdoor And Indoor Facillity

Giant Fitness is a Philadelphia-headquartered fitness center that serves clients in and around the area. Its facility is equipped with a wide range of workout equipment, such as cardio and strength-training equipment. It offers a basic gym membership that enables members to have unlimited access to one Giant Fitness branch and receive fitness training consultation. It also offers a platinum gym membership where members get access to all of the gym's fitness centers throughout Philadelphia and South Jersey and get tanning privileges.

Iron Works Fitness

• Personal Training
• 24 Hrs

Iron Works Fitness is a gym facility that offers its amenities to the Philadelphia metro. The establishment provides a range of training options to suit its clients' workout time preferences. It houses squat racks, deadlift platforms, treadmills, and ellipticals. Additionally, its customers can also use the bars, barbell weight, and dumbells to gain muscle or improve their weightlifting skills. Iron Works Fitness allows its members to view and makes changes in their accounts through its website.

James Shuler Boxing Gym

The James Shuler Boxing Gym, also known as Shuler’s, is for male and female, amateur and professional boxers who are at least seven years old who desire to get in shape, to learn boxing techniques, to compete as amateurs, or to go pro. Members of Shuler’s have gone on to become champion boxers at all levels, including title and world champions, Silver Gloves, Golden Gloves, the USA Knockout Team, and in the Olympics. The gym has been open since 1994 and is in West Philadelphia, near the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.

Juniata Fitness

• Sauna

Juniata Fitness is a physical therapy and fitness facility that accepts clients in Philadelphia. This gym club helps clients reduce body fat, tone the body, and increase energy and self-esteem through various exercise programs, including but not limited to aerobics, static bicycles, free weights, silver and fit, silver sneakers, and cardio conditioning. Members can also try its water exercises and therapies. Kids and teenagers can also enjoy group classes, such as swimming and tae kwon do. The gym can provide its services in Spanish.

Level 1 Fitness

• Fitness Classes

In business since 2007, Level 1 Fitness is a Philadelphia gym offering personal training to a diverse range of clientele. The instructors on staff specialize in different areas of fitness training, including weight loss, athletic conditioning, yoga and dance, strength, and functionality. They work one-on-one with clients to develop a fitness plan according to their lifestyles and goals while incorporating nutrition and mental wellness. Working with Technogym, the facility also offers Kinesis training, which helps participants develop their core strength, flexibility, and balance.

Optimal Sport

• Outdoor And Indoor Facillity
• Fitness Classes

Optimal Sport is a gym that serves clients in Philadelphia and nearby areas. The gym provides a wide range of fitness classes, such as Zumba, rhythm ride, cardio kickboxing, and cardio dance. Yoga classes are also available, including sunrise vinyasa yoga, core yoga, and gentle flow yoga. Optimal Sport's trainers specialize in various fitness programs like pilates and optimal spin. The team includes experienced trainers like Jim Hart, Joe Patton, Dan Parvu, and Guy Nanni.

Philadelphia Fight Firm

Philadelphia Fight Firm offers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and fitness training to people of all skill levels who would like to get in shape or compete as professionals or amateurs. Classes include boxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing, MMA Striking, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA Grappling, and fitness-centric classes such as cardio kickboxing and cardio boxing. Free one-week trials are available.

Philadelphia Private Gym

Philadelphia Private Gym offers one-on-one personal training in a 4000 square foot underground gym half a mile off of I-95’s Street Road exit. It has treadmills, free weights, plyometrics, Nautilus equipment, and trainers who have more than 20 years of experience. The gym has been in operation since 1984. Tours are available by appointment.

Philly Dance Fitness

Voted “Best of Philly,” Philly Dance Fitness offers dance-centric classes in its Center City, South Philly, and Midtown studios. Classes include Zumba, ballet, cardio belly dance, hip-hop impact jazz, pilates, striptease aerobics, cardio pop, dance party boot camp, power jam stretch, Bollywood, barre, and African dance. There also are ballet classes for children and yogalates classes for mommies and babies. Students may drop in or attend at discounted rates by purchasing membership cards. Additional options include private lessons, personal training, and parties.

Ripped PHL

• Fitness Classes

Ripped PHL is a gym/physical fitness center open to serve clients in Philadelphia. It offers in-studio group classes in a low-light environment in short high-intensity dynamic sessions. On-demand high-intensity workouts are also available with four new workouts every week, which are accessible via an application on a smartphone or browser. Its personal training gives one on one attention to the client that comes with a customized nutrition plan and high-intensity workouts programmed for every customer's needs.

Steelworks Strength Systems

Steelworks Strength Systems is a CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting gym in Brewerytown. Its staff fuses Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, gymnastics, and endurance training to promote weight loss, energy, and athleticism in its members. It caters to men and women of all ages and encourages group training. Steelworks is owner-operated and has several CrossFit coaches.

Subversus Fitness

• 24 Hrs

Subversus Fitness is a fitness gym serving clients throughout Philadelphia. Offering various classes for all fitness levels, it provides CrossFit, barbell club, gymnastics, personal training, and open gym classes. It also provides nutrition plans for its members. Subversus Fitness has a facility that is over 5,000 square feet. It is equipped with Rogue Fitness equipment, including lifting platforms, jerk blocks and low blocks, powerlifting platforms, echo and assault bikes, and weights. Gym owner and coach Wylie Belasik is a two-time 2013 Ironman World Championship qualifier.

Sweat Fitness

• Personal Training

Sweat Fitness is a locally owned gym that serves clients in Philadelphia. Its trainers offer structured training sessions that are personalized based on the client's current level, style, and development goals. Moreover, the fitness professionals at Sweat provide a total of 225 types of group fitness programs, including HIIT classes, boot camp, cardio boxing workouts, Zumba house party, yoga, and muscle training. Sweat Fitness has six locations in the Philly area. In its Queen Village location, it offers the SweatX workout program exclusively for athletes.

The Training Station

The Training Station in Northern Liberties has barbells, plates, and platforms for lifting plus aerobic machines for cardio. The gym’s instructors teach indoor cycling, barre, yoga, and boot camp classes for skill levels from beginner to advanced. Amenities include no contracts, private changing rooms, ample parking, and a bike rack. Philadelphia Magazine named it Best of Philly and Best of Be Well Philly in 2012. The same year, Philadelphia Daily News Sports Week called it the Best Gym for Serious Runners.

Unite

• Personal Training
• Fitness Classes

Unite offers fitness services to clients around the Philadephia metro. It offers a range of services such as personal training, group training, and live and on-demand sessions. Housing a group of certified trainers, the fitness center aims to ensure that all of them match the clients' preferences and traits. Unite was founded back in 2006. Its founder, Gavin McKay, is into team sports and has built the fitness center to help people become happier and healthier.

X-Force

• Personal Training

X-Force caters to clients in and around Philadelphia. It offers personal training sessions using weight lifting technology developed in Sweden. This technology increases the resistance clients experience on the lowering motion when lifting weights. Moreover, the gym's 5,000-square foot facility is equipped with showers, locker rooms, and lounges where clients can rest after a workout session. Owner Roger Schwab had trained bodybuilder Mike Mentzer for the 1978 Mr. Universe and 1980 Mr. Olympia competitions. Schwab was also featured in Men's Health Magazine.