Gyms In Miami
Hey and welcome to my page on Gyms in Miami. This is my first stop in the USA and I’m loving it! Blue skies, sunshine and skyscrapers. Morning runs by the beach and part way over the bridge, passing like-minded fitness fanatics. Yep, I’m feeling at home here.
Having spent the past three months in South and Central America, I’ve been preparing myself for a significant price hike. Good thing too, though I think I underestimated just how much day passes would be here. Gulp.
So, during my time here I’ve used three gyms, which I have written full reviews of. I’ve included details of facilities, images, opening hours and my overall conclusions about the gym. Click on individual links for full info. Additionally, I looked into four other gyms here and have written my findings below.
Gyms in Miami which I Have Used
1. PAL Gym Miami – $55 a week (no daily rate)
PAL Gym is well-located 200m south of Flamingo Park, which was close to my accommodation, Miami Hostel. I can definitelt recommend staying here – it’s social if you want to meet people but you can still sleep well. The breakfast bagels were great too! The gym itself was large, well air-conditioned and had an excellent range of cardio and weight-training equipment. You’ll also find a reasonable functional training area at this Miami gym. There are a few gym toys, though it’s not huge.
2. FREE Gym Miami – My Equilibria – free(!)
Woohoo – a free gym! It doesn’t have your usual range of weights of course, but you will find overhead bars, a flat and inclined bench and a couple of disc weights amongst other things. I learnt a lot by watching how others made use of the seemingly random objects this open air gym offers. At least by being in this workout environment, you’re around like-minded individuals wanting to train too. That alone is a big motivator for me, so equipment aside, there’s plenty of body-weight work you can do here whilst you enjoy Miami beach. Worth starting here!
3. Crunch Miami South Beach – $37 a day, $75 a week
This colourful and attractive gym in Miami leaves little to be desired. Crunch Miami South Beach all looks very new and in superb condition. It’s also the priciest gym I visited and the one with the best range of functional equipment and floor space.
Miami Gyms I Liaised With But Didn’t Use:
4. Planet Fitness – free pass!
By going onto PF’s website, you can register for a free pass at a number of clubs, at the time of writing. None were located on South Beach where I was staying though, so I took other options. However, there are several branches in downtown Miami and the surrounding area. I have successfully used Planet Fitness clubs in other states for free without any fuss in the USA and recommend them on this basis. As a large chain, all clubs I used had facilities ranging from good to excellent.
5. Orangetheory Fitness – free pass at some locations!
Including this one, in the design district downtown! Miami Design District, 89 NE 38th St, Mami, 33137
Register on the Orangetheory website!
You’ll also find one location on South Beach where you can do a class for for $12 as a one off. This is an excellent rate for the area, but obviously not free. I was told that the class is HIIT style.
Gyms in Miami to Avoid (if you’re on a budget)
6. Equinox South Beach
520 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, 33139
Er, no. When I enquired about a free pass in person, I was told to spend $150 on goods and services nearby and I’d earn one. Well if I had $150 to spare I wouldn’t be asking for a free pass!
7. Mirador Gym
1000 West Ave, Miami Beach, 33139
Mirador did not offer me any remotely reasonable rates.
Also note that Flywheel Sports (located at 1919 Purdy Ave) is not a gym. I rocked up and they told me they only offer cycling and barre.
Summary of Miami Gyms
Phew, it’s been a busy few days exploring Miami gyms in the heat and seeing the Everglades! As a traveller on a budget, I am still coming to terms with the pricy day pass rates gyms charge here. But the free beach gym here is an absolute godsend! Yes, you might have to get used to a different style of training if you aren’t used to this, but the most important thing is, we budget-minded backpackers can get a free workout!
If you’re keen for aircon and an actual rack of dumbbells though, I don’t blame you. I recommend heading to PAL Gym if you’ll be using it more than a couple of times. The weekly rate here is by far the best I found in Miami and it has great all-round facilities for weight-training, cardio and a few classes.
If you’re more into functional training and money isn’t an issue, then check out Crunch which has a beautifully spacious functional training area. It’s overall more upmarket than PAL Gym too, though this comes at a price.
Wherever you end up going, have a great trip!
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