PAL Gym Miami Beach (Police Athletic League)
999 11th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Opening Times: Mon – Fri: 6:30 – 23:00 and Sat – Sun: 8:00 – 20:00.
Cost: $55 per week, $65 for 2 weeks, $75 for 3 weeks, $85 for a month.
Location
PAL Gym Miami is a medium-large gym on the Western Side of Miami Beach. As a non-for-profit gym, the good news is that the rates are the lowest I found of the gyms I visited in the area. The bad news is that it is an expensive area! (Or perhaps US gyms are expensive generally – so I’ll keep you posted as Miami is my first stop)
Facilities
The workout area is separated into a large weights room and a slightly smaller cardio room. The weights room is very well laid out and tidy, thanks to their strict policy on re-racking weights after use. I saw signs everywhere instructing members to do it and staff requested I do so upon arriving too. Well worth the effort; it is tidy AND all the weights are in their homes, labelled and in ascending order of weight! This was a real pleasure to see and not as common as you’d hope; I sometimes find in larger and less organised gyms, you can walk half the length of the room trying to find the weights you are looking for. They are often not even racked in pairs, just stored on a long rack where there is no order to the weights. But here, I’m certainly a happy bunny!
Check Out Things To Do with Get Your Guide – Beat The Queues!
Although you’ll find a few resistance machines, the focus here is on free weights and you’ll find an ample amount of them. You don’t need to be Schwarzenegger to come here either; there is good range in the lightweight end too, going all the way up to 125lbs (dumbbells) and 110lbs (fixed weight barbells). There are plenty of discs up to 45lbs for loading up (plenty of) adjustable barbells, and both flat and inclined benches. For that all-important legwork, you’ll find several squat racks and Smith machines.
Cardio and Functional Equipment
The cardio room at PAL Gym contains a variety of crosstrainers, steppers, bikes and treadmills. I found a few resistance machines for the lower body stored in there too and some more lightweight dumbbells. I also found a small designated stretching/mat area with two large mats and some functional equipment, eg a BOSU, Swiss balls, a roller (abs) and foam rollers.
When I attended at around lunchtime on a Tuesday, the gym was pleasantly busy with around 12-15 people in the weights room, therefore a good atmosphere without being too busy. It is well air-conditioned with overhead fans and was an ideal workout temperature and the two staff I met were very friendly and helpful.
There are a small number of classes each week, including Zumba, Abs, “Dance and Cardio” and Yoga.
Summary of PAL Gym Miami Beach
PAL Gym in Miami would be my first choice for those on a budget, who want something more than what the free beach gym offers. (My Equilibria, described in a previous post). Although not upmarket, it is far from rough and ready, overall making a great middle of the range gym. Also, although it’s smaller than the more upmarket Crunch, it is considerably cheaper and has everything most weight-trainers would need. Also worth mentioning that staff were very welcoming to travellers, thanks guys!
Want an Overview of Gyms in Miami?
I went to several different gyms here and I’ve summarised, compared and recommended my favourites in this article! Check out Gyms in Miami.
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